Prof. Itsejuwa Esanjumi Sagay (SAN), renowned constitutional lawyer and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) clocked 80 years on December 20. In this exclusive interview to commemorate his birthday, he shares his thoughts on the state of the nation. TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI brings the excerpts:

How do you feel at 80?

That’s a very difficult question. Physically, nobody needs to tell me in terms of reduced physical capacity and agility. I’m prone to all sorts of ailment that are age-related. But in the mind, one doesn’t really age. The time passes and it’s always a surprise but in the mind, I don’t feel the same way I felt 40 years ago. It’s like I’m a youth in my mind but an old man physically.

What is your view about Nigeria now, compared to your youthful days especially as regards security and corruption?

I am not happy at all. Things have really taken a turn for the worse. You can’t compare the two. For example, in my time as a youth, you can travel anywhere. You could drive both in the day and night. In fact, at times, one parks in the middle of the highway with forests all around when one was tired and sleeps off to take fatigue off my body before continuing on the long journey. I did that as a youth when I was driving from Jos to Ile-Ife. Today, all that is gone. The country has become so dangerous. All sorts of things are happening nowadays. You have kidnappers, bandits, Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram. The reality is that there is nowhere that is safe in the country. Traveling by road today is a very risky endeavour that one will hardly try. So, there is total insecurity in the country. I don’t know what has gone wrong, why our people have become so violent and savage. Individuals no longer feel safe outside his own house. I am not even sure that one is absolutely safe in his own house.
Also, there is the issue of corruption which we’ve always had but has now gone progressively worse. This hardly existed at Independence era when we had highly dedicated leaders, politicians who felt that the honour of controlling the levers of powers in this country was their reward, not money. They live modestly and dedicated their lives to serving the country. I talk about Chief Obafemi Awolowo all the time but virtually all the nationalists are like that. They served with diligence and commitment. But all that is gone now, particularly with the coming of the military.
We have now come to the age where you acquire public fund in a very reckless and thoughtless manner and amass wealth they cannot use in their lifetime when other people are languishing in misery. That has gotten worse and worse. Progressively and with each new change in governance in our political life, from First, Second, Third and Fourth Republic that we are in now, the quality of men running the republic has seriously degenerated. So, virtually what we have now is about the worst that we’ve ever had in our public life. Many of these present leaders don’t care. All that matters to them is accumulation of wealth without caring about the people who have entrusted them with power. Leaders don’t care about the masses and the masses themselves are not better in the sense that these lack of care for others and corruption goes down right to the very bottom. From top to bottom, nobody cares. Nobody has a sense of respect for the lives and dignity of others. Everybody takes advantage of the other at every level.

Who do you think should be blamed for this decadence?

I blame the elites than the politicians and the leaders because they provided an example; they would have been able to enforce that standard and values that they themselves were espousing. If they themselves are practising at the lowest level of values, then there is nobody to control the rest of the society. Nigerians now relate with each other in a dog-eat-dog and survival of the fittest manner and it is really terrible.

Still on the issue of insecurity, many Nigerians have said President Muhammadu Buhari deserves blame because the bulk stops on his table as the Commander-in-Chief. What is your take on this?

Let me say this, there is a tendency to blame the President, but it is not the President’s fault. I am not a sociologist but the way I see it, it is society developing in the wrong direction. It has nothing to do with the government. Of course, it could have something to do with the level of poverty, unemployment and so on. But you can see that it is everywhere, both in urban and rural. Are Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe not rural areas? We can say that the urban youths are unemployed, what is the excuse of the youths in the rural areas? So, it is as if there is some sort of virus that has simply developed. Truly, the government is overwhelmed because no government will envisage an attack like these from every direction. It’s as if all the miscreants from different genres and denominations have held a conference where they agreed that they should torture and torment the country at the same time. So, it’s difficult and it is not the fault of the government. It is the time that we are in. Any other government would have been in a dilemma over this matter. It’s so overwhelming! We don’t have enough security forces to cope with all these.

What advice can you give to the federal government on handling these insecurity challenges, especially attacks by bandits?

