AG: EFCC & ICPC SEE NO EVIL- DO NO EVIL- LOOT NO EVIL
Economic and Financial Crime Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices are government agencies that are created to prosecute corrupt felonious fellows in Nigeria. Their last boss Adoke dropped what some of us consider a bombshell during confirmation recently reiterating what most Nigerians have suspected all along that they are used to chase, harass, drop charges and negotiate with those that step on toes and looters. Putting it bluntly, they shake down opponents with illegal money and those out of favor.
Going by Adoke, they will never have the required manpower in a Country where many lawyers are looking for jobs, to really accomplish anything substantial. The solution to crime, as far as they are concerned, is simply take some of the ill-gotten gains and send it back to the treasury where it can easily leak into some pockets on its way. They may still be looking for money collected from Tafa Balogun or Abacha's hard currencies located in a house guided by police and soldiers that suddenly disappeared.
We cannot blame foreign governments that are leery of handing over collected loot stashed in their countries knowing full well it is coming back to them in a different name of another looter. We do not even invest our earned money from oil in Nigeria since they invest it in British and US financial market or treasury. Those ones use money collected for the betterment of their economy creating jobs and opportunities in their countries. On the other hand, if they bring it out of reserve, it will disappear into the banks of the politicians.
When Obasanjo initiated both agencies, he bragged that he is the only head of state that ever had those bodies to probe his government and other looters in power. Ribadu got our praises and some were suspicious of his activities and not convinced of his sincerity. It became clear that those that were not in favor of the government of the day received more attention for prosecution. But there were others Ribadu went after, close to Ali Baba. Indeed, Ribadu said he also used Ali Baba to get many of Ali Baba's friends that he was not aware were crooks.
What is also clearer now is that one of the biggest looters but most generous to PDP always nominated the Attorney General. So we got Aondoakaa nominated by no less a crook than Ibori. Ibori gave us the process, time and how he was going to get rid of our beloved Ribadu. We thought it could not happen until it did precisely to predictions. Our Ribadu was almost assassinated, disgraced during graduation at NIPSS, Kuru. He skipped the Country only to sneak back when Gani Fawehinmi died. He was gone before our vigilant police knew he was in Nigeria.
Needless to say, Ribadu messed himself up in politics big time under the wings of a man he had called a crook of international proportion. He was used and dumped like a rag and a fine dedicated man we thought he is, became a follower like a dunce. In retrospect, those that were telling us Ribadu was too ambitious were right. He went straight for the presidency because he was fooled to exonerate a crook and a drug dealer that plea-bargained in United States.
Therefore, we now understand how the last Attorney General was nominated and should not have been surprised at what came out of his mouth in confirmation hearing at the Senate. He confirmed our worst fear. Haba! Some of us are so naïve; we still believe many of our politicians are given bad names by a few. How can our politicians be so bold or may be we do want to see no evil, hear no evil, do no evil so that looting is no more evil.
Nigeria is being looted left, right and center legally and illegally. Yet this Adoke of a man that must have been nominated by the most powerful looter like his predecessors used EFCC and ICPC as traps that could never catch a mouse. If he knew that much, that they lack what it takes to do their job well, there was no reason to fool us for so long after billions have disappeared before saying so. If we may ask, how many billions more have to disappear before these traps can catch a mouse?
They want to make Nigeria a hopeless country where the key to our solutions have been thrown away. So they pursue petty thieves and criminals making examples out of them while the big boys and girls get away. Even if they are caught, the message is clean and clear: steal enough to negotiate because we are coming after you. By the way, remember some money has to go to treasury, a little for us, the lawyers and some compromising judges.
In order to look tough and busy, they went after people like Adenike Grange and locked her up for being foolish not to take her share of the booty. They have made it a crime for any of those innocent Nigerians going into positions of trust to come back as they left their villages. Everyone will be raining curses on them wondering when he or she became stupid. So the mission of most of us going into politics is to steal as much as we can. Bankole figured that out.
Nigeria can still be salvaged and rescued out of the hands of these crooks, but we are not going to do it by being passive resigning to some faith that is not ours. We must yell, scream, protest and write until some powerful ones amongst them can echo our voices. It took Lamido Sanusi to hear our voices on jumbo pay for these politicians. We must not relent until we bring down their salary and allowances that create inflation and take prices out of poor man's reach.
It is a good and bad omen that we heard from Adoke and we must brace ourselves for more to come. They are like a witch that confesses her sins in the open when the day of reckoning is near. It might not have been Adoke's intention to say it the way it came out. But words like eggs, once broken can not be taken back. There will be more revelations to come. So please stay tuned.