Dare us on our anti-corruption war, FG tells critics

The federal government Tuesday said the allegations of corruption brought against some agencies and their heads are testimonies to the seriousness of the fight of the current administration against corruption.

It also dared the major opposition in the country to dare the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration’s anti-corruption drive.

Some major government agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) are currently under probe for allegations of financial malfeasance.

On this strength the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a few Nigerians are labelling the administration as being corruption personified.

In specific terms, the PDP asked the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to resign from office, a call the federal government described as infantile.

Addressing journalists Tuesday in Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said it would be wrong of anyone; least of all the PDP to accuse the present administration of corruption, which it said thrived under the PDP government’s watch.

Lai  said: “As you are all aware, Nigerians have recently been inundated with allegations of monumental corruption in a number of government agencies, including the NDDC, NSITF and the anti-corruption agency, EFCC.

“Many, especially naysayers, have misinterpreted these developments as a sign that the administration’s fight against corruption is waning. In fact, the main opposition PDP has latched on to the developments to call for the resignation of Mr. President, a call that is nothing but infantile!

“Let me state here and now that the fight against corruption, a cardinal programme of this administration, is alive and well. President Muhammadu Buhari, the African Union’s Anti-Corruption Champion, who also has an impeccable reputation globally, remains the driver of the fight and no one, not the least the PDP under whose watch Nigeria was looted dry, can taint his image or reverse the gains of the fight. Anyone who disagrees that the anti-corruption fight is alive and well is free to dare us.


“What the revelations of the past few weeks, especially the investigation of the nation’s anti-corruption Czar, have shown is that this administration is not ready to sweep any allegation of corruption under the carpet; that there is no sacred cow in this fight, and that – unlike the PDP – we will not cover up for anyone, including the members of our party and government, who faces corruption allegations.

“Our fight against corruption is blind to party affiliation, position in government and any other consideration. If the nation’s anti-corruption Czar can be investigated, then the fight against corruption cannot be deemed to be fake, neither can it be said to be waning.”

 The minister who said he was not “prepared  to go into the details of the various corruption allegations-whether at the NDDC, NSITF, EFCC or any other agency-because they are all still under investigation.

“However, I wish to state that the allegations of corruption in NDDC, for example, are not new. What is new is the speed and seriousness with which this administration has tackled, and is still tackling, the allegations. Had such attention been paid to the running of the NDDC by previous administrations, the commission would probably have avoided its present predicament.

“Is it not a sad irony, then, that those under whose watch the alleged freewheeling spending by the commission started are now the ones accusing those who are cleaning up after them of corruption?
“ As I said earlier, this administration’s fight against corruption is as strong as ever, and we have the records to back up this claim. This administration has recorded over 1,400 convictions, including high profile ones, and recovered funds in excess of 800 billion Naira, not to talk of forfeiture of ill-gotten properties. This is no mean feat.

“Remember, gentlemen that the fight against corruption is not about loot recovery or convictions alone. We are also putting in place enduring institutional reforms that will deter acts of corruption.


“Here we are talking about the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Whistleblower Policy, the expansion of the coverage of the Integrated Payroll Personnel and Information System as well as the Government Integrated Management Information System and the Open Government Partnership and Transparency Portal on Financial Transactions, among others.


“Let me also mention the ICPC’s Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Group, aimed at tracking performance of publicly-funded projects, and the commission’s escalation of the use of administrative sanctions in the public service by periodically submitting, for sanction, names of public servants who are being prosecuted. There is also the review of the personnel and capital fund expenditure of MDAs.

“Therefore, those who are celebrating the so-called waning of the administration’s anti-corruption fight are engaging in wishful thinking, and are not looking at the full ramifications of the fight.

“Let me end this press conference by quoting what Mr. President said on the fight against corruption in his speech marking the 59th independence anniversary of the country: ”This administration has fought against corruption by investigating and prosecuting those accused of embezzlement and the misuse of public resources. We have empowered teams of prosecutors, assembled detailed databases of evidence, traced the proceeds of crimes and accelerated the recovery of stolen funds….The policies that we are putting in place today are to ensure such criminal and unpatriotic acts do not go without consequences.”

Ex-lawmaker threatens Akpabio

Meanwhile, a former member of the National Assembly, Senator Sam Anyanwu, who represented Imo East Senatorial District in the 8th Senate, has threatened to drag Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Senator Godswill Akpabio to court for listing him among those who allegedly got contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2018.

Senator Akpabio, as widely reported two days ago, listed some serving and former federal lawmakers as part of those who used their positions of influence to grab contracts from NDDC in 2018.

But in his reaction in Abuja Tuesday at a media briefing, Senator Anyanwu denied ever collecting a contract from the intervention agency and threatened to drag Akpabio to court if he doesn’t retract the allegation.

According to him, as a lawmaker from Imo state in the 8th Senate , one of the oil producing states, he only facilitated constituency projects to the state through NDDC which had not been paid for.

He wondered why only four of them were mentioned out of 18 Senators then who facilitated  constituency projects to their states through the NDDC’.

“’As a member of the committee on NDDC, I attracted projects to my constituency, no contract was ever awarded to me, the beneficiaries of these contracts are my people that I represent, Imo east who are members of the Niger Delta and I challenge the honourable minister and NDDC to go through their records if there was any contract awarded to me or any dime traceable to me. 

“So it is disheartening, so as politicians you have political enemies who would act on these to work against you and that is why I feel very, very hurt on this issue and I felt I had to clear the air and so you hear my side of the story.

“Some of those projects that I attracted to my constituency, I had complaints, from even the contractors that NDDC has not paid them even a dime and I have it on good authority that NDDC do not pay mobilisation for contracts,” he said. 

The former lawmaker further said: “I’m using this medium to call on NDDC to go to my constituency and complete the projects they have started.

“There were only three names I saw, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, chairman of the committee, James Manager and we were about 18 members in that committee. Even James Manager was not even a member of the committee. 

“If there are issues, I feel the honourable minister is educated enough, please let us see the projects, the contracts, name of the companies, the bank where the money was paid, CAC is there, why does he have  to insult people like that?

“I’m no longer in the Senate, almost two years, I have left and am managing my quiet life and watching what Nigeria will turn out to be. So, if you have issues with the National Assembly members, which I understand since he became a minister, that has nothing to do with me.

“I tried calling him a couple of times; he has never taken my calls. I chose to confront him first before going to the press. 

“By tomorrow or next tomorrow, my lawyers are going to write to Akpabio to retract it or give us the facts after which if he doesn’t do anything about this, I will take the next step.”

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