Former Ghanaian President, Jerry Rawlings has
described the President Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration as one of the most corrupt
administration in africa, adding that his government
has failed to punish politicians who steal public fund
under his administration.
While the Nigeria leadership pay “Lip service” to corrupt
officials looting billions, Mr. Rawlings said Monday, it
directs its resources at persecuting anti-graft fighters
and persecuting petty thieves.
Mr. Rawlings in a speech at the National Legislative
Institute in Abuja on Monday, said, “Corrupt politicians
(especially in Jonathan Administration) in Nigeria escape
punishment. We cannot continue to pay lip service to
the strengthening, empowerment and independent
management of our multiple anti-corruption
Institutions" http://abusidiqu.com/?p=14203

Oga Rawlings, you will be hearing from Okupe, Abati and maku very soon. Brace yourself.

Gbawe: Oga Rawlings, you will be hearing from Okupe, Abati and maku very soon. Brace yourself.

Not before the hirelings here on Nairaland get a few sliding tackles in first

This is a second thread on Jerry Rawling's speech about corruption in Nigeria. If this thread doesn't make front page, then something is definitely wrong.

Gbawe: Oga Rawlings, you will be hearing from Okupe, Abati and maku very soon. Brace yourself.

But the man said the bitter truth.

Pres Pres Jonathan was elected to repair Electric power supply, and so create employments. This mandate doesn't include quarrelling about the billions of dollars stolen by people from majority tribe, who can always be defended by newspapers, traditional rulers, and student unions.[color=#990000][/color]

PROPAGANDA ALERT: Rawlings NEVER said what this BLOG purportedly said he did- that d Jonathan's Admin is d most corrupt in Africa. He wud never dare..... This story in this form was penned by Gbawe and Co, unda direction of a group of Power mongers, who hv been on a desparate quest to using Propaganda against d person of d President cos things haven't bn going according to their plans lately. In d last week alone, more than 5 of these well crafted lies hv surfaced here on NL, with sm even making FP, including d recent one yterday where they alleged that GEJ stole from Bayelsa using data that occurred bw 2009-2012 when he wasn't Gov of Bayelsa. It took protests by a lot of people in that thread for d MODS, who shamelessly pushed that concortion to d FP yterday, to correct the lie..... BEWARE: group of Desparate LOSERS on d prowl

We know

We’ve raised bar against corruption – Jonathan



In comparison with past administrations, President Goodluck Jonathan has claimed that his administration has raised the bar against corruption in Nigeria.

In his Mid-Term report presented to the public on Wednesday, the president said his administration now pursues a more strategic, comprehensive and effective campaign against corruption.

According to him, his administration has gone beyond popular sentiments to address the root causes of corruption and enhance the capacity of the institutions to resist and overcome corrupt influences.

The report reads: “President Jonathan’s approach in fighting corruption is to focus on building strong institutions that have the capacity to overcome corrupt influences and not just to sermonize about corruption.”

“This approach uses the rule of law as a framework to fight corruption since corruption is a feature of weak rule of law and weak institutions,” it stated.

The widespread international perception of Nigeria as a corrupt country, the report said, has caused incalculable damage to the dignity and honour of many honest and diligent Nigerians and to the country’s global competitiveness.

Some of the achievements of the administration against corruption, the report said included: Signing the Freedom of Information Act into law, the uncovering of fraud and deletion of over 73,000 ghost/fake pensioners from the Head of Service/ Police Pension Office.

Others included recovery and savings of over N225 billion from the two pension offices, halting the monthly theft of over N4 billion from the national treasury, reducing fraud by saving over N500 million monthly through the police pension releases.

“Another giant stride is the suspension of Justice Abubakar Talba of the FCT High Court, Gudu. The 12 month suspension follows the controversial judgment he delivered in respect of John Yusufu, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an alleged N32.8 billion Police Pension Fraud,” it added.

The recent dismissal of three judges found to have compromised their offices, the report said, is a signal of zero tolerance for corruption in the judiciary.

Source

There you have it, Rtd flight lieutenant Rawlings.
Our concerted and unrelenting efforts to clamp down on corruption are legion

You are simply a hater too blinded by sentiments to detect our special brand of "fresh air"!

Signing off,
#41st laptop - Team GEJ

Alhaji/Ifa/Pastor Gbawe, please look for another lie, or change username and lie more and more. Its in you!

Dem don run.

