By Samuel Oyejola
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has faulted the anti-corruption effort of the Buhari-led government pointing out that it is laced with injustice.
He said that Nigeria cannot wage war against one type of corruption in isolation of another type and expect headway in the fight against corruption.
The Deputy Senate President said this at the event organized by Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation tagged “A Spanner in the Wheel of Corruption” in Abuja.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu who was represented by Toby Okechukwu said, “We cannot succeed in this all important war if we place some set of citizens above the law. If we accord red carpet reception back to office to some persons charged or disciplined of corruption when others are arrested for investigation then tried in the media and taken to court on a stretcher, such attitude cannot mobilize the needed national and international support in the anti-corruption war. It can only bring more corruption by giving some people a sense of above the law which will further embarrass and portray us before international community in bad light” he said.
It would be recalled that recently the former spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Olisa Metuh was arraigned on stretcher to face allegation of corruption in Abuja while Abdulrasheed Maina the embattled former chairman of the Presidential Pension Task Scheme, was controversially reinstated into the civil service with a promotion, although the move was eventually reversed by the President.
While calling on all arms and institution of government to play their part in the fight against corruption, he said that relevant institutions must be build and prerequisite framework must be erected.
Pointing out the efforts of the Senate in the fight against corruption, the Deputy Senate President said that the senate is exposing corruption in high places while bills that strengthen anti-graft war have been passed.
He enumerated these bills as, the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, Whistle blower Protection Bill, Adult Service Commission Bill and the Nigeria Financial intelligent Unit Bill.
Ekweremadu also revealed that the senate is making effort to ensure that the Office of the Accountant General of the federal government is different from the Accountant General of the Federation to ensure accountability. He said the red chamber is also working on granting autonomy to the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation in the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
He said that corruption must be contained by a comprehensive approach, a genuine desire, right legal framework, an independent and incorruptible judiciary, care and the welfare of the citizenry, avoidance of political classification and influence and leading from the front and the power of personal example of leaders.
Also speaking at the event the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Waziri Adio lamented that corruption has become a normal way of life in Nigeria. “Nigerians have got used to corruption and it has become normalized in the system.
“Corruption has been so normalized that people expect it. We have some norms and values that even when we shout and talk about corruption you see that we have some things that actually encourage corruption to happen”.
“You also need to put in place systems that even when people want to try it would be difficult.
He said that the society has the greater role to play. “If you have a society where corruption is normalize no matter what sanction system you put in place the people will undermine it. We all have a role to play it is not something that the government can do by itself.