…truth of the matter is that corruption in
Nigeria is systemic – Osinbajo
‘Corruption shouldn’t be about one man’
By Levinus Nwabughiogu & Jimitota Onoyume
Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, and
Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter
Onnoghen, sharply disagreed, yesterday, on the
issue of corruption in the nation’s judiciary.
While the Acting President insisted that
corruption had permeated the fabrics of the
society, including the judiciary, the CJN asked
the executive arm of government to prove that
corruption exists in the judiciary.
Similarly, Chairman of the Presidential
Advisory Committee Against Corruption,
PACAC, Prof. Itse Sagay, fingered the Niger
Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and
the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, as
cesspools of corruption, even as the Senate
President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said the fight
against corruption should not revolve around
one person.
The quartet spoke at the opening ceremony of
a two-day event, entitled National Dialogue on
Corruption, organized by the Office of the Vice
President in collaboration with PACAC, held at
the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa,
Abuja.
Yemi Osinbajo
Speaking at the event, Osinbajo said
corruption had become a cankerworm which
had eaten deep into the fabrics of the society.
According to him, all segments of the society,
including the three arms of government, are
victims of the malaise.
He said: “Corruption as we all seem to agree,
is an existential threat to Nigeria both as a
nation and as a viable economic entity.
Clearly, there is no doubt whatsoever whether
every one arm of government can excuse
itself, every part or arm of the society can
excuse itself. But the truth of the matter is
that we all know that corruption in Nigeria is
systemic.
“It doesn’t matter whether it is the executive
arm of government, the judiciary or the
legislature, every arm of government is
involved in this systemic and life-threatening
social anomaly called corruption.
“So, I think we should leave the finger pointing,
because the finger pointing is unhelpful. What
is important is that we recognise that there is
a major problem here.
What I’d like us to do if that is possible in the
course of this dialogue, is to look at models
that have worked elsewhere and to see
whether these models are somewhat
applicable here. To look at best practices.
The Lagos experience
Recalling his experience as Attorney-General
of Lagos State, Osinbajo stated that there was
no reason to doubt that corruption was a
common phenomenon in the Judiciary.
According to him, a survey conducted in Lagos
at the time revealed that most judges were
corrupt.
He, however, identified steps taken to sanitize
the judiciary.
He said: “We can really solve the problem of
corruption in this country if we adopt some of
those best practices: Ensure the integrity of
the entire justice system; that the judges,
lawyers, clerks etc are not corrupt. Everybody
is involved. How judges are appointed. Not on
man know man bases.
“Aside from the DSS investigation, there
should be particular test and proper
investigation of candidates to be appointed as
judges. In some of the systems that we
inherited, the UK system for instance, there is
a process of almost 17 different tests before
you can become a judge of the High Court.
“The second thing is to look at the general
welfare of the judges (ie the general
remuneration of judicial officers). Any judge
accused of any infraction must be investigated
and prosecuted through the NJC to avoid
political influence.”
Prove your case with credible evidence —CJN
Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter
Onnoghen,
Apparently responding to the Acting
President’s claim, the Chief Justice of Nigeria,
Justice Walter Onnoghen tasked the federal
government on the rule of law and due
process, stressing that the judiciary would not
be cowed into giving hasty judgments which
might boomerang later.
He said: “As the head of the Nigerian
judiciary, the issue of corruption is a sensitive
one. The judiciary finds itself being battered
left, right and center. So, what should the
Chief Justice of Nigeria say on occasion like
this which will not appear as if it is in defence
of his institution or shielding the bad eggs, a
few of which I admit exist.
“I stand for the committee (PACAC) and other
agencies in the fight against the scourge. I will
like us to realize that corruption thrives ( or
any other form of injustice) thrives in a culture
of impunity.
“But the judiciary holds this principles in care
because that is the only way by which you
can ensure an orderly society and ensure the
good and maintenance of democracy and
justice for us. So, if you are to fight
corruption, then you fight the culture of
impunity which is an attitudinal phenomenon.
“If we allow the rule of law to reign, then you
will agree with me there will be a dramatic
reduction in corruption and injustice. That’s
speaking for myself, that’s how I see it.
“In fact, it appears the paint and the brush…it
seems to be an institution that epitomizes
corruption. That’s not fair; that’s not correct.
