Slowly but steadily, the ultra-conservative wing
of Nigeria’s largely self-absorbed and callous
elite is spoiling for a fight. And it’s all about the
renewed war against corruption which has
induced in this group an emotion that can only
be described as culture shock. As a result, the
unconstructive and clearly combative reaction to
a development that ordinarily should be
applauded and encouraged by anyone who
means well for this country is no less unexpected.
Now that it appears that the war against
corruption is getting some traction, unlike in the
past when only minions were arraigned and
convicted and the big crooks were given a slap
on the wrist if summoned at all, the game has
changed dramatically in the last couple of
months. The powerful and the mighty who are
the major looters of the commonwealth are not
just being invited, they are getting the grill of
their lives and their big toes are beginning to feel
the pain of a new clampdown from an inspired
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) led by a reputed no-nonsense cop,
Ibrahim Magu.
Mr. Magu’s new leadership zeal is telling in its
redefinition of the mode of operation which has
triggered a heightened momentum for change in
a way that has never been seen at the nation’s
prime anti-graft agency.
On a daily basis, the hitherto ‘untouchables’ are
now being poked with the hard questions in
EFCC interrogation rooms. These so-called
‘sacred cows’ are being prepared for onward
transfer to what would turn out to be their
slaughter slab for the ultimate rite of
humiliation.
And more than ever, the prospect of a good
number of the politically exposed looters and
fraudsters and their collaborators ending up in
jail soon enough seems very bright. This is
heart-warming in a country which until now has
been a terribly misgoverned space.
Yes, the class of elite to which we referred above
also wants change, but this is not the type of
change they are prepared to accommodate. A
change that upsets the applecart (pardon the
cliché) in such a decisive manner as to not only
dismantle all forms of corrupt practices, but also
seek out their perpetrators, name them, and
shame them by ensuring they end up in prison is
certainly not what they want to welcome with
open arms.
Therefore, members of that group are not
folding their arms to let the EFCC roll over them.
They are well-heeled, thanks to their fraudulent
escapades. [b] So, they are fighting back both
stealthily and furiously, enlisting the services of
all individuals and groups that can help them
scuttle the fight against corruption. To that
extent, they have gone as far as recruiting an
equally retrograde faction of the bar, pliant
members of the bench, a mercenary arm of civil
society, gold-digging religious leaders, a
tractable media that is also notorious for hatchet
jobs and, above all, an unreceptive and docile
public.
And it is easy to identify them. For example, they
are manifested in a Chief Judge who recently
warned magistrates to stop approving requests
from EFCC to detain suspects for interrogation.
Curiously, this judge did not cite any known law
to back his directive. They can be seen in very
senior lawyers who collect dubious briefs to
defend persons known to have looted public
funds, manipulate the court process on their
behalf and scream rule of law.
They are revealed in a well-known Pentecostal
pastor who urged government to focus on other
areas of development instead of fighting
corruption, which he claims constitutes only 20%
of the country’s problems. They are exposed in
phony civil society groups who go about
accusing government of violating the rights of
persons currently being tried for corrupt
practices. [/b]
These are the kind of people the EFCC must
contend with. One forecasts that in their
desperation they will go all the way to rubbish
the institution and its leadership. Do not be
shocked if suddenly a report surfaces in the
media dubbed “exclusive” brashly claiming to
have unearthed a massive scandal involving Mr.
Magu, the EFCC boss. The purpose will be to
destabilise and make him lose focus. But he
must remain resolute, for having come this far in
this war, there will be no plausible excuse to
reverse the gains.
The anti-graft campaign can only be meaningful
if the real thieves in the society, the big men who
have ensured that our soldiers don’t have guns
to fight insurgency, hospitals lack equipment,
children cannot go to school, electricity supply is
epileptic, petrol queues continue, and basic
infrastructure is non-existent, are made to pay
for their criminal acts by being marched to jail
one by one. And that will just be the beginning of
the change that this government talks about, and
one of the many that Nigerians expect.
Let there be no doubt. We believe in and are
committed to the rule of law. But the rule of law
can’t be a basis to let loose on society men and
women whose transgressions are no less than
armed robbery, murder, terrorism and allied
crimes that more often than not are not bailable
offenses.
Then there is the issue of selective prosecution,
which has been the battle cry of every scoundrel
who has found himself in the corridors of power,
a comfortable alibi for many certified criminals
to avoid facing justice. Our response is, let
anybody who is accused answer “his father’s
name.” People who have been accused of
corruption should be proud to clear their name
and “put the government to shame” if they have
nothing to hide.
Finally, we think the government and the EFCC
should expand the war against corruption. The
mandate of the Commission, for example, gives
it the power to look beyond the mindless looting
by the political class and their collaborators to
other equally sinister criminals, including
influential civil servants, who have made a killing
in the name of public service. They own all the
choice property – most of them lying fallow
because Nigerians who are not corrupt can’t
afford the rent – in Abuja and other parts of the
country which has become a veritable avenue
for money laundering.
Now is the time for the EFCC to assert itself.

Source: saharareporters.com/2016/01/18/corruption-fights-back-efcc-vs-reactionary-elite-chido-onumah-godwin-onyeacholem

"When you fight corruption,it will fight back" - Diezeni Maduekwe,2014.

Even the most corrupts know that's a fact.

So all those shouting and wailing here on NL that PMB is disobeying court orders,witch hunting the opposition,blah blah blah... are only but a means of corruption fighting back.

Lalasticlala... Let them read and have some #commonsense.

"Stealing is not corruption"
Corruption in Nigerian is exaggerated- Anonymous

Nice piece, but this is "rubbish" to those who are here steady to defend them. May God give us victory over them.

An enlightening piece.
I believe that this time around, God, fate & providence are behind the crusade against corruption, and this "new light" will surely overcome our "darkness"!
..can I get an amen?

Day169:
An enlightening piece.
I believe that this time around, God, fate & providence are behind the crusade against corruption, and this "new light" will surely overcome our "darkness"!
..can I get an amen?

Amen!!!!!!!!!


"Buhari is Nigeria answered prayers" - Father Mbaka,2016.

If you are too lazy to read the whole article,at least read the bolded cos it also refers to a couple of corruption supporters up here on NL.