By Paul Onomuakpokpo
Those who
really want President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed in his campaign against
corruption must be scandalised by the efforts of his so-called supporters to
persuade him to dismiss the allegations of corruption against Ibrahim Magu as
merely constituting a self-serving canard that is not worth his attention. The
president’s friends do not see the need to investigate the allegations by the
Senate that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
is amenable to the patronage of those he is supposed to investigate for
corruption and his complicity in other myriad unethical practices that have
rendered him ineligible to occupy that high office.
 |
| *Ibrahim Magu |
These friends and
those of Magu have instigated a rash of lobbying activities geared at making
the president to re-nominate Magu for confirmation as the EFCC chair. It has
been said that the debate on whether to retain Magu or not has split the
kitchen cabinet of the president. The Senate is equally split as some senators
led by Senate Majority Leader Ali Ndume are trying to persuade their colleagues
to rescind their decision not to confirm Magu.
Yet, the issue
requires far more than lobbying. For whether the anti-corruption campaign of
Buhari retains whatever credibility it still has now or not depends on how the
Magu issue is resolved. Thus for the anti-corruption campaign to continue and
indeed gain greater verve, the allegations against Magu must not be glossed
over. True, the Senate that accused Magu of corruption is perceived to have
lost its lustre in a murky cesspool of malfeasance. Its leader, Bukola Saraki
is being tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal for corruption-related cases.
There are other members of the Senate, especially former governors, who are
facing cases of corruption. Despite the mounting pressure from the public, the
Senate has refused to be transparent in its finances. The fogginess about their
salaries and allowances and their extravagant lifestyles conflict with the
desperate economic crisis of the nation. But we must resist the temptation to
quickly dismiss the senators’ position until their allegations are
investigated. It is only after this that we can be sure whether the Senate took
their position in furtherance of their own interest or that of the nation. It
is hasty to argue that by the Senate’s position, it is evident that corruption
is fighting back.
Those who are
insisting on saving Magu without investigating the allegations against him are
not helping the anti-corruption fight. For even if the president is able to
persuade the Senate to make a barefaced volte-face and confirm Magu, this would
not help the anti-corruption campaign as long as there are no convincing
responses by him to the allegations of corruption. To the extent that Magu on
whom unresolved corruption charges are hanging retains his job as the chief
prosecutor of the fight against sleaze in public offices, the anti-corruption
fight has suffered an intolerable travesty that would only render the nation a
butt of crude jokes in the comity of transparent nations. If Magu is found
guilty of the charges, Buhari should allow him to face prosecution.
Contrary to
the position of the increasing band of Magu lobbyists, this would rather
redound to Buhari’s credibility than bring him shame. This would rather save
the anti-corruption campaign and demonstrate that the president has the will
not to tolerate corruption around himself. After all, the citizenry’s
skepticism about the anti-corruption campaign has been fuelled by the
president’s obvious inability to prosecute those close to him. This is why
despite the allegations of corruption by the Senate against the Secretary to
the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal over his misappropriation of
the funds meant for the victims of Boko Haram terrorism, that has led to their
starvation and sexual exploitation, he is in Buhari’s government. He has not
resigned or be forced by the president to do so despite the unequivocal
position of the Senate that he must quit.
Thankfully, Buhari
seems to know better than these befuddled lobbyists. Thus, he seems to be
encouraging an investigation into the allegations raised by the Senate. This is
why he has asked his attorney general to investigate the allegations, and has
equally directed the vice president to make input into the outcome of the
report on the investigation. While the investigation is on, Buhari should have
asked Magu to step aside. Yes, in these climes, public officials accused of
corruption do not step aside for investigations to take place. This is why
Saraki who is standing trial for corruption cases is still presiding over the
affairs of the Senate. Yet, the citizens expect Buhari to ask Magu to step
aside simply because the president wants the entire world to see his
much-touted revolt against corruption as his niche in the political space.
What would effectively blight the anti-corruption campaign is if Magu is found
guilty of the allegations against him, and the president seeks to protect him.
Doing that would only confirm the perception that he has only been using him to
prosecute a turf war. Buhari must demonstrate that he is sincere with the fight
against corruption by finding another replacement for Magu. There are many
qualified Nigerians who can replace Magu. Magu is not the first person to head
the EFCC. Even after the exit of the pioneer chairman Nuhu Ribadu, who has been
considered as the most credible leader of the EFCC so far, the commission has
not collapsed.
We must also note that
the reasons for the Senate’s rejection of Magu were not originated by the upper
legislative chamber. They came from the Department of State Services (DSS). So
are we so soon discrediting the DSS because its report was on Magu? This is the
same DSS whose raids and reports have formed the basis of the prosecution of
judges. The president and the supporters of his anti-corruption campaign
rapturously lauded the DSS for what were approvingly dubbed sting operations.
In this regard, we must see the weighty implications of the Magu saga. If the
allegations are frivolous, the matter must not end by Magu just being cleared
for him to continue with his job. The leaders of the DSS who masterminded this
report must be sacked and prosecuted for attempting to derail the
anti-corruption fight. In fact, the president should be in a big dilemma now.
This is because his not sacking Magu would mean that an agency of his government,
the DSS, has worked to undermine him. So, he has to sack Magu to show that he
approved the investigation by the DSS on the anti-corruption chief.
Those who want Magu to
remain as the chairman of the EFCC without the allegations against him being
resolved are the ones who are rather now encouraging corruption by insisting on
a person accused of lacking the requisite moral credentials to lead the
campaign against the national malaise. If they really want Magu to continue to
lead the fight against corruption, the best way for them to help him to retain
his job is by asking him to clear himself of the charges against him.
*Dr.
Onomuakpokpo is on the Editorial Board of The Guardian
No comments:
Post a Comment