₦airaland Forum

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/i-dont-believe-in-unmoderated-rule-of-law-prof-odekunle-sagay-committee-member/ProfessorFemi Odekunle, an expert in criminology, was an aide to Lt. General Oladipo Diya as Chief of General Staff (CGS) under the Sani Abacha regime andone of those held for the 1997 alleged coup against the then Nigerian leader. Odekunle is currently a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption set up by President Muhammadu Buhari and headed by Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN). In this interview, he speaks on the mandate of the committee with particular reference to the $2.1billion arms purchase case against former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, among others.

What actually is the mandate of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption?
Our committee covers everything, except that we are not operational. We don’t engage in execution because we are not like the EFCC and the ICPC, that arrest people but, in terms of what government should do to actually attack corruption in all its ramifications, our job is to advise the Presidency.
Specifically, we advise in the area of the laws, the operations of the EFCC, the ICPC; about certain policies concerning judges, concerning senior lawyers and how they are collaborating with corrupt people.
For example, we met with the top echelon of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, and our Chairman (Professor Itse Sagay) was telling them that whoever is collaborating with looters, they are themselves looters.These are the kinds of things that we advise government on – how do we deal with corruption?
For instance, do we not shame names? Do we not need to withdraw from these people national honours and expose those who have been found to be collaborating with those involved in corruption? Or do we not need to go round the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and some major capital cities and identify the ownership of houses and ask people whether they have been paying taxes on those houses and where they even got the money to build such houses in the first place? How can the ICPC and the EFCC actually train their staff in such a way that they will be motivated and enabled to attend to their work; or how do we enhance the prosecutorial abilities of those in the Ministry of Justice to be able to attend to the cases before them? How do we mobilise judges to deal with the cases before them more than relying on technicalities?
You appear to have packed so much?Our job is advisory and it is not for public consumption.But in the course of our duties, we meet with agencies, whether it is CBN, Customs Service, EFCC, ICPC, and extract suggestions from them on how best to do their work and thereafter we advise government on what to do.But any agency discovered to be derelict in its responsibilities, we would inform the government and some of the activities you see in the Ministry of Education, in terms of probing certain institutions, are as a result of some of the work we have been doing.
In terms of advising the government on the operations of the EFCC and the arrest and re-arrest of people…
We would not want a situation as was the case in the past whereby people would be arrested, they would end up getting bail and the cases would go on for years and these people will now go to the National Assembly to make laws for Nigerians.Our position is that investigations should be thorough and detailed, and, once people are arrested, the judicial process should be proceeded with swiftly and that is why the 2015 Administration of Criminal Justice Act comes in handy because it disallows unnecessary adjournment and, whenever a case of corruption or something like that comes up, it should be handled, with hardly any break in-between.
But there are those who say impunity is returning and ….
Look, we have met the justices, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria and justices of the Supreme Court, and we laid before them these observations and the have said that they are willing to help the country fight corruption, but also it is part of the responsibility of the government to ensure the prosecutorial ability of the Ministry of Justice, and the agencies saddled with the job of prosecuting because it is whatever comes before the court that the judge will deal with, without public sentiments.
Specifically, many say if a man is out on bail, on what grounds does the EFCC re-arrest him, especially when the order is that he should not be re-arrested, and many are raising questions about the integrity of the process?
I do not think so.You see, one of the problems we have in this country is that we put the interest of the individual above the interest of the collective. As a professional criminologist, I am not for unmoderated democracy, I’m not for unmoderated rule of law in which the rights of the individual will be so hyperbolised and override those of the collective.
If a man is accused of stealing N1billion, and he goes to court and the SANs, with all their shenanigans and technicalities, using the Constitution, to say you have committed a bailable offence whereas the consequences are more than what is bailable, then you are able to get bail; then tomorrow, we find that you have stolen another billion naira, that is another offence and, therefore, you should be arrested. To me, once you get a bail for a particular offence, that does not mean you cannot be arrested for another offence.As far as I’m concerned, the government has even been very gentle and constrained in doing its job and dealing with this monster of corruption. If you know the damage that is done to us morally, psychological, socio-culturally and financially, image wise, you will not be going into this discussion about the human rights of certain people who are actually ruining us. If we don’t make examples of these characters, sooner than later, our future and that of our children are jeopardised.
Are you saying….
Don’t get me wrong please, I’m not saying peoples’ rights should not be respected, but I’m saying that in respecting peoples’ rights, you must respect the rights of the collective.
So, when a man has the resources to hire the best lawyers and is released on bail and he uses his resources to sabotage the evidence, to deal with witnesses…
That’s an assumption or can you give us any specific instance of what you’re saying…
That is the time they are always sick. Immediately you arrest a man, that is when he is sick and that is the time he wants to go for medical attention abroad. This type of nonsense has to stop.I believe President Buhari and his government have been very gentle in dealing with these characters. I get emotional when I talk about corruption.
Some people say this fight against corruption has been one-sided and it is as if it is only members of the last administration that are corrupt and have been interrogated.
I’m sorry…hehe…sorry for that appearance, but I do not think the President will be purposely go after those who served in the last administration. What I think has been happening is that what we call the low-hanging fruits of corruption is what is coming for attention.
Remember he said he will not go as far back as….Okay, somebody like me, I will not go as far back as 1986, but he says that the problem is so enormous and so extensive that let him start with the last administration, the most obvious, that is what I call low-hanging fruits and that is why it appears as if the other party seems to be at the end of the fight. I do not think the government is purposely going after the last administration, I do not think so. The government is going against officials who have stolen money and, to me, from what I am seeing and hearing, he has not even gone after 1% of those people who are responsible for our position.
Okay, what is unique about the year 1986?
As a social scientist and criminologist who has been studying corruption since the early 1980s, that was the watershed in Nigeria’s regression into corrupt disposition.