What I will like to suggest to the government is that they should allow ordinary Nigerians to carry arms. Everybody who wants to carry arms as a form of self-defence should be allowed to do so. This is necessary so that when these bandits and miscreants attack them, they will know that the person they attacked has the capacity to defend himself. All these restrictions on owning weapons should be lifted. Let the generality of the public be allowed to own weapons, especially in all those villages where they are being massacred. Their men should be given weapons so that when the attackers come, they will also be given a challenge which may discourage them in future. We have had causes where bandits attacked villages but the people are powerless to defend themselves. By the time the security agents come in, the attackers had left. They will look for a quiet time and launch another attack. That will stop if the people have the capacity to defend themselves.
https://www.independent.ng/corruption-has-gone-progressively-worse-in-nigeria-sagay/

Hmm
The way the man dey ya this days ehn.
Fight against corruption was the biggest deceitful pledged bubu made to Zombies.

Prof itse sagay had been quite vocal as of recent.but he ought to bury his head in shame knowing that he is part of the corruption and pains inflicted on Nigerians today by aiding and supporting evil men in power just because of a spoon of rice
the evil men do continues to live after them and haunt them even in old age


Shame on all corrupt politicians and their supporters,shame on all paid miscreants and ethnic bigots on Nairaland, shame on those who supports abnormality in Nigeria








am still sitting on the fence

Simply put: Under your Boss's watch

It is crystal clear, it just like telling us that fishes live in the water.


How Amaechi and co managed to re-package, re-brand and resell Bubu to Nigerians beats my imagination.

It's either this man is sick in his brain or he has lost control of both his tongue and mouth..

APC e-rat, has corruption not gone worse under Buhari

ebuk4real:


It's either this man is sick in his brain or he has lost control of both his tongue and mouth..

That's why we must stand together to fight it..but then most of our youths who we are to fight it together are also currupt.

Pick ten youths and ask them if they are made Governor of a state, what would be their first step...you will see them start creating imaginary stories about how they are gonna embezzle funds, build house and buy cars for each of their family members, build mansions in banana Island, buy private jets and so on.

That's the mentality of most of the youths we have in this country. It's no wonder why they are called lazy youths.

Small small una go begin talk true

Very true sir.....You are not wrong at all.










Checkout my signature for HOT +18 leaks...

It shall never be well with pdp and it members

hisexcellency34:
APC e-rat, has corruption not gone worse under Buhari

As if I am a zoombie like you robots whose brains has been exchanged with hot fufu without soup...

uptimumOne23:
That's why we must stand together to fight it..but then most of our youths who we are to fight it together are also currupt.

Pick ten youths and ask them if they are made Governor of a state, what would be their first step...you will see them start creating imaginary stories about how they are gonna embezzle funds, build house and buy cars for each of their family members, build mansions in banana Island, buy private jets and so on.

That's the mentality of most of the youths we have in this country. It's no wonder why they are called lazy youths.

U dont just sample youths because u want to sample them.
Sample youths who have capacity and can deliver. Stop wrapping every youths as corrupt, evil and bad.
If u r and ur children are, we and my people are not bad or corrupt.

poiZon:

U dont just sample youths because u want to sample them.
Sample youths who have capacity and can deliver. Stop wrapping every youths as corrupt, evil and bad.
If u r and ur children are, we and my people are not bad or corrupt.

Where did i state every youth is corrupt

It's easier to say your not but then in reality you might be

Things have really taken a turn for the worse..The country has become so dangerous.You have kidnappers, bandits, Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram. The reality is that there is nowhere that is safe in the country.So, there is total insecurity in the country.

Also, there is the issue of corruption which we’ve always had but has now gone progressively worse.

Prof.Sagay that called us wailers back then have become a chronic irredeemable wailers himself.Please continue! Bubu have made Nigeria safe.The monsters you lots supported the tyrant to rear are now manifesting themselves.Karma is a bitch.

Which corruption is "progressively worsening"? Same corruption your govt have legalized?So Bubu's body odour is no more fighting kwarrapton? Meanwhile, what have your PACAC been advising the president on it so called anti-graft war? Guess you can see that corruption is not being fought by lies, propaganda and media charade?

[s]

yarimo:
It shall never be well with pdp and it members.

[/s]“Once you join our party, your sins are forgiven(Adams Oshiomole)“.This was the reason why it took several months to ease out Babachir Lawal who allegedly awarded a government contract worth several millions of Naira to his own firm to cut grass.

