Ever since Nuhu Ribadu was booted out of office as the Chairman of the nation of Nigeria’s number one anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the anti-corruption agency has never remained the same. Till date, the commision has not recovered from the coup of impunity that led to Ribadu’s exit from office.
Nonetheless, how the palace coup that led to Ribadu’s exit from the EFCC was masterminded and successfully executed by some Abuja based fifty columnists is now history. The new development is that the present EFCC has been snoring while Nigeria public officials loot with impunity at the detriment of the common people. The present Ibarahim Lamorde led EFCC has obviously been living in affluence with the enemies against Nigerian people. I am saying this expressly because if EFCC has not conspired against Nigerian people, some Governors that recently handed over Insignia of power ought to have been quizzed for questioning.
Take for instance, the immediate past governor Aliyu Babangida of Niger State who even pride himself as Chief servant was not actually what he claimed to be, he was a Servant of questionable character. The N2.9bn loan he took from Zenith Bank on May 28, a day before his handover date should be probed. The Bank officials that granted Aliyu the loan should also be quizzed for questioning. EFCC should invite Aliyu to give account of the billions he accumulated.
Ex-Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State cannot boost of one peoples oriented project completed yet, he won over 50 awards within and outside the shore of the nation of Nigeria for good jobs not done.
The ongoing rainfall has exposed the cosmetics called positive achievements recorded by Babatunde Fashola in Lagos. Today, flood has almost taken over the streets of Lekki phase 1, the abode for the richest of the rich in the centre of excellence.
Today, many people in Egbeda and Idimu in Alimosho, the biggest local government in Lagos State have been swept off by flood. My recent academic research tour of Lagos State proved that Fashola was overrated. The media conspired with politicians to sell dummies to the general public about Fashola.
What i saw during my tour was an eyesore. If you see the inside streets of Ajeromi, Oshodi/Isolo, Alomosho, Egbeda, Idimu, Ejigbo, Somolu, Bariga, Gbadada etc, you would think the aforementioned areas have been erased from the map of Lagos.
I agree that Fashola gave the highways and the eyebrow areas in Lagos a face lift but with what i saw recently, under-development still reign supreme in most parts of Lagos. Thus, I urge the EFCC to invite the overrated former governor Fashola for questioning. Fashola should be invited to explain why he inherited about N100billion debt and left the state with over N500billion debt with no equivalent projects on ground.
The EFCC should help the good people of Benue State to invite former Governor Gabriel Suswan for questioning. He should be asked how he spent the allocation received from the federation account For eight years. Suswan locked primary schools in Benue State for more than ten months due to unpaid teachers salaries.
The disgraced former Governor Yero of Kaduna should by now be asking questions. The man cannot boast of any project apart from completing the government house that he inherited from late former governor Yakowa.
Without sounding immodest, i wish to urge the EFCC to properly investigate former governor Amaechi of Rivers State. Amaechi reportedly sold all government investments in the state and still left gangantum debt for the state and even boasted that the new Governor would suffer for funds.
The irony of Amaechi’s reign is that the former governor was one of the best performing governors in Nigeria until he derail in 2013. Let me state for the sake of clarity that Amaechi did not derail because he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Ikwere born politician derailed because he misplaced his priorities and lost focus and direction.
Today, i can say explicitly that no traffic light is working in the whole of Portharcourt, the Rivers state capital. Amaechi left government with 3 months unpaid salaries of workers. He was a fine administrator who lost direction because of an inordinate ambition. Within three year, Amaechi collected N234billion from Excess Crude Oil account (excluding monthly allocations and Internally Generated Revenue), yet, majority of the truck C roads in the state capital have been taken over by flood.
The list goes on. It is endless. I call on the EFCC to wake up to its responsibilities; the immunity conferred on ex-governors is gone, it is time for them to account for their evil-deeds whilst in office. The EFCC team of interrogators should know that history and posterity will judge them if they don’t do what is expected of them now. Ribadu is being praised today because of his meritorious service to the nation of Nigeria whilst in EFCC. Ibrahim Lamorde, time to change Nigeria is now.