By Ifeoma Ikem
The convener, Ambassador for Peace & Enlightenment and Human Rights Activist, Comrade Saviour Iche has called on Federal government to stop electing ineffective officials to head agency that fight corruption.
He said that for Nigerians to believe or have confidence in this sector again, we need those who will carry out these duties diligently without compromising and bias.
Commenting on the fight against corruption, he said that what is happening with this present administration is worse that the previous governments.
“We all know what has been happening in cases where monkey swallows billions of Naira, rat eats it’s own, snake swallows and the administration claims to be fighting corruption.
“This situation has reached a point where the masses should be asking questions about the work of the independent Financial Crime Commissions.
According to him, ‘people with high morals and reputation should be selected to head the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), ICPC etc.
“We are all aware of what happened to the Accountant General of the Federation who could have been a more trusted personnel, but reverse is the case as about One Hundred and Ninety billion was recovered from him and it’s still counting.
“We are not even talking of all the properties that has been bought in his name and the names of his partners.
” Also, the petroleum sector is where you will see massive looting and the government knows all this without saying anything because there are being controlled by the same authority which is not supposed to be”, he added.
Iche, also condemned the immunity granted to politicians.
“That immunity should be removed so that anybody that steals even if you are in the office as the president or governor that person should be jailed and the money will be recovered.
“Just take a look at the statement from the former governor of Edo state, a well respected man saying if anyone in an opposition party that has embezzled money come over to join the ruling party the person’s sin would be forgiven.
“The past political leaders who embezzled money are moving about freely.
“The same people are being recycled back to the system and the agency fighting corruption are there selecting whom to arrest and whom not to arrest.
He said that the government works when they apprehend a young boy with a computer or when they are witch hunting an opponent of another political party.
“That’s when you will see that EFCC can climb a wall to arrest someone and even hold people hostage in hotels.
” The youths that have now derailed to become Yahoo boys is as a result of the corrupt and hard system they find themselves in the country.
“Most of all these people they arrested and show on television and EFCC gives them board thereby convicting them, none of these people have been convicted”.
He said the government has failed in some high profile cases, for example the governor of Plateau state and some other ones were pardoned because they wanted to use them in winning elections.
” Meanwhile our children in higher institutions are at home for the past five months and government is claiming that there’s no money but some persons are looting our money unchallenged.
“It is only God that will see us through and bring someone with sincerity of heart to fight corruption not witch hunting the country.