Then came the Maina saga, the Yussuf fellow at NHIS, the Ganduje bribery saga and several other corruption scandals swept by the “broom” under the carpet.

Tinubu can boast of his right to have bullion vans moving into his house with cash while Uyi was incarcerated for legally transferring money through a bank with his crime being that he is a lawyer to Atiku. Buhari’s Animal Farm!
https://www.google.com.ng/amp/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2019/02/tinubus-bullion-vans-and-anti-corruption-campaign/amp/

Corruption Going Progressively Worse In Nigeria Is An Understatement.

As It Stands Now, Let Me Say It As It Is Without Mincing Words:

Nigeria Has Institutionalized Corruption Period

ebuk4real:
It's either this man is sick in his brain or he has lost control of both his tongue and mouth..

Sagay fully knows the truth back then but the desire to chop made him sacrificed his reputation for political crumbs.He must be regretting his actions hence the unnecessary exposures as if he was injected "truth serum."

Racoon:
Sagay fully knows the truth back then but the desire to chop made him sacrificed his reputation for political crumbs.He must be regretting his actions hence the unnecessary exposures as if he was injected "truth serum."

Point of correction:


Sagay is not regretting anything because, if he does, his mouth won't be running like a spoilt water tap. He's just talking for talking sake.

nairavsdollars:
Prof. Itsejuwa Esanjumi Sagay (SAN), renowned constitutional lawyer and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) clocked 80 years on December 20. In this exclusive interview to commemorate his birthday, he shares his thoughts on the state of the nation. TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI brings the excerpts:

How do you feel at 80?

That’s a very difficult question. Physically, nobody needs to tell me in terms of reduced physical capacity and agility. I’m prone to all sorts of ailment that are age-related. But in the mind, one doesn’t really age. The time passes and it’s always a surprise but in the mind, I don’t feel the same way I felt 40 years ago. It’s like I’m a youth in my mind but an old man physically.

What is your view about Nigeria now, compared to your youthful days especially as regards security and corruption?

I am not happy at all. Things have really taken a turn for the worse. You can’t compare the two. For example, in my time as a youth, you can travel anywhere. You could drive both in the day and night. In fact, at times, one parks in the middle of the highway with forests all around when one was tired and sleeps off to take fatigue off my body before continuing on the long journey. I did that as a youth when I was driving from Jos to Ile-Ife. Today, all that is gone. The country has become so dangerous. All sorts of things are happening nowadays. You have kidnappers, bandits, Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram. The reality is that there is nowhere that is safe in the country. Traveling by road today is a very risky endeavour that one will hardly try. So, there is total insecurity in the country. I don’t know what has gone wrong, why our people have become so violent and savage. Individuals no longer feel safe outside his own house. I am not even sure that one is absolutely safe in his own house.
Also, there is the issue of corruption which we’ve always had but has now gone progressively worse. This hardly existed at Independence era when we had highly dedicated leaders, politicians who felt that the honour of controlling the levers of powers in this country was their reward, not money. They live modestly and dedicated their lives to serving the country. I talk about Chief Obafemi Awolowo all the time but virtually all the nationalists are like that. They served with diligence and commitment. But all that is gone now, particularly with the coming of the military.
We have now come to the age where you acquire public fund in a very reckless and thoughtless manner and amass wealth they cannot use in their lifetime when other people are languishing in misery. That has gotten worse and worse. Progressively and with each new change in governance in our political life, from First, Second, Third and Fourth Republic that we are in now, the quality of men running the republic has seriously degenerated. So, virtually what we have now is about the worst that we’ve ever had in our public life. Many of these present leaders don’t care. All that matters to them is accumulation of wealth without caring about the people who have entrusted them with power. Leaders don’t care about the masses and the masses themselves are not better in the sense that these lack of care for others and corruption goes down right to the very bottom. From top to bottom, nobody cares. Nobody has a sense of respect for the lives and dignity of others. Everybody takes advantage of the other at every level.

Who do you think should be blamed for this decadence?

I blame the elites than the politicians and the leaders because they provided an example; they would have been able to enforce that standard and values that they themselves were espousing. If they themselves are practising at the lowest level of values, then there is nobody to control the rest of the society. Nigerians now relate with each other in a dog-eat-dog and survival of the fittest manner and it is really terrible.

