Date Published: 11/10/09

Plea Bargain is Official Corruption – Hon Rabo Nasir, Chair, NASS Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes

Being the Communiqué at the end of the one-day Procession Held to the National Assembly to Demand for the Removal of Mr Michael Aondoakaa as the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation for His Anti-People Activities by the Coalotion Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL).

Having made several civilised attempts to make the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Michael Aondoakaa, admit that he, by his actions, inactions, utterances and other deeds, had failed and to measure up to the standard expected of him and resign his appointment to no avail.

Having also engaged in several communications with the executive arm of the federal government through the office of the President on the need to relieve the AGF of his appointment by the executive council who appointed him without favourable response from President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (PUMYA) or his office. 

And despite the manifest failures of the AGF to make any positive impact on the Nigerian judicial system, protection of human rights of Nigerians or stem the tide of pervasive corruption in the country and no arm or tier of government seem to be bothered on the debilitating effect such dereliction has on the people and  image of Nigerians.

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) called out its members in Lagos area on October 7, 2009 to hold a procession to submit a letter of demand for the removal of the AGF to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola for onward transmission to President Yar’Adua to sack the AGF within two weeks or face further protest activities from the Coalition. The Coalition of about 50 Civil Society Organisations hinged its demand on the following seven-point observations:

The ultimatum lapsed on 21 st of October but the group waited for about another two weeks during which the president ought to have booted the ineptitude AGF out or offered explanation on his retention. Therefore, on the 5 th of October, the Coalition put together a complaint letter addressed to the leadership of both the Senate and the House of Representatives (Copy attached) and in its characteristic public procession took the letter to the National Assembly in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, to urge the national legislature prevail on the executive through President Umaru Yar’Adua to dispense with the services of the derelict AGF without further delay.

The procession which was schedule to begin by 10am could not start till about 12 noon for two reasons. One, the fuel scarcity that hit the FCT following rumours making the rounds that the Federal Government would deregulate the downstream sector of the petroleum industry by the first week of November. This caused long queues for fuel and traffic hold up in several locations which delayed vehicles from getting to the venue from the suburbs. Two, a detachment of policemen occupied the convergent point at the junction of Area 11 of the Nigerian capital city before the arrival of several participants. The procession had to wait till information were extracted from police authorities that there was no official instruction to stop the procession from any quarter.

The procession armed with placards, banners, twigs and songs eventually  broke into two by the intervention of the police who directed one batch led by a sound truck away from the pre-planned route and moved through Area 11 bye pass while the other passed by the front of the Louis Edet House police headquarters and later merged at the junction of the Three Arms Zone. From there the procession moved to the outer gate of the National Assembly complex. Before then information about the mission of the procession had obviously reached the National Assembly complex because a detachment of heavily armed security men including those from State Security Services (SSS), regular and mobile policemen led by the duo of the Assembly’s Divisional Police Officer, Mr Sehu and Sergearnt-at-Arms, Col Okere, whose daughter was assaulted by some Naval ratings sometimes last year.

As usual, the security men would not allow the procession easy passage into the NASS complex. Arguments then ensued between the security men and the CACOL members led by their Executive Chairman, Mr Debo Adeniran, on the appropriateness or otherwise of the holding the procession to the NASS without notice. CACOL boss explained that what the procession came to do was to give the National Assembly a notice of its impending activities should the government at all levels and tiers ignored their plea for the removal of the anti-people AGF. Mr Adeniran explained that NASS members or their officers didn’t need notice for such assignments like receiving letters of protest for the negligence of legitimate complaints from members of the public. He explained further that it was not the intention of  the procession to address the Assembly-in-Session but to get leaders or members of Committees concerned with the complaints receive the letters and give express assurances that the complaints would be looked into within the stipulated time frame.

The next arguments centered on the number to make the CACOL delegation to represent the procession to see the legislators in their chambers. While the CACOL Chair asked that the whole procession should be allowed that each represented different organisations, the security men suggested three delegates. Mr Adeniran suggested on behalf of the procession that ten percent of about three hundred participants in the procession should be allowed in but the security men declined, insisting on only three. At this junction, the leader of CACOL delegates from Kano state, Comrade Naseer Kura, suggested that ten people be allowed from the procession which was still not agreeable to the NASS security men. At last the two sides concurred on having five CACOL members join Mr Adeniran to present the protest letters to the legislators.