They came as expected! They don't fail to disappoint. Whatever they say is irrelevant. As Gbawe had said earlier, we wait for Reuben Abati and Doyin Okupe to attack Jerry Rawlings.

taharqa2: PROPAGANDA ALERT: Rawlings NEVER said what this BLOG purported he said - that d Jonathan's Admin is d most corrupt in Africa. He wud never dare..... This story in this form was penned by Gbawe and Co, unda direction of a group of Power mongers, who hv been on a desparate quest to use Propaganda against d person of d President cos things haven't bn going according to their plans lately. In d last week alone, more than 5 of these well crafted lie hv surfaced here on NL, with sm even making FP, including d recent one yterday where they alleged that GEJ stole from Bayelsa using info that occurred bw 2009-2012. It took protests by a lot of people in that thread for d MODS, who shamelessly pushed that concortion to d FP yterday, to correct the lie..... BEWARE: group of Desparate LOSERS on d prowl

Those guys have no shame. Their affinity for lies is unparalled.

Sincere 9gerian:
Those guys have no shame. Their affinity for lies is unparalled.

You and your co-travellers here are the one with no shame. You are all enemies of your own Nation and happy to see the future of many wasted because of the clannish devotion to a man the entire world has indicted of corrupt leadership.

Continue, fake Doctor, to lead drunkards who are intoxicated with the potion of feudal and ethnocentric ogogoro you serve with glee. What has Rawlings said, even with the shameless attempts at pedantic distraction you lot now deploy, that many have not reiterated worldwide about your corrupt messiah? Perhaps Obama is a "hater" of GEJ also.

http://www.punchng.com/news/corruption-massive-under-jonathan-us/

Corruption massive under Jonathan – US

APRIL 21, 2013 BY OLALEKAN ADETAYO, ALLWELL OKPI AND TEMITAYO FAMUTIMI




The United States government on Friday indicted the President Goodluck Jonathan led Federal Government of massive and widespread corruption.

According to the United States Department of State, government officials and agencies frequently engage in corrupt practices with impunity.

This was contained in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, which was released on Friday evening.

In the report, the judiciary and security agencies, especially the police, were said be lacking in transparency.

It read in part,“The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affected all levels of government and the security forces. The constitution provides immunity from civil and criminal prosecution for the president, vice president, governors, and deputy governors while in office.

“There was a widespread perception judges were easily bribed and litigants could not rely on the courts to render impartial judgments. Citizens encountered long delays and alleged requests from judicial officials for bribes to expedite cases or obtain favourable rulings.

“Police corruption remained rampant. Reports of checkpoint bribery and shooting incidents decreased in February after newly appointed Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar announced the closure of all police checkpoints across the country; however, illegal checkpoints remained common in some regions. Police routinely stopped drivers who did not commit traffic infractions, refusing to allow them to continue until they paid bribes,” it stated.

Highlighting events that occurred in the country in last year that portrayed lack of transparency and probity, the US government listed the escape of the suspected mastermind of the Boko Haram 2011 Christmas Day bombing from custody, noting how the police commissioner, who aided the suspect went unpunished; the conviction of former Delta State governor James Ibori in the Southwark Crown Court in London of charges of money laundering and other financial crimes totaling N12.4bn, after he was acquitted by a Nigerian court; and the N1.067trn fuel subsidy fund lost to “endemic corruption and entrenched inefficiency” as examples.

It stated that, “In July, the government released a list of those who had benefited illegally from the subsidy program, which included relatives and colleagues of key government officials. In late July, the EFCC began arraigning suspects, first with a group of 20 indictments, including six oil companies and 11 individuals. By year’s end, the EFCC initiated prosecutions of approximately 50 cases related to the subsidy scam. The majority of these cases involved companies and individuals who had fraudulently received subsidy revenue. Investigations and trials had not produced any convictions by year’s end.”

The US document also faulted the refusal of public officials to declare their assets as stipulated by law.

It stated that in June 2012, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and other groups demanded that President Jonathan should disclose his assets from 2007 to 2012 but that Jonathan refused.

The report also rated the anticorruption efforts of the Independent Corrupt Practises and other related offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as “largely ineffectual,” adding that despite ICPC’s wide mandate, it had only achieved 60 convictions since its inauguration in 2000.

