The recent revelations by the Chairman
of the Economic
Financial Crime Commission Mallam Nuhu
Ribadu when he
appeared before the distinguished
Senators a couple of
week ago, that, out of the thirty-six
states in the
federation, thirty-one are quite in
mess as a result
of the diversion and misappropriation
of funds meant
for Local Governments and state call
for concern as to
how those given the mandate of
leadership in the
country has drifted to a position of
to enriching
themselves once, given the
opportunity, to serve the
people and managed the resources. They
have reduced
leadership to a place where it is a
license for one to
acquire and amass ill-gotten
overnight.
When the Abdulsalam administration set
in motion to
hand over the reign of government to
the civilians,
there was great exhalation and
enthusiastic on the
part of the people. But less than
seven years of
democratic governance, it has show
that those
entrusted with public trust have
betrayed the people
as they have embarked on chop, I-chop
of the scarce
resources made available to them to
under take
programmes and projects that would
uplift the country
This writer was quite astounded by the
revelation of
Malam Nuhu Ribadu Chairman of EFCC
when he appeared
before the distinguished Senators that
by October,
2006; they are charging fifteen
Governors to court for
misappropriation and embezzlement of
their states
funds. And, this is out of the
thirty-one Governors
that they have so far investigated.
As Mikiya of Daily Trust said”
Worrisome, however, is
what all this has done to the nation’s
psyche.
Leadership is supposed to be many
things to its
followership. One is to be above
board, exquisitely
impeachable in its dealings in the
eyes of the ruled.
Scrupulously maintaining the high
standards demanded
of it, whether it is financial or
otherwise”.
What makes the matter worst is the
revelation of both
the President and the Vice-President
each alleging
misdeed on official conduct while on
the other hand,
preaching “due process” and
transparency. The current
accusations and counter-accusation by
the President
and his Vice-President has greatly
ridiculed the
The actions of both men has throw
spanner in their
credibility and status as the most
honest
personalities. What really worries
this writer and
other mind-likes is the fact that it
is still a mirage
for this country to have credible and
honest leaders
if these things continue unabated.
When the EFCC was set up and Malam
Nuhu Ribadu was
appointed as the Chairman, this writer
is of the full
conviction that the guy is equal to
the task for the
simple fact, that honesty is ingrained
in him as his
school-mate at the College of
Preliminary Studies Yola
Alh. Muktari Garba confided in me that
it is quite at
the school, that he starts exhibiting
the traits of
honesty.But, one thing, for the
Chairman of the EFCC
is the fact that he should not give
room for sacred
cows even if,it is President Olusegun
that is
It is quite appropriate that the
National Assembly has
given their support for the EFCC to
continue with the
new crusade to cleanse the mess that
the Nigerian
Leadership went through during the
last seven years of
As the saying goes “ trust is a
burden” it is
therefore, incumbent on the present
leaders especially
the President Obasanjo to show
remorseful for the mess
they have make on the states and the
country through
plundering of the resources of the
country.
The EFCC should raid the homes of the
current leaders,
and even went an extra-mile to speak
with the papers
to unravel those that plunder the
little resources of
which if, not, for the plundering, the
states could
have being better off and the people
live happier than
expected. But, the resources is being
chop by the
opportunists that find themselves
occupying leadership
position in the present political
dispensation.
WRITES FROM NO 74, TAFIDA STREET
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