By Oladele Ogunsola, Ibadan.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been called upon to step on toes and crush the legs carrying the toes so that the country can be rid of corrupt elements in the society.
Making this call in Ibadan was the President/Founder of the Nigeria Voters Assembly, Comrade Mashood Erubami in a statement made available to journalists, in which he
enjoined the president to tackle and show stronger commitment to the fight against corruption to build renewed confidence in the people signifying that the anti-corruption crusade will from now be unsparing and nonselective against anybody that is politically exposed.
Erubami said, “this call has become imperative in the face of strident opposition’s blackmail to make the people lose hope in the President and portraying his party’s anti corruption war as a mirage”.
The group’s boss described corruption as the greatest challenge to Nigeria’s development through which trillions of Naira has been stolen and squandered for years, either through direct stealing, non-remittance or under remittance of revenue into the treasury by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.
Erubami commended President Buhari for the efforts so far made to confront the war against corruption and other unethical practices, lamenting however that “the journey is still far and we call on the President to take bold steps and strong actions to deal with those who have been exposed of corruption towards eradicating its scourge.
“Ironically, most politicians that should be facing prosecution and perhaps be on their way to prisons are still walking freely on the streets, thinking that the four-year tenure of the President will soon end and their business as usual will be reinstated with their inaccomplishable planned installation of a new regime of thievery and ‘fantastic corruption practices’.
“As things are, the President should be ready from 2019 to step on toes of past leaders who are corrupt and crush the legs carrying the toes so that the country can be rid of corrupt elements in the society.
“Far from the politicians who shared money from the former Security Adviser to President Jonathan, Rtd. Colonel Dasuki and few governors and legislators who are presently being prosecuted, there are still vast numbers of corruption elements in the Civil Services in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Customs, NNPC, Army and the Police who need to be spotlighted and arraign before competent court of law to account for their stewardship”, Erubami added.
The Voters’ Assembly boss recalled that with the trial of big politicians in various courts and the impending trial of others, the All Progressives Congress (APC) government should expect serious ‘corruption fight backs’ that will be caused to slow down, extract and rubbish the war and unless the resistance and fightback of those politically exposed are tackled head long and repelled, the anti graft war might be taken as a child’s play.
According to him, “in the trials, the process of identification, investigation, judicial prosecution and legal sanctioning of those found guilty must be free of human obstructions and at every level, the police, lawyers, Judges and the laws must be put under close watch and scrutiny to know how fair each of these institutions is playing its roles in the sprit of the revolution.
“It is most unlikely that corruption supporters in the legislature and current criminal justice system, politicians and their friends will easily abandon them in the course of their trials. They are the ones describing the present war against corruption as mere political actions against the opponent to gain sympathy”, Erubami noted.
The group maintained that with corruption out of the nation’s way, funds allocated for power, education, health facilities and services, infrastructural development would be used for their purposes and more money would be released from the ones that would have gone into private pockets as a result of corrupt practices and Nigeria would be better for it.
Erubami equally counseled that it should by now be incumbent on the President that the war against corruption cannot be fought alone, its crusade should start to be spread to the states and local governments, mobilizing the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Judiciary (bench) while the masses, including the electorate should also be invited into the vanguard of fighting the exposed corruption fight- backs.
The Voters’ Assembly also tasked the President to begin to mobilise the critical mass, Labour, Human Rights and Civil Society Groups to buy into and own the anti- corruption revolution to serve as necessary interface to counter and repel whatever reaction is targeted against the revolution.
