The former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has warned his successor Mrs. Farida Waziri to avoid disparaging comments about the works at the commission in order to gain points in an embittered argument with the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Ribadu who was the pioneer chairman of the commission faulted Waziri about her recent comments in the media that the EFCC pursued personalized political interests, hence warned her not to desist from “rubbishing the hard-earned integrity of the commission and its operatives”.
Ribadu, made the clarifications in a statement in Abuja, wherein he warned Mrs. Waziri he also declared waziri a liar when he alleged that Mrs. Waziri told a “naked lie” saying she was his boss in order to “seek undue relevance and validate her own appointment”.
He stated thus: “My attention has been drawn to the press statement issued by the immediate past chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri, in a reaction to statements credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“While I had tried not to comment on the activities of the EFCC or my successors in office to avoid subjectivism, I however find it expedient to clear my name of careless and mischievous references made by Mrs. Waziri.
“ I am, therefore, writing this with utmost reluctance, public debate having been polluted with deliberate tincture of amnesia, necessitating umpteenth repetition of a simple fact that should have sank once and for all. It is sad that merchants of falsehood keep recycling crooked statements to the point of cliche, in spite of attempts at clarifications”, he said.
He also debunked the claims by Waziri that he worked under her tutelage in any section albeit unit with her.
“Firstly, it is not correct that I worked under Mrs. Waziri, as she always claims. This is a naked lie that she keeps flaunting to seek undue relevance and validate her own appointment”, Ribadu said.
“At no time in my career did I work under the same section or unit as her. In fact, contrary to Waziri’s claim that she trained me, it was I that actually lectured her and others on fraud investigation and prosecution when she was newly posted as Head of Special Fraud Unit, even though she was my senior in rank. I was then the Head of Prosecution at the Tribunals under the leadership of Mr. Sunday Ehindero, then CP Legal”, he clarified.
He further pointed out that the EFCC was not used to pursue the unsuccessful bid for Third Term in office by former President, Obasanjo.
Contrarily, he also noted that he lectured Waziri and others, on fraud investigation and prosecution when she was newly posted to head the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), noting that the EFCC worked tirelessly against the politically-exposed persons throughout the period of the third term debacle in order to protect the integrity of the Commission.
“On the issue that EFCC under my leadership was used to push through the aborted third term agenda, it is evident that Mrs. Waziri, who was nowhere near EFCC at the time, is ignorant of what transpired.
“It is saddening that after all the damage inflicted on the operations and credibility of the EFCC by Mrs. Waziri, she turns back to abuse the young men and women who had put in all their energy in cleaning up our country, especially during that critical time, by dismissing their work and sacrifice.
“As I had cause to state in a recent article on my stewardship of the EFCC, we almost deliberately avoided going after governors and public servants from the opposition to avoid the charges of bias or doing the bidding of the government.
“Moreover, we halted our works on the politically exposed persons throughout the period of the third term debacle, to insulate and protect the integrity of the Commission.”
He said: “EFCC was not about Nuhu Ribadu. Rubbishing its work, therefore, is like insulting all the thousands of its operatives across the country who put their lives in the line to make Nigeria a better country.
“If Mrs. Waziri has a personal score to settle with anybody, she should direct her attack at the person but not the organization”, Ribadu warned.