National Chairman of the National Action Council (NAC), Dr. Olapade Agoro has raised an alarm that the on-going War Against Corruption in Nigeria cannot succeed if the Police failed to key into the Crusade.
Speaking with newsmen in Ibadan over the weekend, Dr. Agoro who is also the Owa-Tapa of Itapa Ijesa remarked that “the fight against corruption must not be left with Muhammadu Buhari’s government alone, but must be a fight for us all.”
He declared: “The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, although a known anti-corruption crusader, has a duty to his professional calling, starting particularly with the Commissioners of Police who, contrary to his directive, still mount road blocks where minimum of N25,000 must be raised every week, and N100,000 every month.”
According to Dr. Agoro, “it behoves to say and conclude that if Nigeria must survive, we must all frontally confront corruption and support President Muhammadu Buhari in his anti-corruption crusade.”
He said: “Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade must be senior to APC or any political party agenda. It is a nationalistic oriented programme for the good of humanity that President Donald Trump of the United States could have openly hosted Muhammadu buhari in the US and with a promise to support the anti-corruption crusade with the supply of cash, arms and ammunition. This explains to any discerning mind that the fight has left the shores of Nigeria to the lobal fora.”
Speaking further, Dr. Agoro gave kudos to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen for what he described as his bold step and courageous directive to State Chief Judges instructing that Special Court for Corruption should be set up saying this is a right step in the right direction.
Dr. Agoro however enjoined the top hierarchy of the Judiciary to ensure two stages Court to Corruption Cases trial, one at the lower stage that should not last more than six months and the appellate stage that should not last more than three months.
“And the idea of Jury trial to be headed by proven jurors or retired judges with proven good records should be explored,” Agoro submitted.
Commenting on the mounting agitation for restructuring in the national polity, Dr. Agoro remarked that “any restructuring done now without successful fight against corruption will not see the light of the day” just as he insisted that “most of those clamouring for so-called restructuring are agents and beneficiaries of corruption in the past Goodluck Jonathan’s regime.”
His words: “This issue of restructuring started on the eve of Goodluck Jonathan’s departure from office through his so-called National Conference. It serves to say that there is nobody that participated in the so-called National Conference that would not go back home becoming multi-millionaires gaining radio licences, oil blocks, etc. from their efforts. We are yet to have answers to how people became multi billions during the last six months of Jonathan’s government. These are the people who became overnight billionaires on the eve of Jonathan’s departure from office; they are the brain box of agitation for restructuring, all in a way to hand twisting Buhari’s anti-corruption efforts.
“The young man, Nnamdi Kanu was one o the great campaigners for Goodluck Jonathan in the South East. The money and influence he gained from the goodluck Jonathan’s era was what he used to channel into fighting his reprisal attack on Buhari’s government. Nobody can deny that. What the nation knew as agitation for Biafra was MASSOB – a group of rights campaigner but non-violent quite different from this IPOB, a violent organization. It behoves to say and conclude that if Nigeria must survive, we must all frontally confront corruption and support Buhari in his anti-corruption crusade.”
Dr. Agoro maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari has courageously removed the veil of not only corruption but those behind corruption and corruptive elevators.
“Any politician now saying anything else on socio-economic and political problems of Nigeria must be trying to pull the wool over the face of reality,” Agoro reiterated.
