EFCC PLANNED CLAMPDOWN ON THE MEDIA

By Jide Ayobolu <jideayobolu@yahoo.co.uk> Sep 2, 2006

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu said recently that he was going to beam his searchlight on the media saying some of the people that have media organizations got their wealth through dubious means, and to prevent such criminal activities from the prying eyes of law enforcement agents, the launder such monies by setting up media houses. He said, “We will soon clampdown on some media houses owned by corrupt Nigerians. We know them and very soon, we will be looking into them”. The first point to make here is that there is nothing bad in truly, genuinely and holistically waging a relentless war on corruption. But when the process is politized, and the commission is used to fight subterranean political wars, then there is a very serious problem. Today, in the country the fight against corruption is not only vindictive, lopsided and unserious.

The reason Ridadu wants to take on the media is because the media has been very critical of the methods and modus operandi of the commission, which is more often than not predicated on intimidation, molestation, harassment, instilling fear in people and virtually turning the whole country into an organized police state. And, this undoubtedly a violation of the fundamental human rights of the Nigerian people as expressly enshrined in the 1999 constitution. Ribadu is known for making a lot of senseless noise and fury signifying nothing. There are so many cases the EFCC has deliberately refused to deal with because the president is directly involved or because those that commit the financial crimes are in the good book of the president, this is certainly not how to fight corruption, in fact, it show very vividly that those who claim to be fighting corruption are merely paying lip service to it, corruption is still carried out in very high places in government.

The media in Nigeria can therefore not be cowered by the thoughtless vituperations of Ribadu; he has more or less become a toothless bulldog. And, the way and manner he goes about his job is very unprofessional and puerile. Instead of constant making noise and disturbing the peace of the country, he ought to be making little noise and allow his work speaks. For instance, why will he make baseless comments about the media even before he starts investigation? Why will he label people as criminals when they have not been so adjudged by any law court of competent jurisdiction? Why would he authorize his goons to invade the premises of a high court to effect an arrest against the pronouncement of a law court?

Also, speaking at the opening ceremony of the NBA annual general conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers States, the NBA president, Prince Lanke Odogiyan, also accused the EFCC of trampling on the rights of the people. NBA said Ribadu should be sacked for being sectional and selective in his fight against corruption and the association slammed him for perpetuating the worst human rights abuses and disobedience of court orders. According to NBA, Ribadu has  been sectional and selective in fight corruption, while it turned blinded eyes on the brazen graft and looting of public funds by some people in government and those in the good book of government, it has been hounding those known political and business opponents of the government in power. The NBA went on to explain that the EFCC operates as if it is above the law, arresting and detaining people for weeks or months without charging them for any offence in court. It disregards court injunctions not to arrest and treats with disdain court orders to release those detained. The association also said that, the fact that the person at the helm of affairs of the EFCC is a lawyer and that EFCC has a legal department makes this assault on the legal profession unacceptable and unpardonable. This is just not however to pursue the fight against corruption.  

At least we watch Discovery Channel on the cable network, and whether in forensic experts or FBI files, police detectives and other such programmes, we see the kind of professionalism that goes into unraveling very knotty cases; the detectives in these advances countries do not make noise about their work. This is the reason why their investigations are very thorough and flawless. What Ribadu should know is that if one is sent a job of a slave, one should be wise enough to deliver it as a freeborn. And, whatever he does today or fail to do, history and posterity are there to judge him according. But he should be extremely careful with the way he deal with the media in order not to meet his waterloo. A word is enough for the wise.

By

Jide Ayobolu

No 19 Gongola Street

Garki 2

ABUJA.