It also listed a number of cases being handled by the EFCC that have remained inconclusive, including the case of alleged misappropriation of one N1bn against former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and N40bn against his deputy Usman Nafada; and the cases against four former governors Gbenga Daniel, Adebayo Alao-Akala, Aliyu Akwe Doma, and Muhammed Danjuma Goje, for allegedly misappropriating N58bn, N25bn, N18bn, and N12.8bn, respectively.

Apart from corruption, the US accused the Federal Government of numerous unlawful killings.

It decried frequent abduction of civilians and lack of press freedom, highlighting cases, where journalists were harassed and beaten up.

It also noted widespread discrimination against persons with disability.

The Presidency, however, described the report as an incorrect assessment of the situation in the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, warned Nigerians to be wary of such assessments which he described as “parachute researches.”

He said contrary to the picture the report painted, the present administration has remained the most transparent government since the return of democracy to Nigeria.

He said it was in the spirit of transparency that the present administration exposed the scam in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry and passed the Freedom of Information Bill.

He said, “In 2012 that the report is talking about, the EFCC alone got more than 200 convictions. This is in public domain.

“This government did an audit to eliminate waste and leakages in the system.

“On the checkpoints they talked about, it is important that they identify the difference between checkpoints and stop-and-search operation which is required especially in tackling security challenges.

“Nigerians should be wary of these external assessors that jump into conclusion. What are the parameters used in arriving at their conclusion? How scientific are the analysis?

“They assess Nigeria based on the instinct of a parachuter who jumps put of an aircraft without a fair knowledge of where he is landing.”

Rawlings is an agent of APC... He must have been paid to make that statement.

When caught at a lie, swifly bring up another entirely different Proposition and argue that instead, as though d truism (or otherwire) of d other grants penance to the 1st lie and smhow makes it go away.... Weldone, Gbawe. Am sure this tactic is one of d top 'musings' taught at top Schools of Propaganda, anywhere. I hv taken note. Thnks

jjcbuthot: Rawlings is an agent of APC... He must have been paid to make that statement.

funny, MOD front page

Corrupt or not corrupt the language the ordinary man like me understand is that Federal roads are being built in an unprecedented manner. Power supply is improving considerably, 12 federal universities have been established and so many others we see I mean see on tv that doesn't affect me considering where I live e.g midwifed service scheme, agricultural transformation etc. I think the most transparent tier of govt. now is the FG. Let focus now on making other tiers of govt. as transparent as the FG and Nigeria will be great.

[size=18pt]Former Ghana president, Jerry Rawlings, has launched a scathing attack on the Nigerian government's anti-corruption record, severely criticizing the leadership's failure to punish politicians who steal public funds[/size].

While the Nigerian leadership pays "lip service" to corrupt officials looting billions, Mr. Rawlings said Monday, it directs its resources at persecuting anti-graft fighters, and prosecuting petty thieves.

"Corrupt politicians in Nigeria escape punishment. We cannot continue to pay lip service to the strengthening, empowerment and independent management of our multiple anti-corruption institutions," Mr. Rawlings said in a speech at the National Legislative Institute in Abuja on Monday

http://allafrica.com/stories/201306180449.html

http://abujavoice.com/president-jonathan-administration%C2%AD%C2%AD-one-of-the-most-corrupt-administration-in-africa-jerry-rawlings/

http://ireports-ng.com/2013/03/08/fight-corruption-now-or-face-bloody-revolution-jerry-rawlings-tells-jonathan/

It has always been chop make I chop in Nigeria. But this time around gej is taking it to another level and probably enmassing resources in preparation for outright war with those deltans like him consider to be usurpers,i.e,obj,tinubu,stolid and co.

Gbawe: Oga Rawlings, you will be hearing from Okupe, Abati and maku very soon. Brace yourself.

