ABUJA – To show his
determination to rid Nigeria of corruption, the
president elect, General Mohammadu Buhari, after his
inauguration on Friday, will unveil his anti-corruption
strategy, Vanguard learnt yesterday.
The Strategy will be such that will put Nigerians with
corruption baggages on their toes and make them to
return their loots back to the federal government coffers
even less persuasion.
To realize this objective, Vanguard investigations
indicated that
there is likely to be an establishment of a high powered
anti-corruption panel with a mandate to investigate
corrupt government officials and private individuals
who had swindled the country.
The panel shall also have the responsibility of tasking
the corrupt individuals on making valuable returns in
the form of plea bargain.
A timeline, Vanguard learnt will be given for the
returns and once it expires, there will be full probes of
the persons who had returned their ill gotten wealth and
also of others who refused to return theirs.
This, Vanguard learnt is to ascertain whether such
returns were commensurate with history of looted
money.
The investigations would also touch on all other
government properties which included buildings.
It was not however known if the probe would be
restricted to the outgoing government of President
Goodluck Jonathan which would cease to exist on
Friday.
A dependable source who is a close ally of Buhari both
in military and civil politics confided in Vanguard that
the president-elect is likely to shock most Nigerians
immediately after he is sworn in.
According to him, Buhari is committed to stamping out
corruption in Nigeria and would not relent.
The source who didn’t want his name in print said that
though talks were ongoing on how best to approach the
issue of corruption, the methodology was yet to be fully
discussed.
He however stated that the conventional anti-
corruption agencies like the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Independent
Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses
Commission, ICPC, would be reorganized and
reactivated to play the lead role in the fight against
graft.
He said: “We have not discussed with the president-
elect on how he wants to treat his anti-corruption
policy. I know he has said he has zero tolerance for
corruption. He is a structured man. He is a man of
the system. So, to begin to go round the idea may not
be correct.
“I believe he will used the structures that are available
to fight corruption. That I know. And the modalities it
will take, that will be determined by the time he is in
office. He will look at the entire thing and then based
on the inputs he will get from the experts, he will
determine the methodology to go about fighting
corruption.”
“Certainly, I know that that is one of the things on the
table which he must face squarely. Corruption is
everywhere in the country. It has eaten so deep in our
psyche. So, it needs to be fought head on. There has to
be an assault on it from every angle.”
Asked if the president-elect will quickly swing into
action immediately after he is sworn in on Friday, the
source who also has a rich military background said
Buhari has since fathomed how best to make Nigeria
work again.
“You don’t want him to start that day? This is a man
who has been trying to be president for the last 14
years. So, if he has not made up his mind on how to
govern this country all these years, then there is
problem. So, he knows what to do and he knows how to
do it. Just give him the chance”, he said.
Vanguard investigations also showed that the incoming
government would reorganize the nation’s security
apparatus including the paramilitary especially those
whose offices are not tenured starting with the
Nigerian Army down to the EFCC.
But whether the reorganization would include relieving
the current Heads of the institutions and agencies their
present appointments we don’t known.
“I don’t know about that but I am sure he is going to
take decision and whatever decision he takes, I am
sure it is in the interest of the nation and the interest
of greater proportion of Nigeria. So, let’s wait and see
whatever decisions and pronouncements he will make.
May 29th is just knocking by the door”, the source told
News men.
One may think that Buhari may be selective in his
anti-corruption fight judging from public perception of
many of Buhari’s political allies who may have soiled
their hands in the past.
But here, the source said that the fight against
corruption would be total and complete cutting across all
strata of the society and in the All Progressives
Congress, APC.
He added that no one would stop the wind of change
either in or outside the APC.
“Are you alleging that someone people around him are
corrupt? If you are not alleging that, then what will
stop him from fighting corruption? You must understand
one thing. General Buhari’s government is going to be
far from the PDP government because if you have
been following his comments, his pronouncements since
the campaigns, there are three items he has selected
and said these are the areas he will concentrate.
“He talked about corruption. He talked about
insecurity. He talked about economy and by implication
job creation. These are cardinal. Not that there are no
other things but these are key things to getting this
country turned around. These are things that can not
be compromised by him. He has only identified and
made up his mind that he is going tackle them.
“So, the question of people insinuating that there are
people around him who are corruption, that is their
business. If people are alleging that, I don’t know of
any but if there is any, that is their business because
that will not stop the wind of change when it comes to
fighting corruption.
“So, the issue of saying he would be handicapped
because he is surrounded by anybody, I don’t think that
will stop him from forging ahead. There is going to be
no sacred cow in this fight because if you want to make
a change, it has to be total. And fighting corrupt in all
ramifications is the way to go and I am sure the
government will face it because the level at which
corruption has gone in this country, if you don’t face
corruption and fight it squarely, then whatever thing
you put on the ground is a waste.
“So, that is our bane and we must face it. Any
government that must make a change and bring succour
to the people of Nigeria must fight corruption. There
are people who will resist it but government is mightier
than anybody. As far as the president-elect is
concerned, I can tell you that there is no going back
when it comes to fighting corruption. There is no
second thought about it”, he said.
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