Why EFCC should probe Obasanjo now

The National Democratic Forum has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe the eight-year administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in order to prove to Nigerians that it is

not selectively fighting corruption in the country.

The group stated that despite its clampdown on the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, the EFCC had failed to discharge its responsibilities honestly without applying preferential treatment.

The chairman of the group, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, who spoke to our correspondent in Yenagoa in a telephone interview, questioned the modalities used by the EFCC to select its suspects.

He wondered why Obasanjo had been left off the hook despite allegations of corruption that trailed its administration.

He insisted that until the commission arrests the former military dictator, people would continue to perceive the anti-graft agency as a hunting dog for the government.

He recalled that the former president squandered taxpayers’ money and diverted funds meant for development in his failed attempt to actualise his third term agenda.

Vatsa recalled various allegations of financial misappropriation that followed the third term saga, saying that members of the National Assembly partook in the largesse.

He regretted that instead of arresting the former general, the commission was busy hounding people perceived to have offended the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party.

“The intention behind the establishment of the EFCC is being defeated. This is because the EFCC goes after those whom the government has problems with.

“Since the era of Obasanjo, the EFCC has been a hunting dog for the government. The eight years of Obasanjo’s administration were full of corruption,” he said.

He said that many state governors under the administration of Obasanjo were alleged to have committed various forms of corruption, including throwing their weight behind the third term agenda.

He observed that instead of clamping down on such governors, the EFCC had allowed them to walk free and hold political and other elective positions in the country.

But he noted that nemesis would catch up with such persons the way it eventually caught up with the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori.

He said, “Today, Obasanjo is a free man going up and down. Obasanjo’s third term agenda and the money he spent on senators for that purpose was not accounted for.

“Where did he get such money from and why can’t the EFCC probe into that? Obasanjo’s eight years were eight years of corruption. But today, he is a free man. Nobody is saying anything.

“I am calling on Mr. President not to be selective. Even if he is found corrupt, he should submit himself for investigation. I am asking Jonathan to probe Obasanjo.

“He should go after all the governors that participated in the third term agenda of Obasanjo. Where were they when money was flying up and down in the National Assembly?

“Arresting Bankole is a very good one. But we are expecting bigger fishes. There are bigger fishes in the list of EFCC. In developed nations, past leaders have been brought to book. Past leaders like Obasanjo should be called to book.”-Punch

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