The office of former President Jerry
John Rawlings has discounted a news
account by the Premium Times of
Nigeria of the June 17, 2013 address he
gave at a Conference on Emerging
Democracies in Africa: Challenges and
Opportunities at the Transcorp Hilton,
Abuja-Nigeria.
A statement signed and issued by Rtd.
Naval Captain Hillary Afeku-Amenyo,
Director of the office of the former
president, said the “report is laced with
irresponsible falsehoods, fabricated
quotations and wrong allusions that
bring the image of His Excellency Jerry
John Rawlings into disrepute.”
Below is the statement from Rawlings’
office
RE: JERRY RAWLINGS SLAMS
NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT
FOR ALLOWING CORRUPT
POLITICIANS ESCAPE JUSTICE
The attention of His Excellency Jerry
John Rawlings has been drawn to a
scurrilous news report originally
published by the Premium Times of
Nigeria, which has received wide
coverage on the Internet and other
social media.
We wish to state strongly that the report
is laced with irresponsible falsehoods,
fabricated quotations and wrong
allusions that bring the image of His
Excellency Jerry John Rawlings into
disrepute.
President Rawlings did deliver the
keynote address on Emerging
Democracies in Africa: Challenges and
Opportunities, at conference organised
by the National Institute for Legislative
Studies in Abuja on Monday, June 17,
2013.
His address did not make reference to
the government of Nigeria and he made
no scathing attack on the Nigeria
government as the Premium Times
reported.
President Rawlings also did not make
reference to the Nigeria leadership’s
failure to punish politicians who steal
public funds.
The first three paragraphs of the report
are complete fabrications.
Paragraph ten and twelve are
distortions of what President Rawlings
said. Because of the gross distortions
and falsehoods the entire report does
portray a totally different representation
of the fact as took place at the
Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on June 17.
We have taken a very serious view of the
publication because it is malicious,
libellous and a very negative piece of
journalism, which is calculated to bring
the image of President Rawlings into
disrepute and written to demand a
retraction of the publication.
We caution other media who have
inadvertently republished the said
article to note that they will be held
equally liable should we decide to take
legal action on the matter
Below is the full text of President
Rawlings’ address at the conference on
Monday June 17.
Thank you.
H. Afeku-Amenyo (Rtd)
Captain (Ghana Navy)
Director, Office of Former President


graphic.com.gh/International-News/rawlings-office-disowns-twisted-news-report.html

gbanikiti: They came as expected! They don't fail to disappoint. Whatever they say is irrelevant. As Gbawe had said earlier, we wait for Reuben Abati and Doyin Okupe to attack Jerry Rawlings.

berem, you sure do have high ambitions,no be only okupe and Abati you go wait for. Why you no kuku wait for Anyim and Bamanga Tukur. Gbawe after O power you still dey dis propaganda business?

Where is the full text? ? ? We demand it!

Juan_De_Dios: Where is the full text? ? ? We demand it!

Although both Premium Times and @OP employed poetic license by suggesting it was only Nigeria that came under scrutiny, the wider import of Rawling's speech remains the same.

Original Title of the Premium Times article: Jerry Rawlings slams Nigerian government for allowing corrupt politicians escape justice

Below is the full text of President Rawlings’ address at the conference on Monday June 17.

ADDRESS BY H.E. FLT. LT. JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS, FORMER PRESIDENT OF GHANA AT A CONFERENCE ON EMERGING DEMOCRACIES IN AFRICA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

– TRANSCORP HILTON, ABUJA-NIGERIA – JUNE 17, 2013

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is an honour to be part of today’s conference on Emerging Democracies in Africa. I commend the Nigeria National Institute for Legislative Studies and the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa, for creating such a forum for dispassionate discussion on challenges and opportunities facing Emerging Democracies.

The definition of democracy is complex even though we seem to be comfortable with Abraham Lincoln’s description of democracy as a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

That definition goes a long way to justify the election of political leaders where every citizen is expected to have an equal right in the selection of political leaders and the legislature, who then become the voice of the people for a defined period.

Simply put the right of the people to have a voice in the management of their countries and societies is vested in a few selected individuals who are expected to protect the interests of the people.

We can juggle various definitions of democracy, but true democracy is the process where every individual is involved and convinced that his opinion has been factored into the decision-making as far as the management of his society is concerned. A government, irrespective of its mode of appointment, which gives ear to the people and approaches decision-making and policy implementation from a human-centred and continued consultative process is closer to democracy than a duly elected government that fails to consult and also treats the opinion of the legislature – the elected representatives of the people - as of little value.

Soon after Ghana underwent political transition in the 1990s many were those who were quick to state that Ghana had embraced democracy. I strongly disagreed and explained that Ghana had throughout the period of the revolution been practising democracy, because the grassroots participation in local and national affairs was heightened throughout the period. The transition in 1992 was rather a transition to constitutional rule. And let me add that constitutional rule is not necessarily synonymous with democracy. That is why we have a number of leaders across the world who are practising constitutional dictatorships. I must emphasise that this is not unique to Africa.