A Nigerian judicial officer is a gentleman. You
have gentlemen on that bench. And by the
nature of that institution, the judiciary, it is
crafted and designed in such a way that a
judicial officer can only be seen not heard.
“Not that he has nothing to say even in
defence of himself?
“The institution is so painted as if we are not
doing enough. Yes, we can do more. But for
now, you have EFCC and ICPC for instance,
building all data of cases that have been
successfully prosecuted in the courts of law.
So, if the judiciary is not doing well, you find
out the report card from them.
“So, whatever problems that exist in the
course of prosecuting their cases, let them
bring them up, identify them and let us see
how best we can improve on the system and
not make it appear as if the judiciary is not
doing anything.
“If lawyers, because it takes three people to
prosecute a case like I said yesterday. You
have the investigator who has to investigate.
You have prosecutor who has to prosecute
based on the result or evidence gathered from
the investigation.
“Then you have the judge who has to weigh
and balance the scale between the accused
person and the government, the power-that-be
to arrive at a decision.
“When you have a shoddily investigated case,
poorly executed one and you expect the judge
who is under oath, judicial oath, to do justice
to all manner of persons without fear of favour
or ill will, to respect you on balancing the
scale, to convict willy-nilly, this can never be
done. I can assure you of that.
No judicial officer will get himself involved in
that. Do you know why? Because, a Judicial
officer’s witness is time. Time is the only
witness to a judicial officer. So, only time can
tell. Tomorrow, these things will be reviewed.
He could have committed suicide by the
decision he arrived at.
“I have gone through, call all the Heads of
court in this country, federal and states courts
and they furnished me with data on EFCC,
ICPC, terrorism cases and high profile
commercial cases, and one thing I can
remember, funny enough, most of the cases
are abandoned in the court.’’
Corruption shouldn’t be about one man
Saraki
Also speaking, the Senate President, Bukola
Saraki, who was represented by the Chairman,
Senate Committee on Anti-corruption, Senator
Chuwuka Utazi, said: “The fight against
corruption must be driven by a well-articulated
strategy. These strategies must be multi-
faceted, taking alongside, all facets of
Nigeria’s political, economic and social
system, with each arm or department of
government operating within their jurisdictions
and mandates to secure a collective
stakeholder stage about the fight.
“Deliberately casting the fight as that of one
man, a kind of knight in shining armour, who
wrestles with a resisting society, in my humble
view, will not secure the desired result.
“They deliberately cast institutions of state in
unsalutary hue that is divorced from reality. It
does not help in confidence building, within
government and across the civil population,
when institutions of state are deliberately
demonised in order to put the shine on
others.’’
NDDC, Nigeria Customs still doing business as
usual.
Earlier in his remarks, chairman of PACAC,
Professor Itse Sagay, frowned on corrupt
practices still prevalent at the Niger Delta
Development Commission, NDDC, and the
Nigeria Customs Service, despite the anti
corruption fight.
He also pricked the National Assembly for
being a spendthrift, buying expensive cars in
time of recession.
He said: “Humongous sums of ill-gotten wealth
have found their way to safe havens and
vaults located in various countries of the world
such that there is a lot of merit in the view
that corruption should be considered a crime
against humanity, with all the consequences
arising therefrom.
“My dear friends, you will not believe that with
all we are going through, the NDDC (Niger
Delta Development Commission) which is the
other name for uncompleted projects, has just
bought over 70 cars. Of those, about eight of
them are Super Lexus Jeeps costing N78
million Naira each and about 10 are Land
Cruisers costing N63 million Naira each.’’
It’s not true — NDDC
But reacting to the allegation, Head of
Corporate Affairs of the NDDC, Mr. Chijioke
Amu-Nnadi, said in a statement issued last
night the Managing Director and two executive
directors were still using their private vehicles,
dismissing claims that the commission had
spent such amounts to acquire vehicles
“The NDDC is only now in the process of
acquiring work vehicles, and is adhering
strictly to due process.”
These include five Toyota Prado jeeps, 10
Toyota Hilux trucks, four Toyota Landcruiser
jeeps, one Toyota Coaster bus and two Toyota
Hiace buses.
‘’The Commission has just received the Due
Process Compliance Certificate from the
Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, and is
preparing the mandatory memo for the
approval of the Federal Executive Council.”
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