Former Military Governor of old Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd) has stirred further controversy on the redeployment of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Umar said the EFCC Chairman should quit the job because his appointment was irregular in the first place.
He said although Ribadu would deliver on any task assigned to him, his low level experience needs the guidance of an honest leader.

“I am sorry to say that such environment was most lacking when Nuhu was prematurely appointed as Chairman of EFCC on the insistence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; definitely due to their common geographical extraction”, he added.

The former Military Governor made this assertion while fielding questions from newsmen in Kaduna in what apparently was his first reaction to the EFCC saga .
Why Ribadu must go
While many say that the decision to post Nuhu Ribadu out is aimed at frustrating the ongoing trial of the President’s former governor colleagues, Umar thinks otherwise, anchoring his belief on the exigencies of the time.

According to him, “Nuhu found himself operating under the tutelage of a most dishonest boss, President Obasanjo. He was under the false impression that Obasanjo was sincere in his fight against corruption. And who would not be deceived considering the saintly image of Obasanjo up to the point of his first election in 1999 and the beautiful rhetorics and declarations he delivered in his inaugural speech in which he promised to restore the years the locust had eaten, to step on toes and have no scared cows in his war against corruption. When therefore Nuhu was appointed, he accepted the challenge with great zeal, some will even say overzealousness
“But very soon, it became apparent to most observers that former President Obasanjo had some other plans for setting up the EFCC and such plans ran counter to the fight against corruption.
“Instead, the EFCC was slanted to fight against the opponents of former President Obasanjo and to also use the institution to cover up Obasanjo’s monumental corruption. I have it on good authority that the EFCC Chairman was troubled and thoroughly embarrassed by Obasanjo’s hypocrisy and double standard. I still cannot understand why Nuhu couldn’t take the honourable path of resignation once he became aware of the President’s antics. I was shocked that the chairman could bear false witness that Obasanjo was not personally corrupt.

He vouched for the integrity of Obasanjo at a time when he had caused to be stolen well over 50 billion dollars through highly inflated contracts, illegal duty waivers and concessions, mismanagement of the Federations Account and scandalous NNPC transactions and a most criminal, opaque privatization of public treasures to his business associates and cronies. When Obasanjo embarked on total genocidal war against his political and business opponents, the EFCC became the most useful and loyal force that was used.

It acquitted itself disregarding all the recognized war conventions. A good example was the corruption advisory list issued on the instruction of President Obasanjo and his party, the PDP which led to the illegal disqualifications of all strong opposition members. It is a measure of the extent of that illegality that many election results are being reversed by tribunals including those of five state governors and still counting”.

Where Ribadu failed
In assessing the EFCC, Umar said although the anti graft body had carried out the anti- corruption war with some measure of seriousness, it does not deserve the credit being showered on it.
Asked if the prosecution of a former Inspector General of Police and former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State and the recovering of over N500 billion from criminals were not laudable achievements, the former Military Governor shot back, beginning with the case of the former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Tafa Balogun.
Umar said the culprit in the case was not Tafa Balogun, but President Obasanjo who he said aided and abetted the former IGP to embezzle the funds.

“I ask you what was the Police Force annual budget for the whole period that Balogun headed the force? How was it possible for the IGP, working directly under the President who declared war against corruption, to embezzle over N17 billion without the knowledge of the same President? Tafa Balogun was used as a scape goat. He served Obasanjo’s purpose which explained his ridiculously light sentence of six months mostly served in hospital and his house.

“The case of the former governors of Bayelsa State and Plateau goes to prove our claim that the EFCC was used to torment the opposition. They were only victims of the Obasanjo-Atiku feud since they remained loyal to the Vice President. Otherwise, how come they were the only two governors targeted in any serious manner in the fight against corruption?
“I ask you why was Bode George not prosecuted by the EFCC? The president prevented this from happening. In fact, even when Nuhu established a prima-facie case against Bode George, the president threw back the report on the pretext that the EFCC was not specific in identifying individual culprits. The EFCC Chairman was forced to exonerate Bode George by ridiculously claiming that Bode was only a Board Chairman and not the Chief Executive of NPA and could therefore not be held responsible for any contract fraud, as if he is unaware of the powers of the board in contract awards which of course are higher than that of the management.”

Speaking on the monies recovered from those found guilty, Umar said it is yet uncertain how much has been retrieved. He, however, called on the EFCC to expose those from whom such monies have been recovered, saying he is reluctant to praise the anti-graft agency.
He referred to the CNPP’s allegation that over N2 trillion perished under Obasanjo’s watch and wondered what the N500 billion recovered by the anti-graft body means to Nigerians.
Obasanjo’s hypocrisy, Ribadu’s gain
Umar’s response to the question on the coincidence of Ribadu’s redeployment and the prosecution of former governors? He said Ribadu’s appointment was irregular in the first place going by the Act which set up the EFCC. Quoting from the Act, the former military governor said: “the Act provides for a Chairman and Chief Executive and Board members representing the security services.

“The representative of the Police must be of the rank of an AIG. But when Nuhu was appointed, he was only an AC, meaning he was too junior in rank and therefore expected to attended many police and other professional courses if he is to remain in police service. The NIPPS happened to be a requirement for promotion to the top echelon of the security services. So, the exigencies of the police service require Nuhu to proceed on course. Please do a check on the seniority of Nuhu in the police.

