CONCERNED NIGERIANS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
34 MILL HILL WAY , LONDON SW3 4PY
Email:abusuleiman2000@yahoo.com
THE EFCC, MISSING FILES AND EMMANUEL AKOMAYE
IT IS INDEED DIFFICULT TO PONDER THE PLAGUE OF THE MISSING FILES THAT IS HAUNTING THE EFCC AND NOT BE REMINDED OF THE THEORY OF THE FIFTH COLUMNIST. THE FIFTH COLUMNIST WAS USED TO DESCRIBE A GROUP OR FACTION WITHIN A NATION OR GROUP WORKING FOR THE ENEMY. IT CAME INTO UNIVERSAL LEXICON IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR AND THE TRIUMPH OF GENERALISSIMO FRANCISCO FRANCE. HE LED FOUR COLUMNS OF SOLDIERS TO ASSAULT MADRID THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT BUT WHILE THE WAR WAS STILL GOING ON, A FIFTH COLUMN OF GOVERNMENT TROOPS WHICH HAD BEEN SUPPORTING FRANCO UNDERGROUND AND SABOTAGING THE GOVERNMENT FROM WITHIN MARCHED TO JOIN THE REBELS.
THOUGH ISOLATED BY SPACE AND TIME A CORRELATION OF IRONY IS EASY TO DECIPHER IN THIS CASE AND THE MISSING FILES AT THE EFCC HEADQUARTERS. WE TOOK OUR TIME TO INVESTIGATE AND FACTS HAVE SHOWN THAT MANY WHO WORKED FOR THE IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN, NUHU RABIDU HAVE NOT REALLY ACCEPTED THE FACT THAT THE OFFICE CAN STILL GO ON WITHOUT THEM, HENCE THEY HAVE BECOME A MAJOR OBSTACLE IN THE ORGANIZATION. THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING TO FRUSTRATE THE WORK OF THE CURRENT CHAIRMAN, MRS FARIDA WAZIRI AND NO ONE EVENT BEST EXPOSED THIS THAN THE CASE OF THIS MISSING OFFICIAL FILES AT THE EFCC TOWARDS THE END OF 2008 WHICH PROVOKED AND EXCITED PUBLIC ANGER.
THE INITIAL TENSED NERVES MAY HAVE CALMED, AND THE STEAM GENERATED BY THE CACOPHONY OF THE MANY VOICES SIMMERED DOWN, BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT THERE WERE LOT OF COVER-UPS IN THE WHOLE DRAMA WITH REGARDS TO MEDIA ANALYSES. AS STAKEHOLDERS IN OUR COUNTRY, WE OWE IT A DUTY TO ENSURE THAT THE TRUTH PREVAILS AND IN DOING THAT WE WILL REPUDIATE EVERY ATTEMPT TO SUPPRESS FACTS, WHICH WE KNOW, IS SACRED. A FUNDAMENTAL DIVERSION FROM THE BASIC TENETS OF FAIR ANALYSIS WAS EVIDENT IN THE CASE OF THE MISSING FILES AS EMMANUEL AKOMAYE (SECRETARY OF THE COMMISSION) THE MAN WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF THE DOCUMENTS WAS LEFT OUT WHILE ACCUSING FINGERS WERE BEING POINTED ELSEWHERE.
IN ANY FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION, THE SECRETARY IS THE CUSTODIAN OF FILES AND CORRESPONDENCE. THE SECRETARIAT DOES NOT ONLY KEEP RECORDS, IT MONITORS THE MOVEMENTS OF OFFICIAL FILES AND ENSURES ITS SAFETY. AND WHERE THE FILES AT ANY POINT ARE MISSING IT BEHOLDS ON THE SECRETARIAT TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE AS EFFORTS WERE MADE BY MANY ANALYSTS TO PROTECT SOME ENTRENCHED INTERESTS THAT HAVE BECOME NOTICEABLE IN THE ORGANIZATION.
LEAVING OUT AKOMAYE IS IN ONE HAND A COVERT CAMPAIGN FOR IRRESPONSIBILITY AND A VEILED ASPERSION ON THE INTEGRITY OF THE ORGANIZATION. IT WAS A BREACH OF CONFIDENCE AND NOBODY HAS IMMUNITY TO IRRESPONSIBILITY SO HE MUST BE MADE TO ACCOUNT FOR HIS ACTS OR INACTIONS..
THOUGH STANDARD MAY HAVE PLUMMETED IN THE COUNTRY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE VERGE OF WANING, THE BUSINESS OF FIGHTING CRIME IN NIGERIA IS SUCH THAT REQUIRES A VERY DEEP SENSE OF INTEGRITY, AND STRONG CHARACTER ON THE PART OF THE OFFICIALS IN ORDER TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE OF THE POPULACE AND IT IS DOUBTFUL IF AKOMAYE POSSES ANY OF THESE. A CRIME FIGHTER THAT FAILS TO INSPIRE CONFIDENCE IN THE PUBLIC IS A BIG WORRY.
IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER HAS PENETRATED THE CIVIL SERVICE AND TRAGICALLY, A NOBLE ORGANIZATION LIKE THE EFCC BUT THE NEW MANAGEMENT HAS ASSURED THAT THE DRUM BEAT HAS CHANGED BUT AKOMAYE AND HIS GROUPS ARE LIKE DEAF DANCER WHO CAN’T FIGURE OUT WHEN THE BEAT HAS CHANGED. WE CONDEMNED IN STRONG TERMS THE COVERTLY INDUCED POLITICAL MOTIVES SURROUNDING MANY JUDGMENTS ON THE ISSUE AND CALL ON AKOMAYE TO AS A HONOR RESIGN SINCE IT IS OBVIOUS HE HAS OTHER MOTIVES AT THE EFCC DIFFERENT FROM THE NATIONAL INTEREST.
IF NUHU RIBADU WAS REMOVED FOR WHATEVER REASON, AKOMAYE WAS ALSO LIABLE.
LET NIGERIANS SUPPORT EFCC TO FIGHT CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA. WE IN THE UK HAVE SEEN THAT THE RATE AT WHICH CIVIL SERVANTS AND GOVERNORS COME TO LONDON TO DISPLAY WEALTH AND ACQUIRE PROPERTIES HAS DECLINED.
WE ALSO SUPPORT THE REMOVAL OF THE IMMUNITY CLAUSE AND ASSET FORFEITURE LAW.
ABUBAKAR SULEIMAN
CO-ORDINATOR
