Mrs Waziri insults our intelligence when she claims that the EFCC has not foreclosed the trial of former governors. God bless Segun Adeniyi; he is honest enough to admit that the Yar’Adua government is not interested in prosecuting the former governors because he is more interested in fighting corruption at the Federal level.
Someone should please tell the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to shut up.
Anytime I hear this woman talk about fighting corruption I want to puke.
She was quoted on Sunday as saying that The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has not foreclosed investigations into the activities of some governors who served between 1999 and 2007.
She also told the News Agency of Nigeria that reports indicating that the investigation files of the governors were missing or stolen, were false and unfounded.
“The investigations into their cases are ongoing and have a definite process,” she said. The EFCC boss, who did not name the affected governors, said that investigations into criminal cases were not closed, but would be reopened as fresh facts emerged.
But, Mrs Waziri, we have their names, we have the facts? Their names include former governors: Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Orji Kalu (Abia), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), Sani Ahmed (Zamfara), Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo), Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Delta State governor James Ibori and Jolly Nyame (Taraba).
The facts are here
Moreover, unconfirmed sources said that former Delta State governor James Ibori’s name is no longer on your list of governors still under investigation and trial, why?
Mrs Waziri further said the era of ‘harsh’ tactics in EFCC operations was gone and that the commission would follow due process and the rule of law in the investigation and prosecution of suspects. We demand that she deliver results of her “due process”.
She also said that the commission would not drag suspects into detention for two to three months before trial, insisting that the commission would carry out thorough investigation before arresting any suspect.
Then Mrs Waziri, how many suspects have you arrested since coming into office?
She lamented that efforts by the EFCC to confiscate some of the buildings owned by the former governor were frustrated because the title deeds were in his father’s name. That’s bollocks!
Ribadu arrested and seized the former IGP Tafa Balogun’s corruptly acquired properties wherever they were; even those overseas.
The former Federal Capital Territory minister, Nasir El Rufai was right when he said that the current EFCC, they are not really fighting any corruption. “How many cases have they completed since they came into office”? He queried.
Rufai also said that when she (Farida Waziri, EFCC chairman) gave her press briefing some weeks ago, all the achievements she was listing where Ribadu’s achievements, not hers. Since they came into office, they have not successfully prosecuted anybody apart from Lucky Igbinedion, who was fined N3.5 million for stealing N1.5 billion. That is the new EFCC!
We all know that Waziri was nominated by a former governor as head of EFCC to cover their backs; we have come to live with that reality. The last thing we want is further insult on our intelligence.
God bless Segun Adeniyi, the presidential spokesman. At least he is honest enough to admit over the weekend that the Yar’Adua government is not interested in prosecuting the former governors because he is more interested in fighting at the Federal level because “the quantum of money at the federal level, it is much more than that of the entire 36 states combined”.
He added that Yar’Adua is more interested in preventing corruption that prosecuting the corrupt because “in any case, the philosophy of Yar’Adua is that prevention is better than cure”.
This is Segun Adeniyi’s full statement (17/05/09)
“You see, many people talk about the former governors but when you look at the quantum of money at the federal level, it is much more than that of the entire 36 states combined yet nobody has looked at what happens with that money.
“For example, I recall the money allegedly misappropriated by Mr. Joshua Dariye that led to his arrest and subsequent kangaroo impeachment is about N800 million from the ecological fund most of which as it even came out then were allegedly shared with some party big wigs in Abuja at that time.
We all know what happened to Dariye. “Now, compare that situation with the recent revelations from the Rural Electrification Agency alone and you will see the wisdom of Yar´Adua´s approach that charity should begin at home.
When you also consider the fact that Halliburton, Siemens and all those other scandal were at the federal level yet nobody was brought to book, you must understand where fighting corruption should really begin.”
Adeniyi also said the disposition of Yar’Adua is that: “if you begin by beaming the searchlight on federal government, it will be easier for the EFCC to go to the states rather than adopt the approach where governors were targeted, and selectively too, while officials of the federal government could sit atop monumental corruption without any questions asked of them.
“It is not that I am defending corruption at state level or making a case for former governors but I fail to accept that corrupt practices are restricted to state governors. That is not correct. In any case, the philosophy of Yar’Adua is that prevention is better than cure.
“For instance, it is so difficult now for officials to even try the kind of perfidy we saw at the Rural Electrification Agency with the e-Payment introduced with effect from January this year.
Now, it is easy to follow the money trail. What triggered this whole investigation in the first place was movement of money in January after the transaction was concluded on December 30 last year.
“Yar’Adua doesn’t believe corruption should be glamorised, he believes in fighting it. I think it is a matter of style because EFCC knows that they cannot publicly denounce anybody who has allegations of corruption against him or her.
It is the court that can do that so their job is to look for watertight evidence that can ensure conviction rather than criminalise people on the pages of newspaper”, he said.
He explained that President Yar Adua’s continuous charge to the EFCC and other agencies is that they should do their work like normal routine exercise and he doesn’t want to take credit for what they are doing. `The beauty of his style is that nobody can ever accuse him of political persecution if he falls foul of the law and is apprehended. It will then be the law versus the individual concerned.
That is the way it should be”, Adeniyi said.
This is the full report of what Mrs Waziri Ibrahim said (the PUNCH, 18/05/09).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has not foreclosed investigations into the activities of some governors who served between 1999 and 2007, its Chairman, Mrs Farida Waziri, said in Abuja on Sunday.
She told the News Agency of Nigeria that reports indicating that the investigation files of the governors were missing or stolen, were false and unfounded.“The investigations into their cases are ongoing and have a definite process,” she said.
The EFCC boss, who did not name the affected governors, said that investigations into criminal cases were not closed, but would be reopened as fresh facts emerged.Some of the former governors being tried include Mr. James Ibori (Delta); Alhaji Rasheed Ladoja (Oyo); Chief Lucky Igbinedion (Edo) and Mr. Ayo Fayose (Ekiti).
She said the era of ‘harsh’ tactics in EFCC operations was gone and that the commission would follow due process and the rule of law in the investigation and prosecution of suspects.She said that the commission would not drag suspects into detention for two to three months before trial, insisting that the commission would carry out thorough investigation before arresting any suspect.
She said, “We would have carried out our checks in the banks, the Corporate Affairs Commission and done our asset investigation before inviting suspects. This would shorten the period of interrogation and the arraignment of the suspects.”“I began to restructure the place, first by inviting the PriceWaterhouseCoopers, a human resources and consultant agency to look evolve a solid structure,’’ she said.
“The company recommended that we establish monitoring, evaluation and intelligence units, to enable us to move forward speedily.”“The firm also recommended the establishment of an assets review unit and a new salary structure for employees of the commission.”On plea bargaining, she said, “You cannot be using part of the public funds you stole to set yourself free and go home to enjoy the loot.
“Plea bargaining is used in some developing countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, but that does not make it a proper choice.
I never liked it.”Waziri recalled with regret, the case of Igbinedion who got away with a light sentence after the EFCC entered into plea bargaining with him.“It was disheartening that the court eventually imposed a fine of N3.5m on him, which was paid on the spot there,” she said.“We appealed against the case. I will not go into plea bargaining again,” she stressed.
Waziri said that because “there is separation of power,” the EFCC could not take the position of judges and the judiciary in deciding on matters before the courts.She also lamented that efforts by the EFCC to confiscate some of the buildings owned by the former governor were frustrated because the title deeds were in his father’s name.