Emerging democracies are defined as countries with governments that have emanated out of a perceived legitimate democratic electoral process but are still saddled with complexities of dominant political parties and poorly applied rule of law.

Many scholars on the subject have listed a few countries in our region as emerging democracies, but I find it difficult not to refer to most of our continent as emerging democracies. Even more complicated is the fact that many of our countries progress from that nascent stage into well-managed democracies only for them to slip back into a democratically embryonic state partly because some of the managers of our political systems are adept at ensuring that the institutions of state do not perform efficiently leading to their disempowerment and a weakening of the rule of law.

Ladies and Gentlemen, no true democratic arrangement can be successful if the institutions that are meant to serve as checks and balances are not properly structured and equipped to operate at optimum.

These institutions include independent judiciary, security services, the electoral machinery, a well-oiled and independent media as well as a vibrant and non-partisan civil society.

The major factor required to get these institutions operational is to have a well-framed constitution that is not lacking in definition and that protects adequately the independence of these institutions. It is important also that the same constitution protects these institutions from abuse as they are managed by humans – fallible as we are.

Emerging democracies are grappling with problems of incoherent constitutions and weak institutions, allowing some political leaders the leeway to abuse the system through clever and sometimes blatant actions such as the appointment of unprincipled and very partisan personalities to head such institutions. The judiciary and security services are also not free of excessive control. Abuse of the media either through intimidation or inducement is also part of the challenges such countries face.

We are also saddled with civil society who instead of exposing ills in government and society and offering concrete options on the way forward rather metamorphose into partisan political entities attacking or overprotecting government as if their survival depended on it.

Mr Chairman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen; the average African is in dire need of a working democracy that truly protects not only himself but also guarantees a progressive and development-oriented political system that defends freedom, guarantees justice and ensures that society also remains disciplined and focused on what is good and right.

The primary challenge for emerging democracies in Africa, is the failure of Western democracy to acknowledge its inherent flaws and encourage a system of democracy on our continent that is dynamic, home grown and imbued with the socio-cultural backgrounds of individual African states.

Our societies are borne out of a strong traditional political framework of monarchies that wielded both spiritual and political power as well as judicial authority. Many of these societies still look up to traditional authority for moral fortitude while our ‘imported’ democratic and secular leadership is seen unfortunately as synonymous to immorality and corruption. With such perceptions how do we expect our emerging democracies to evolve?

The biggest misconception in embracing democracy is the argument that it comes with economic progress. The Western sponsors of democracy and their allied institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank who offer democratic prescriptions with the promise of financial support for socio-economic development usually present such arguments.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to quote Merillee Grindle, a Professor of International Development at the Harvard University, who states that: "Democracy is perceived as not having delivered what was promised. Scholars, NGOs, democracy movements, politicians, and others really have oversold what can be expected from democracy and have raised expectations about what a form of government actually can achieve. Certainly, a democratic regime can deliver, in time, on promises for personal freedom and liberty, for participation in the decisions of government, and on equality of rights. But democracy has also been sold as a way to engender economic growth, as a way to achieve economic and social equality...democracy is not a panacea for economic development."

Democracy should however be made to provide the political stability for development. A practicing democracy that cannot create the climate to correct economic ills and corruption cannot and will not be a democracy. A democracy that cannot protect the sanctity of its electoral process is engaging in a fraudulent electoral coup d’état. Equally destructive is the unfortunate practice of using money to buy the conscience of the electorate.

There is no doubt that when democratic structures are instituted in a manner that recognizes the socio-cultural and socio-political context of individual countries, it will have a better chance of survival and success. Management of countries and societies is still dependent on a system of governance, which requires that every citizen has a role to play in the decision-making process and how leaders are elected. The citizens of every society must have an input in the format their political structures take and it is never too late to modify our constitutions to embrace what we overlooked.

Developments in Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire over the past two decades and recent developments in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt call for a thorough revision of political processes and structures in these countries. Some of these countries were also seen as relatively advanced democracies and economies but today a few of them cannot even boast of being emergent democracies having retrogressed within weeks of uprisings or violent electoral dispute.

Kenya has learnt many lessons from the electoral violence of 2007, which had huge ethnic connotations. The constitution has been reviewed and political tolerance was tested through a unity government. The judiciary is more empowered and today the country’s leadership boasts of two former adversaries working together.

