http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201106290173614

I have read with keen interest the vituperation being poured from different quarters on the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on the statement credited to him in respect of the failure of Nigerian leaders in the war against graft. A recent editorial of THE PUNCH, my favourite daily for credible news reports, was not an exception on the subject matter.

While I am not a spokesperson for Obasanjo nor one of his fans, I will like to point out here that the reactions to his statement appear misplaced and uncalled for, begging for meaning because they did not address the issue of failure by successive governments in fighting corruption in our country. As much as we know that Obasanjo cannot exonerate himself from the evil of corruption, his efforts to fight the scourge via the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related offences Commission remain a landmark in the anal of Nigerian history.

We have heard many people saying that the two institutions were established and used by his regime to hoard his political opponents and engaged in selective fight against corruption. But the question is, what efforts have been made by his successors to even use the anti-graft machineries to fight corruption even against their own corrupt opponents after the exit of OBJ from office?

The problem with some Nigerians generally is that we love to join the bandwagon in our criticism of our past leaders, especially those who are less popular with the general masses. But it is instructive to note that it remains a common knowledge that the administration of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua used state power to protect a former governor of Delta State, James Ibori from prosecution. There were many others who enjoy state protection and were shielded from accounting for their crime against the nation simply because they are friends to the powers-that-be, whatever that means.

Since President Goodluck Jonathan assumed power first as the acting president and then president, it is my own opinion, corroborated with various reported cases of corruption by politicians and top government officials, that Mr. President has not demonstrated the will to curb the scourge in whatever way. We can all recall the period that preceded his election when the savings from the excess crude account were reportedly depleted to curry the favour of state governors so as to secure nomination as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

While I will fault no one for accusing Obasanjo himself of corruption while in office, but I think the right thing to do is for people to push for his prosecution and provide all evidence they can lay their hands on rather than engaging in armchair criticism of his past deeds without showing any commitment to follow through. While it is convenient and seems fashionable to criticise the man, a number of us “love to hate” due to his controversial nature, none of the critics of Obasanjo has been able to debunk the fact that his successors in office haven’t been able to muster the will to persist in the war against corruption. None has been able to refute the claim that neither Yar’Adua or Jonathan has shown “persistency and consistency” in their fight against corruption nor that those who “are involved in corruption in Nigeria are strongly entrenched.”

Again, the fact that the former president has not been brought to book in spite of the arrays of “evidence” and long list of accusations against him equally proved his claim that his successors are lacking in the political will to fight corruption.

Nigerians at all levels should learn to desist from playing to the gallery on important issues of national interest and should rather concentrate efforts on how to resolve the protracted problems facing our dear country.

The present government should rise up to the challenge and show that it possesses the right political will and determination to strengthen the war against corruption and rescue the country from the grip of economic looters. We should also join hands with the government to ensure that those who hold the reign of power use it judiciously to uplift the living standards of the common man.

The only way to refute Obasanjo’s claims is for the government to vigorously enact legislations and policies that will reduce the scourge of corruption in our public and private lives to the barest minimum. A situation where the outcome of every corruption case is predetermined given the experience of the past is a wrong signal to Nigeria and the outside world. Let President Jonathan wield the big stick against corruption now if, as I believe, he has the political will and moral standing to do so. This way, the likes of Obasanjo will be silenced or made to eat their words.

-Mayowa, an international business journalist and editor, wrote in from Plot 8, Journalists Estate, Arepo, Ogun State, vide daremayo@yahoo.com

Jonathan has really failed in that aspect and I dont see him showin any interest towards reducing corruption.

He sure doesn have a clue on fighting corruption. Because the first step to take is appoint incorruptible individuals that will always stand for the truth and not allow themselves to be used as tools. People who have what it takes to probe those who appointed them. EFCC is just a media brand, designed for humiliation and victimization and unfortunately, it was OBJ's invention.