NIGERIANS SHOULD OWN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION.

BEIGN THE TEXT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE VANGUARD FOR CREDIBLE REPRESENTATION IN ABUJA, FCT ON MY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2024.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, distinguished guests, and fellow Nigerians,

We gather today not to only reaffirm our commitment to combating corruption and promoting a prosperous Nigeria, but also to emphasise the crucial need for unity in the fight against corruption in our dear nation.

We, the Vanguard for Credible Representation, a national body of harmonised, well-meaning Nigerians from different walks of life and across diversities, at home and abroad, have patiently observed the state and trajectory of our blessed and beloved nation, Nigeria, under the stewardship of the present administration, and have deemed it necessary to contribute in this least possible manner, a little of our own diligent observations and fact-backed suggestions, which the good people of our country are in agreement with.

We must recognise that combating corruption is a shared responsibility; and with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s recent assurances that no one will be spared in the anti-graft war, we urge all Nigerians to join us in this noble cause, report corruption incidents, support whistle-blowers and promote transparency and accountability.

Together, we can create a corruption-free society that benefits everyone. While we commend the EFCC’s recent successes, we urge other anti-corruption and security agencies to join forces in this battle and also called upon the EFCC to continue to fight on, be resolute in its commitment to protecting whistleblowers and encouraging reporting; collaborating with local and international partners to recover stolen assets; and educating the general public on corruption’s devastating consequences.

For example, corruption has dealt suffocating blows to our educational system. The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), described corruption as a cancer that has severely affected the performance of the education sector. He noted that the lower levels of the education system have been the most impacted. Aliyu attributed corruption in the sector to a lack of transparency and accountability: “…Corruption is at the heart of these experiences, a huge chunk of which may be attributed to a lack of transparency and accountability, and the direct and indirect impact of this on access to and quality of education cannot be overemphasised.”

Scoring 180 countries around the world, the Corruption Perceptions Index is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption, which reported that Nigeria has a score of 25 this year, with a change of 1 since last year, meaning it ranks 145 out of 180 countries.
Tens of trillions of Naira has been lost to corruption over the decades and the devastating and stagnating effects on all other sectors in general and on infrastructural development in particular, can better be imagined. Today, Nigeria has $2.3 trillion infrastructural deficit gap, which could have been bridged with the trillions of Naira lost to corruption.

We call on the President and heads of the other arms of government, and on the State Governments, and ask that strong will be applied on their part to give heed to our voice at this moment, as what we have to say is of national interest, and for the good of all Nigerians that believe in Nigeria, and of the Nation as a whole.

The faith of the people in the fight against corruption and the anti-corruption drive of this present administration is threatened as each day passes with the disrespect and obstructive activities of state actors.

It is long overdue and very pertinent that all corruption cases that were initiated and have been ongoing should be pursued and treated as priority of this administration, by giving all necessary political will and impetus to expedite process in serving justice in its course and for the progress of our Nation.

Without unity among people and groups of people, regardless of race, tribe, religion and class, growth will be stunted, and there will surely be no tangible development or advancement.

EFCC vs YAHAYA BELLO
The drama that has ensued in the attempt to bring to trial, the former governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Yahaya Bello, is not only nauseating and demoralising, but also has made Nigeria a laughing stock in the international community. The nation is now viewed as a country where certain people of high political status are above the laws of the land.

If we may ask, where is the touted synergy among the security apparatus of the nation state? What happened to the pledge by each and every member of the security and law enforcement agencies to uphold the laws of the land, regardless of whose ox is gored; and without fear or favour.
It is a shame of the nation that the the EFCC continues to bemoan lack of cooperation in its efforts to arrest the former governor, who is being shielded by his kinsman and successor in office, His Excellency, Alhaji Usman Ododo, Governor of Kogi State.

That the declared-wanted former governor along with a sitting governor, Governor Ododo arrived at the car park of the EFCC on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, with the full accompaniment of Ododo’s convoy security details, has brought to the fore, the germane question in our search for nationhood: Who are the security agents attached to VIPs, government officials and other politically exposed persons loyal to?. Will it be too much if the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Department of State Security Service issue orders to their operatives to aid EFCC in fetching the former governor?

The above questions have come to the fore and they are critical to our evolving nation state. Why is former governor Yahaya Bello finding it difficult to clear his name of all these allegations? Why will the EFCC be looking for Yahaya Bello when the same person is surrounded by security agents of the state, paid by the state?. What is expected in a virile nation would have been that security agents around Governor Ododo would have been instructed by their respective commands to help both Yahaya Bello and the EFCC or the Court to access justice, especially when a court of the land had issued a valid and subsisting warrant of arrest on the former governor. Is it not a huge joke that the court issued a bench warrant on Yahaya Bello and the EFCC, a statutory federal agency, is till now still seeking for his arrest while he is being protected by federal security agents provided for Governor Usman Ododo by the Federal Government?

Unity and synergy among our security agencies should not just be a touted theme, it must be a guiding principle for the sake of our nation. We are proud of the progress made so far, but we recognise there is still much work to be done. Let us work together to build a prosperous Nigeria, free from corruption. We are calling on all and sundry to join hands and also calling on EFCC to also go after other public and private officials and individuals across the nation and bring them to book. Seemingly closed files should be reopened to retrieve trillions of Naira belong to the Nigerian people.

Corruption has caused irreparable suffering to our people and nation in all ramifications. We can no longer afford to stand by and watch in idleness with our hands thrown up in helplessness.

GOVERNOR USMAN ODODO INVOLVEMENT
The alleged obstructive actions and antics of the governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Alhaji Usman Ododo, is seriously becoming glaring, and we want the governor to be aware that such action is viewed as repugnant and unbecoming of a state governor who swore to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic and also pledge his allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria .

The effrontery and audacity against the Constitution of Nigeria, being displayed has never happened in the history of Nigeria and was hitherto unthought of. We have formally written to the Nigeria’s Governors Forum, the Progressives Governors Forum and the Presidency (see the letter attached), to weigh-in and have this matter resolved on the side of Nigerian people.

We hope that advisers of Governor Ododo, just like we are now doing, will be able to tell him that what he has done so far is an obstruction of the EFCC in the performance of its statutory duties, with legal consequences now or in the future.

Finally, we commend the section of the activists and media communities that have been upright and resilient in the renewed battle against corruption.
We urge Nigerians to own the present reinvigorated battle against corruption and unconditionally support efforts to bring offenders to book in order to create a better nation in which we will all be proud of, confident that no one is above the law. .

Thank you for your attention.

Akinloye Oyeniyi
Executive Director.

Onche Ugbabe
Head of Mission.