Date Published: 06/15/09

Dear Editor,

Justice Belgore is right on EFCC and ICPC

The retired Chief Judge of the Nigeria, Justice Belgore has said it all that EFCC and ICPC are only interested in publicity.

In his interview with the Sunday Trust May 31, 2009, he said “The ICPC and EFCC are very much after publicity. “You write a petition that Mr. A has collected N2billion. They will call Mr. A immediately. In other places in the world, when such allegation is made, they quietly and discretely investigate it.  When they then find something substantial they arrest him”. He also asked to know where in our constitution is ‘plea-bargain’ as in the case of ex-governor Lucky Igbinedion and ex-IGP Tafa Balogun.

I cannot but agree with him. Take for instance, the EFCC boss some months back told the Press that a first-term governor within the first few months in power bought a property worth N1billion in Abuja. Up till date, she has neither mentioned the name nor told the public the outcome of her investigation. Another one was when an embassy had called her attention that a governor’s brother presented for a Visa a genuine personal bank statement that had over N1billion lodgment in it; instead of making use of it to investigate, EFCC died the matter till date. She jointly with Chairman House Committee that oversees her agency mentioned that some governors push and use drugs; till date the matter died.

It could go to say that the noises are made so that the investigators are settled otherwise no other explanation could suffice. EFCC need to be overhauled and if an ex-Chief Judge of the federation could lend his voice, what else is President Yar’Adua waiting for if he is sincere about fighting corruption; otherwise he is up with lip service? 

Engineer Barnabas Osuanlele, 198 Ikpoba Road, Benin City, Edo State.