Lest We Forget: Corruption Fights Back!
The greatest trouble with history is that it casts stubborn, hard shadows! George Santayana, Spanish- American Philosopher and Writer, once noticed this when he said: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’ This is profound. It is also prophetic. In its modern parallelism, it bears direct congruence to what is playing out in the public space against the spirited efforts of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and its Chair, Abdulrasheed Bawa to tear apart the hydra headed monster of corruption in our midst.
Bello Matawalle, embattled Zamfara State governor is acting out a script. It is an old script. Faced with a corruption overload of N70billion and the attendant investigation of the sleaze by the Commission, he is crying blue murder and splashing mud on the EFCC and its leadership. This is expected and the public need not lose any sIeep over it. It will be uncharitable to beat a child and forbid him from crying. Matawalle has an inalienable right to cry, except that his lachrymal efforts should be properly directed.
From the information put out by the EFCC in the aftermath of his outburst, showed that the governor went on a contract bazaar, involving 100 companies in a state reeling in first degree poverty and privation. Funds sourced from an old generation bank for projects are funnelled into wild contracts with contractors mobilised robustly, some paid 60% of contract sums, some 50% and some more than that. A particular Abuja real estate operator was paid N6billion for a contrived contract of N10billion, another one paid over N3billion and others with various degrees of payments. The trouble really is that they were paid for doing nothing, with no service rendered, no contract terms and no visible work done anywhere. This is simply unconscionable. The governor knew all these, yet chose to take on the Commission on issues bearing no relevance to his competence.
What is Matawalle’s competence about EFCC’s asset recovery and disposal? What is his business with plea bargain arrangements? I recall, and most
Nigerians will remember, that in 2022, EFCC did a widely- advertised and publicised autioning of recovered assets across its offices and zones, with every extant law and procedure fully followed. Government’s licensed auctioneers, Bureau of Public Procurement and other relevant agencies were all involved. And I understand that proceeds of the auction were paid into the Consolidated Revenue Accounts of the government and the whole nation applauded the Commission for its transparency and credibility. So, where was the Zamfara’s state governor then? Busy with his contract awards?
It is ludicrous that Matawalle could challenge the EFCC’s plea bargain procedures which betrays his ignorance of the enabling laws empowering the Commission to go about them. It is even comical that he chose to criticise the Investigative latitude of the Commission. More preposterous is his claim that the EFCC’s Chair, Bawa demanded $2million bribe from him. What will Bawa do with the bribe? Close the corruption case against him? Destroy all the weighty investigations against him? Why did the governor have to wait till now to tell the world about the bribe demand? Does it seem feasible that a character like Matawalle would turn down a bribe demand, if such actually happened?
It is evident that the nation is once again on the tumultuous route of desperate politically exposed persons hounding EFCC and its leadership. Matawalle is testing the grounds. Others may follow shortly. It is a programmed distraction and deliberate onslaught on the image and Integrity of the Commission. He has a good company in some civil society organisations making wild claims about the EFCC. They have their pay masters and the agenda is similar: give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
Now, where do all these shenanigans lead us? Cold surrender? It is often said that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”. Vigilance? Yes! Nigerians need to be more vigilant and circumspect at this time. The fight against corruption cannot and should not be expected to be a gentleman’s war. Corruption is an industry and its players are experienced actors. The onus is on every stakeholder in the anti- graft project to wake up and stand shoulder to shoulder with the EFCC in its determined efforts to tackle the scourge of economic and financial crimes. Every issue should be weighed on its merits. Blackmailers should be seen for who they are and be tackled more frontally.
It is not enough for us to see the tantrums, sabre rattling and name- calling of EFCC and its leadership, as usual stocks - in- trade of fraudsters in moments of national transition like this. We should challenge them collectively and break the malignant culture. If past leaders of the EFCC: Nuhu Ribadu, Ibrahim Lamorde, Farida Waziri, Ibrahim Magu were stampeded out of office, this should not be taken as a norm. Abdulrasheed Bawa has done remarkably well and outstanding in every respect. He does not deserve to be painted black by characters that have all their hands soiled in shady deals. If corruption is fighting back, we should also come in the fray and fight it to a standstill. Matawalle should come forward and answer all the questions posed by his unflattering stewardship in Zamfara State. Only then can we accord him any serious attention.
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