It is Obasanjo that catapulted him to the rank of AIG over his mates and some of his superiors so as to unduly exaggerate the achievements of EFCC under him in its war against corruption. It is all part of Obasanjo’s dishonesty and hypocrisy. He decided to decorate his generals after being routed in a war. He surrendered to corruption, but he still has to publish another book on His Command.”
Why Obasanjo’s policies must be reversed

People also see the removal of Nuhu Ribadu as one more evidence that Yar’Adua is intent on reversing all the policies of Obasanjo’s administration. Could this not be true?
To answer the question, Umar went down memory lane, enunciating some of the policies of the Obasanjo administration. In his estimation, Yar’Adua’s government in incapable of reversing all the policies of that administration.
“But there is real and urgent need to reverse all those bad policies and they are so many. You must remember that the main reason Obasanjo was elected in 1999, against all odds, was to pull this country back from the brink. It was expected that with his saintly image which has since been debunked, he would restore the years that the locust had eaten.

He would reverse the rot. Luck played into his hand. The nation witnessed an unprecedented rise in its finance, thanks to the high rise in oil revenue. It was like God had blessed us with manna from heaven. What did our messiah do? He decided to restructure the nation on a very weak and shaky foundation. Our social, political and economic structure has been built on cronyism, nepotism and greed.

His policies have encouraged primitive and criminal appropriation of public wealth by a few to the detriment of the many. Obasanjo’s policies have pauperized majority of Nigerians. Over 70 percent of the people have fallen below poverty line while less than two percent of the population controls over 60 percent of our nation’s wealth. He has pushed the nation further on the precipice. It is therefore in the best interest of the nation that such policies are reversed.”

babasin:

Umar is respected fellow. He says his mind always.

Big B1:

Even if Umar was a crack head, he still has rights to express how he feels and point out defectiveness of any institutions in Nigeria, especially the ones that handle Fed govt daily activities.

If anyone has a bright idea to elevate this nation, I think we should welcome the idea regardless of where it is coming from.

You are correct that Umar is entitled to express himself but the point is that he lacks morality, decency and character to condemn Ribadu

You are correct that Umar is entitled to express himself but the point is that he lacks morality, decency and character to condemn Ribadu

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua may have been reluctant to approve the study leave for Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), THISDAY checks have revealed.
The reluctance may have been because the president needed wider consultation but was forced to approve the course in the face of relentless media accusation that the study leave was a ploy to shield former governors from prosecution, official sources said.
Indeed, the president had only just received the request from Mr Mike Okiro, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to send Ribadu on a senior management course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Plateau State, when news got round that Ribadu had been removed, whereas the approval for the course was only given Friday last week, four days after it broke in the media.
According to officials conversant with the development, when Okiro informed Ribadu of the course, the EFCC chairman reportedly asked Okiro if the President had been informed about the decision.
The IGP was said to have replied in the negative, asking: “Do you think the president needs to know about this? It’s a routine course for senior officers in the force.”
“Ribadu told Okiro that with his position as chairman of EFCC, he was reporting directly to the President and only the President could send him on a course of this nature,” the source said.
The IGP then decided to take the matter directly to Yar’Adua.
On meeting with Yar’Adua on Christmas eve, Okiro was said to have presented the file containing the names of those to be sent on the course.
Presidency sources said the view of the Villa was that approving courses was not the job of the president. However, with the name of Ribadu on the list, the president knew the import and decided to think through it, the source added.
It is believed that if the President wanted to approve the course, he would have done it there and then but chose to be reticent on the matter.
By the next day, the media attention began and speculations were rife as many imputed political motives. Coming during a holiday period when the file was still at the presidency and the issue had not been addressed, the President was said to have wondered what the hot air was all about.
With the widespread criticism, culminating in Prof. Wole Soyinka's statement over the issue, the President came to the conclusion that only one decision could be taken on the matter: to approve the course and protect the Police high command.
The President's opinion was that Ribadu had not been removed since he was only going on a course in February. When Ribadu completes the course, official sources told THISDAY, the next line of action would be taken.

The President's opinion was that Ribadu had not been removed since he was only going on a course
in February. When Ribadu completes the course, official sources told THISDAY, the next line of action
would be taken.

The only fault I found in Ribadu, and it is a grievous fault, is that he never for once, throughout the time he worked with the erstwhile president, gave any hint that some spanners from the presidency were being thrown in the works of his Commission. Everyone knew the Commission was being driven by a remote control held by Obasanjo, yet Ribadu carried on, and wanted everybody to believe him, as if he was his own man, answerable to no man and feared no man. That was a lie and Ribadu knew it was a lie. Everyone was aware that Obasanjo was leading him and his Commission by the nose.

Notice the few times Ribadu tried to exercise his independence - for example, when he declared that 31 or so state governors were corrupt. Obasanjo simply came out to laugh off the matter and said the young man was on his own-speaking his own mind.

Another sin of Ribadu was that he failed to read the signs of the time to know that his work was over the moment the new government came in. It is said that the guest that fails to leave the party when the music goes off will end up dancing with the waitress. With Obasanjo's exit, there was really nothing left for Ribadu to do with the Commission. The former president employed him for only one singular purpose, and that was to help him ward off his enemies.

With Obasanjo's exit, Ribadu should have known that the party was over for him and should have left along with the man he had served so dutifully well. To stay back as he had done, and still thought he would still be relevant to the new government in the fight against corruption, especially knowing full well the flawed elections that gave birth to the new administration was the height of naivety. Ribadu's present travail is a tragedy that was only waiting in the wings to happen