Appointment of Supreme Court justices is not the entire prerogative of the President of the land and has to go through a selection and consultative process that ensures that the President — even though he has the final assent — cannot manipulate the appointment.

Nigeria has made strides over the past decade politically but still faces complicated challenges, which many of you will bear with me has socio-cultural implications that have been ignored for a significant period.

That is why institutions such as the National Institute for Legislative Studies should be welcomed as one of the structures that will enhance and strengthen your emerging democracy.

Democratic institutions across the continent are poorly equipped to offer the best support to governments. As a capacity building institution dedicated to provide professional research, advice, training and advocacy for members of the legislature, your organization is in a unique position to be a pacesetter in empowering our senators and parliamentarians to better serve the interests of their constituents.

It is embarrassing sometimes to observe our various legislative assemblies struggle to competently debate issues of serious national concern because members are handicapped information-wise.

Emerging democracies present attractive opportunities for investment and development and we cannot allow the progress that has been achieved over the past few decades to retrogress because of the challenges we have encountered and continue to encounter.

Relative political stability means we have an opportunity to turn our economies around and not only through the exploitation of traditional export commodities but also through investment and improvement in the service related sectors.

Africa’s share of investment within Africa rose from 3.2 per cent in 2007 to 5.6 in 2012 according an Ernst and Young report.

The trend of investment and growth is not related to just a few countries but spread across the continent and this means the potential is huge if we adopt more aggressive efforts at strengthening our monitoring institutions especially those entrusted with the power to stem corruption – a major factor that restricts foreign direct investment.

An African think-tank recently reported that illicit financial outflows cost the continent between $38.4 billion and $25 billion between 2008 and 2010 respectively. Our countries do not fare any better in the annual corruption index of Transparency International. While there may be a lot of factors that enhance corruption including the connivance of major global international players —whose jurisdictions ironically exact huge penalties for white-collar fraud — Africa is primarily saddled with corruption because some members of a minority elite connive to rape the continent and ensure that the positive economic indices are only on paper and do not reach the pockets of the ordinary people at the grassroots.

We cannot continue to pay lip service to the strengthening, empowerment and independent management of our multiple anti-corruption institutions. We live in countries where poor, petty thieves get imprisoned for several years while businessmen who evade taxes in millions of dollars or a politician who misappropriates millions of state funds escape punishment.

These inequalities are recipes for the retrogression of our democracies and we cannot allow the negative tide to continue. As I said earlier a democracy that cannot provide socio-economic justice cannot be a healthy democracy and will remain vulnerable and fragile.

Our institutions are weak because we do not strengthen and protect them adequately in our constitutions. While the legislature can enact laws that empower institutions, constitutional entrenchment of such provisions would ensure that political parties with majority control within legislative assemblies do not manipulate the powers of these institutions.

Institutions in the advanced countries have evolved over time having encountered huge challenges, but we have the capacity to ensure true independence for these institutions in a manner that does not infringe on the rights of the senior politician in government, the critical opposition leader or the cobbler at the street corner.

Africa has bright prospects, but these prospects can only see fruition if we embrace a patriotic desire to witness even development within our societies and not a selfish, myopic desire to enrich oneself at the expense of national development and cohesion.

One of our proudest assets must be our sense of nationalism. Emerging democracies in putting in place structures such as the National Institute for Legislative Studies must endeavour to inculcate in their citizenry the pride in defending one’s country against corrupt practices that sow seeds of disaffection especially amongst the less-advantaged in society who feel disregarded, abused and disrespected by a minority elite.

Can we change the cycle of profiting from wrong to profiting from right? If not, once again our democracy will continue to remain vulnerable and fragile.

Only last Friday, a former Attorney General in Ghana, who has waged a relentless campaign against the payment of questionable judgement debts to individuals and institutions obtained a Supreme Court ruling ordering the retrieval of over 40 million Euros from an international company which had earlier convinced government to pay her the said amount over an alleged abrogated contract.

The former Attorney General who at times faced serious ridicule from his compatriots stood his ground against all odds and won the case for Ghana. Today he is ironically being touted as a hero. But did he have to fight a lonely fight in defence of his country’s meager resources?

Does Nigeria have its lonely heroes too? Yes indeed, you do!

Once again my gratitude goes to the National Institute for Legislative Studies, the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa and the entire Senate led by President David Mark and his Deputy Ike Ekweremadu and the ECOWAS Parliament for inviting me to be part of this important event.

Excellences, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you.