Still on the issue of insecurity, many Nigerians have said President Muhammadu Buhari deserves blame because the bulk stops on his table as the Commander-in-Chief. What is your take on this?

Let me say this, there is a tendency to blame the President, but it is not the President’s fault. I am not a sociologist but the way I see it, it is society developing in the wrong direction. It has nothing to do with the government. Of course, it could have something to do with the level of poverty, unemployment and so on. But you can see that it is everywhere, both in urban and rural. Are Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe not rural areas? We can say that the urban youths are unemployed, what is the excuse of the youths in the rural areas? So, it is as if there is some sort of virus that has simply developed. Truly, the government is overwhelmed because no government will envisage an attack like these from every direction. It’s as if all the miscreants from different genres and denominations have held a conference where they agreed that they should torture and torment the country at the same time. So, it’s difficult and it is not the fault of the government. It is the time that we are in. Any other government would have been in a dilemma over this matter. It’s so overwhelming! We don’t have enough security forces to cope with all these.

What advice can you give to the federal government on handling these insecurity challenges, especially attacks by bandits?

What I will like to suggest to the government is that they should allow ordinary Nigerians to carry arms. Everybody who wants to carry arms as a form of self-defence should be allowed to do so. This is necessary so that when these bandits and miscreants attack them, they will know that the person they attacked has the capacity to defend himself. All these restrictions on owning weapons should be lifted. Let the generality of the public be allowed to own weapons, especially in all those villages where they are being massacred. Their men should be given weapons so that when the attackers come, they will also be given a challenge which may discourage them in future. We have had causes where bandits attacked villages but the people are powerless to defend themselves. By the time the security agents come in, the attackers had left. They will look for a quiet time and launch another attack. That will stop if the people have the capacity to defend themselves.
https://www.independent.ng/corruption-has-gone-progressively-worse-in-nigeria-sagay/

Dem don collect feeding bottle from dis man. Na im de follow tell us how Buhari holy pass

At least, he talked

BeeBeeOoh:
Point of correction:


Sagay is not regretting anything because, if he does, his mouth won't be running like a spoilt water tap. He's just talking for talking sake.

hisexcellency34:
At least, he talked

Talking that has no importance is more of noise making

uptimumOne23:


Where did i state every youth is corrupt

It's easier to say your not but then in reality you might be

Its easier to condemn others but in reality u r worse.
Hellooooo

poiZon:

Its easier to condemn others but in reality u r worse.
Hellooooo

I'm no saint, but in reality ask yourself if your really that person you claim you are

Why is he telling us? Is he not working for Buhari again? Simply tell your Boss, that there is severe corruption in his government.

uptimumOne23:


I'm no saint, but in reality ask yourself if your really that person you claim you are

I am.
Any issues?

The first time a billion Naira got missing from the public coffers, Buhari was in charge of Nigerias oil industry and Obasanjo was the president! As the PTF chairman, an agency set up by Abacha to allow Buhari loot some, billions went missing yet Buhari continues to move around dressed up in this sactimonious facade.. As a military ruler, we had the missing suit cases... This fake has a track record! It's not like Buhari doesnt fights corruption, it's just that he prefers to fight corruption when his enemies are the culprits.

Where is whistleblower policy

Was his brain hacked?

Racoon:
Sagay fully knows the truth back then but the desire to chop made him sacrificed his reputation for political crumbs.He must be regretting his actions hence the unnecessary exposures as if he was injected "truth serum."

He is still in denial. The presidency and government are to be blamed for the decadence in Nigerian society. The presidency would have pushed for citizens of Nigeria to wear arms. The presidency should order the checkpoints mounted by the elements of armed forces, custom services and police to disappear from our roads. When Sagay allegedly traveled from Jos to Ile -Ife, how many checkpoints did he encounter?

Sagay simply is clever by half as he was even trying to exonerate the president who the buck stops @ his table.He should just say Bubu have failed in the so called anti corruption fight because corruption have worsened under his regime...........

All these charade was glaring from the beginning because the govt denied the transparency international rating of Nigeria's performance but they have now confirmed them to be right.