The six-some apart from Adeniran included CACOL’s Northern Coordinator, Malam Naseer Kura; FCT Coordinator, Comrade Teslim Oyekanmi; Comrade Lateef Adebola, Vice-chairman North-Central Zone of People’s Action for Democracy (PAD);  Miss Tayo Akingbade, Project Assistant of CHILDREN Project  and Mr Leke Adebanjo, CACOL’s Assistant Director of Publicity. They were driven in a space car to the Assembly complex and led to the Committee Room 1 of the Senate side where the delegation initially awaited the Senators that were to receive them. However, the lawmakers did not show up for more than twenty minutes later during which the House of Representatives members were said to be ready for the CACOL members. The delegation then moved to the Committee Room 1 of the House of Representatives side to meet with them. The House was represented by Hon. Mohammed Rabo Nakudu, Chairman of Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Committee and Hon.Raba Nasir, Chairman of Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes Committee from Mani/Bindawa Federal Constituency of Katsina state and his counterpart from the Senate, Senator Sola Akinyede from Ekiti South Senatorial District  joined later. Each collected a copy of the complaint letter with its attachments.

Senator Akinyede and Hon Nasir addressed the CACOL delegation. They complained that the Coalition did not give them notice but they had to attend to it because they believed they owe the Nigerian public a duty to attend to their complaints no mater the manner and circumstances of their presentation. Both Senator Akinyede and Hon Nasir commended CACOL’s effort in its fight against corruption in Nigeria. They said they realized that unlike other NGOs, CACOL was not being sponsored by any donor or funder. The Federal legislators promised to continue to work with the Coalition on matters affecting anti-corruption drive in the country. They said a couple of laws that will further strengthen the anti-corruption agencies are nearing completion promising to invite CACOL to their Public sitting sessions.

In his response, CACOL leader, Mr Debo Adeniran commended for the sense of duty and responsibility displayed by the legislators. He then summarized the contents of the letter of complaints being presented to the legislatures as the Coalition’s approach to use internal governmental checks and balance machinery to solve civic problems. He also highlighted some of the past efforts of the Coalition to ensure timely exit of the belligerent Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Michael Aondoakaa and the frustrations that led to the recent procession to the NASS. He expressed the hope that the legislators would be kind enough to ensure quick intervention of the NASS on the matter so that the citizens, for once would have a sense of belonging in the process of governance of their beloved country.

Hon Nasir who responded on behalf of his colleagues in the two chambers of the National Assembly remarked that he believed that rather than individuals, it is the institutions that should be held responsible for issues like the one being complained about. He related that his experience as a former state security personnel who was also a foundation member of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission showed that an Efficient “EFCC does not need to take instructions from the Minister of Justice before prosecuting relevant corruption cases”. The legislator averred that it is not paucity of enabling laws that makes the fight against the menace of corruption seemed intractable but the willingness on the part of implementers of the laws to do their jobs without fear or favour. Hon Nasir said, “Unlike the ICPC Act that requires petitions before it can carry out any investigation, EFCC Act does not require any petition”. Quoting Section 7b of the EFCC Establishment Act, which states “ The Commission has the power to cause investigations to be conducted into the properties of any person if it appears to the Commission that the person’s life style and extent of the properties are not justified by his income”.

He further said he was particularly against the culture of ‘Plea Bargain’ that allows the criminal to enjoy the major part of the proceeds of crimes caught in his kitty. As examples of what justice against corrupt leaders should not be, Hon Raba Nasir cited the case of former Inspector-General of the Police, Mr Tafa Balogun and that of the former Governor of Edo state, Lucky Igbinedion who stole several billions of naira from the coffers of his state but was asked to pay a paltry sum of N3.5 million, which the convict paid immediately and has since continue to enjoyed the rest of the loot while walking the street freely. He concluded that “Plea Bargain is official sanction for corruption”.

Before the end of the engagement with the legislators, the Speaker of the House of Representatives already got the information that the CACOL delegation was already in the NASS Complex and sent for them. Hon Rabo Nakudu in his brief remark said he adopted the presentation made by his colleages. He said CACOL leadership has unfettered access to him if there were any issue the group want intervention from the NASS or other governmental agency. He also commended CACOL for the sacrifices its members are making towards the sanitization of Nigeria against the stigma that corruption had plunged it into.

The delay suffered by the delegation at the first engagement disrupted the plan of the Speaker to see them immediately. When he eventually met with them the Speaker, Hon Dimeji Bankole insisted he would only discussed with the delegation behind closed doors which was agreed upon. The discussion which lasted about forty minutes dovetailed into several corruption issues was frank and down-to-earth. The Speaker at the end of the day promised to do things differently to ensure that anti-corruption struggle does not suffer further jeopardy. He personally collected a copy of the delegation’s letter addressed through him to the National Assembly and promised that he would ensure that relevant organs of the House attend to the issues raised therein. 

Debo Adeniran

Executive Chairman

08037194969

www.deboadeniran.blogspot.com

Sunday, October 8, 2009