CJN should do more this year — Adeniran

The Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-corruption and Open
Leadership, Mr. Debo Adeniran, tells TOBI AWORINDE that Nigerians
expect a better anti-corruption war from President Muhammadu Buhari
in 2018.

Can you review the anti-corruption efforts by the
Federal Government last year?

First and foremost, we should commend the government for the
implementation of the Treasury Single Account, the Bank
Verification Number and a couple of other policies that were put in
place with a view to stemming the tide of unbridled corruption in
Nigeria. Those are the frameworks that would discourage corruption
in the first place, and once corruption is discouraged, it becomes
almost impossible for anybody to engage in money laundering through
financial institutions. I think that is commendable.

Secondly, most of those that are alleged to have committed
corruption crimes are, one way or another, being put on trial or
being investigated. The anti-corruption agencies have been given
free rein to operate. However, there are still a number of corrupt
elements in the three arms of government that have not been touched
and that is a tragedy. More tragic is the fact that some of the
government institutions are actually providing a safe haven for
corrupt elements, especially the judiciary and the legislature. It
is not enough for the Senate to accuse government of treating
certain elements with deodorant and others with insecticide. It is
expected of them (senators) to also deal with corrupt elements
within their folds, to discourage other people from being infected
by the ravaging corruption epidemic. They have not done enough to
do that.

The judiciary has a number of judges (who are undergoing
investigation). The Chief Justice of the Federation has relieved a
couple of judges of their jobs or sent them on suspension till they
are able to clear their names. The Senate or the House of
Representatives has not done anything similar to that. Many of the
judges that have been accused of corruption are still in service.
So, we believe that the CJN can do more and that the fire codes
that have been put in place should be well fortified against
manipulation by corrupt elements. The anti-corruption agencies have
yet to be well strengthened in terms of resources, training,
equipment, and protection over investigators and prosecutors. That
has not been done.

Has the whistle-blowing policy been
successful?

The protection of whistle-blowers has been somewhat good, but it
is not at the level that gives adequate confidence to
whistle-blowers to provide necessary information that will lead to
arrest, investigation and prosecution of corrupt elements in
society. The incentives are good but the way that the Ikoyi
whistle-blower’s case was handled, maybe because the man exposed
himself to the media perhaps due to his inordinate ambition to have
so much for what should ordinarily be a patriotic duty, was not
good enough. What we believe is that, as soon as the coast is
clear, as far as the question of exposés given by whistle-blowers
are concerned, they should be paid without waiting for
embarrassment that could emanate from some ambitious lawyers or
media houses.

But, basically, it is not bad because, if there hadn’t been any
change in the ruling party, there might not have been any
opportunity to know the magnitude of corrupt practices that are
going on in government circles, public service and civil service.
Now, there are a number of people who own property in Abuja and
other towns and villages that are unable to claim their
property.

Do you envisage the possibility of recording corruption
scandals within the ruling APC led-Federal Government in
2018?

The process has started. The former chairman of the defunct
Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina has been asked to
leave public service, not minding whose ox is gored — I mean, the
godfathers he might have had, those who could have facilitated his
back-door return to office. All of them would have been queried.
The government had also dealt with (the) grass-cutting (scandal),
which involved the (now sacked) Secretary to the Government of the
Federation and the case of a former Director General of the
National Intelligence Agency.

The anti-corruption agencies have also been asked to step in and
ensure that due-diligence investigations are carried out while
those that are found culpable are prosecuted.

I believe in the new year, more ground will be covered. The
government will not want to jeopardise its own interests or lower
its rating because they know that if they don’t see their
anti-corruption efforts to a logical end, they will not be taken
seriously by Nigerians. The opposition party has taken it upon
itself to expose all other areas that the administration ought to
focus its attention and has not done so. They would want to cover
more ground in the fight against corruption and sacrifice anyone,
no matter how highly placed, to ensure that they maintain a clean
and credible record to be admired.