I thank Allah for this,finally minority will not rule over majority again. PMB THANK U....MAY U LIVE LONG......AM SORRY FOR THE GRAMMATICAL BLUNDER I JUST COMMIT .....

watch this video of the Bible with Qur'an cover
https://m.youtube.com/watch?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C5616917107
https://m.youtube.com/watch?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C9101068815
https://m.youtube.com/watch?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C7581932376

Watch this video,the Bible with Qur'an cover
https://m.youtube.com/watch?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C6256279110
https://m.youtube.com/watch?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C4352836685
https://m.youtube.com/watch?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C5616917107

Pdp religion arms wing

Akkord4gov:
U want me to start dancing

if u can dance at the market place at 12pm that will be a good idea.

Who believe wailer poo before,I know PMB cant budget 1.7bn for feeding.

Sunnycliff:
I have no confidence in Apc government because of their lies!!

hang yourself.

Jombojombo:
While u will roam the streets till 2019 because even the 5k u are waiting for won't come

guy read ur post again..

How has the last education budget improve us.If they can implement this budget it will go a long way in improving the education sector.

PDP education wing.Very useless set of people

Dss and police sometimes they fall my hand abeg tear gas them jare.awon oloriburukun

Bode wan finish himself by himself,i pity am instead make he beg sahara reporters he dey brag.Sahara go open him yansh for d public soon.I DEY LAUGH..

MizMyColi:
Last I checked,
Security is also a basic need.

She said, and I quote


The Onus is now on Dasuki and GEJ to provide evidence on how said funds was appropriated.

Give the woman a breather please.

Give which woman a breather and which security are u talking about.U are a prat.May d god thunder strike u for what u wrote,many citizens and soldiers lost the lives while agent of darkness share our money.If u continue defending the looters I only have one prayer for u MAY THE GHOST OF DIED HUNT U AND THE SO CALLED AGENT OF DARKNESS(PDP).

A

Abeg efcc drag him out by force,if he resist arrest abeg shoot him for leg.AWON OLE

Nigeria will oneday get to the promise land.I thank almight Allah for helping us to achieve our aim that is kicking away the agent of darkness and in giving us an asset in the person of PRISEDENT BUHARI.

Firefire:
Observing...

May God of thunder strike u if u derail this topic.Thousands of people have lost their life bcose of this agent of darkness called PDP AND BOKOHARAM.May the looters rest in hell and may the soul of the dead torment till they enter their grave...AMIN...AMEN...

A

TonyeBarcanista:
Whoever is found guilty should be prosecuted

U are indeed intelligent, sometimes i love the way u do reason...but u also do fall my hand sometimes also.But anyway u d best opposition we have in nairaland,i wish other wailers can be like u.MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS U AND UR FAMILY SIR.MAY GOD ALSO COUNTRY AND MY PRESIDENT.

Baba no even send Obj,Efcc abeg just catch them any where they hide.If they resist arrest abeg shoot them for leg jare....

Lanretoye:
U knw say Fashola carry light for pocket wey him wan dey distribute...mtcheew.
Y can't ppl just be reasonable for once,barely one month after inauguration and someone is asking this kind of question,there is serious problem in this country.

thank u,some nigerians are stupid barely a month.OP U Are so DUMB.PRATE!PRAT!!

Prate!prat!!trash!!!

Trash!Prat!!Prate!!!

BETATRON:
the worst enemy of knowledge isn't ignorance but the illusion of being knowledgable

Time is precious and shouldn't be wasted with daft people...the company of those you keep speaks more of you....If I spend time discussing with you that will only mean that I'm as ignorant as you are or even

Cheers

leave these boy alone jare,they only know how to twist the quran.I will unfollow this thread now,i urge u to also so.SALAM BRO.

The wordBiblecomes from the Greek word "Biblos," which is translated "book." The original manuscripts of the Bible were kept in the synagogues. Those who had custody of the manuscripts first usedthe Greek word to describe the collection, which later became knownas "the Book."

truthman2012:
What a statement.

So; and We shall join them to fair women with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes (Quran 44:54)

How many virgins was allahh referring to there?

O boy u sure say u understand English, how does this relate to the 72virgin u mentioned.Try to read and comprehend.
You're just a prat and Prate.

truthman2012:
Run?

You must be a newbie on nairaland.

Why should I run for your post lacking substance and irrelevant to the thread?

newbie for where check my profile to confirm ur fear.

truthman2012:
Trash !!

Divertionary strategy.

What has your post got to do with the thread?

let's talk about my post ....I need concrete answer from u....reply to my post......

quote the verse where 72 virgin was mentioned in the Qur'an........

small boy thank God u are here reply the post

wolesmile:
I don't normally respond when it comes to religious issues. Most times I watch as people display their obvious ignorance......... truthman2012 and OLAAGBEDU especially. I have come to realize that silence is golden. Why attack other people's beliefs? Does that make yours the better religion?


Let's not dwell on the many errors in the book.... cos of course that's what biblios, Latinized to bible, means. Let's just look at a few chapters of that Man made book on the superiority of the man over the woman......


1. "Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." (I Timothy 2:11-14)

When the book commands the woman to be silent and subject to man, not to teach in a church or usurp authority over men, does it mean the book of the Christians does not recognize that there are far more intelligent women than men? Now @OP, is your bible in error over this?


2. Can you please help me analyze 1Cor 11:6&7? and 1Cor 14:34&35


3. Why is it that almost all chapters of your bible that talks about man woman relationship commands the woman to "SUBMIT," whereas it commands the man to "LOVE."
Or do you have a different meaning for being submissive?

If women have proven Islam wrong, then they've proven the Christian Bible more wrong!!!

that boy doesnt understand what he read......