In the year 2000 when the government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo established the financial watchdog called the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to foster good governance, its statutory mandate was to probe and prosecute internet fraudsters, swindlers and public office holders who intentionally diverted public funds for their selfish and private ownership but today the said financial looting regulatory body has become a toothless bulldog and an instrument of a witch hunt against party opponents. What an institutional decay and pollution of constituted authority. The worst in the history of Nigeria is the way this current APC led Federal government is handling, manipulating and misdirecting the institution including Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related offences Commission, ICPC, on the wrong basis of using the government apparatus as tools for hounding, stifling and gagging opposition to speechlessness in a democratic setting. Terrible!

As a result of this, the same government under the watch of APC whose primary campaign promises in 2014/15 reads; ” fighting and curbing corruption” which has now comfortably become a rescue and shielding haven for indicted public officers who have willingly chosen to jump party and join APC canoes. That means once one has corruption matters to clarify with EFCC on the ways one managed the office funds entrusted in one’ scare, the only panacea to escape justice is for one to quickly ship out from one’s immediate political party and then ship into APC and the rioting water would be calmed. What nature of country runs her political system this way and grows economically?
From which state of mind would one imagine and believe Nigeria will be transformed in the hands of the APC government that has settled for falsehood instead of pragmatic leadership?.

Recalled that EFCC in her probe files has an army of past public office holders, governors, Ministers, Commissioners, agency and board directors etc who had in one form or the other misappropriated funds and their files had joined the termites and cockroaches colony simply because they decamped to APC. It is very regrettable indeed why the said EFCC still exists as an institution and officers paid salaries while no meaningful functions are being performed except as a threatening masquerade chasing party opponents. Nigeria has lost billions of dollars and what she had according to Former CBN Governor Lamido Sanusi successfully saved for 35years in the last 5years which is the APC government and no single query let alone arrest had been conducted to prosecute the perpetrators and APC still feels satisfied assuming itself to be fighting corruption.

On the 17th of September 2021, The Minister Of Transportation, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi in an interview granted him by Channel Television testified how Chief Femi-Fani Kayode during his Aviation Ministerial tenure collected 2billion naira from former Governor of Rivers State, Dr.Peter Odili for the construction and maintenance of Port Harcourt airport runway but did not do the job. Today we are talking about Chief Fani having decamped to APC and called Buhari the most respected President in the world that very sooner his confiscated international passport will be released to him thereby cleansing his name from the jungle of prosecution by EFCC. Alas, this is a man that had severally called APC a gathering of evil people but today, the same God has directed him to join APC. Sense of value judgement is finally buried on the altar of polluted conscience and betrayal. Not only Chief Fani’s case but several others abound. This is what we call aiding and abetting Corruption which is the bane of Nigeria’s backwardness and mindless borrowing.

The Nigeria National Assembly has a herculean task to do to further realign EFCC in a way that it would not continue to be mortgaged by cabals in charge of Aso Rock. At least, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi despite being a Chieftain and card-carrying member of APC displayed a sense of decency, unselfishness and fair play by speaking out the truth he knows about the money Chief Fani-Kayode collected from the Rivers State government but didn’t perform the assigned tasks.

Even Abubakar Shekil Gumi reacted to Fani’s defection by Calling him a traitor knowing full well all he has been saying to lampoon the APC government before he joined the train. Gov David Umahi also debunked Fani’s claim that the latter was instrumental to his decamping to APC. All these things are sycophancy, shoulder robbing and calculated falsehood meant to deceive the public. The truth remains that accountability would never have its way in Nigeria’s governmental system if this ugly trend persists. When the government pardons officials who looted the public treasury because of party affinity while carelessly borrowing all the more, the country is bound to fail as no sector of the economy will be developed or revived. For this very bad governance confronting Nigerians today, agitations for country balkanization, insecurity, killings and a host of other ills continue to escalate uncontrollably. The earlier this Country drops backward mentality and embraces a progressive mindset the faster it will have things turned around for better.No society grows amid lopsided handling of institutional affairs neither will any country record development in the presence of partiality in justice administration dispensation.

Chief Dr.Emeka Kalu,
Director General, Global Initiatives For Good Governance.