Culled: Punch

The Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-corruption and Open
Leadership, Mr. Debo Adeniran, tells TOBI AWORINDE that Nigerians
expect a better anti-corruption war from President Muhammadu Buhari
in 2018.

Can you review the anti-corruption efforts by the
Federal Government last year?

First and foremost, we should commend the government for the
implementation of the Treasury Single Account, the Bank
Verification Number and a couple of other policies that were put in
place with a view to stemming the tide of unbridled corruption in
Nigeria. Those are the frameworks that would discourage corruption
in the first place, and once corruption is discouraged, it becomes
almost impossible for anybody to engage in money laundering through
financial institutions. I think that is commendable.

Secondly, most of those that are alleged to have committed
corruption crimes are, one way or another, being put on trial or
being investigated. The anti-corruption agencies have been given
free rein to operate. However, there are still a number of corrupt
elements in the three arms of government that have not been touched
and that is a tragedy. More tragic is the fact that some of the
government institutions are actually providing a safe haven for
corrupt elements, especially the judiciary and the legislature. It
is not enough for the Senate to accuse government of treating
certain elements with deodorant and others with insecticide. It is
expected of them (senators) to also deal with corrupt elements
within their folds, to discourage other people from being infected
by the ravaging corruption epidemic. They have not done enough to
do that.

The judiciary has a number of judges (who are undergoing
investigation). The Chief Justice of the Federation has relieved a
couple of judges of their jobs or sent them on suspension till they
are able to clear their names. The Senate or the House of
Representatives has not done anything similar to that. Many of the
judges that have been accused of corruption are still in service.
So, we believe that the CJN can do more and that the fire codes
that have been put in place should be well fortified against
manipulation by corrupt elements. The anti-corruption agencies have
yet to be well strengthened in terms of resources, training,
equipment, and protection over investigators and prosecutors. That
has not been done.

Has the whistle-blowing policy been
successful?

The protection of whistle-blowers has been somewhat good, but it
is not at the level that gives adequate confidence to
whistle-blowers to provide necessary information that will lead to
arrest, investigation and prosecution of corrupt elements in
society. The incentives are good but the way that the Ikoyi
whistle-blower’s case was handled, maybe because the man exposed
himself to the media perhaps due to his inordinate ambition to have
so much for what should ordinarily be a patriotic duty, was not
good enough. What we believe is that, as soon as the coast is
clear, as far as the question of exposés given by whistle-blowers
are concerned, they should be paid without waiting for
embarrassment that could emanate from some ambitious lawyers or
media houses.

But, basically, it is not bad because, if there hadn’t been any
change in the ruling party, there might not have been any
opportunity to know the magnitude of corrupt practices that are
going on in government circles, public service and civil service.
Now, there are a number of people who own property in Abuja and
other towns and villages that are unable to claim their
property.

Do you envisage the possibility of recording corruption
scandals within the ruling APC led-Federal Government in
2018?

The process has started. The former chairman of the defunct
Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina has been asked to
leave public service, not minding whose ox is gored — I mean, the
godfathers he might have had, those who could have facilitated his
back-door return to office. All of them would have been queried.
The government had also dealt with (the) grass-cutting (scandal),
which involved the (now sacked) Secretary to the Government of the
Federation and the case of a former Director General of the
National Intelligence Agency.

The anti-corruption agencies have also been asked to step in and
ensure that due-diligence investigations are carried out while
those that are found culpable are prosecuted.

I believe in the new year, more ground will be covered. The
government will not want to jeopardise its own interests or lower
its rating because they know that if they don’t see their
anti-corruption efforts to a logical end, they will not be taken
seriously by Nigerians. The opposition party has taken it upon
itself to expose all other areas that the administration ought to
focus its attention and has not done so. They would want to cover
more ground in the fight against corruption and sacrifice anyone,
no matter how highly placed, to ensure that they maintain a clean
and credible record to be admired.

Culled: Punch