Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka yesterday urged
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-corruption
agencies not to spare corrupt leaders.
Soyinka, who made his views known at the opening
ceremony of the eighth Commonwealth Regional Conference for Heads of
Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa, said corrupt leaders should get ready to go
down in status when justice catches up with them
He said: “That we have been bled dry in this
nation by corrupt leadership and their agencies is nothing to reiterate. It is
a given. And I took the trouble yesterday to visit the headquarters of the
EFCC. I wanted to see what would be the mode of hospitality of some of our
leaders who will surely, sooner or later, pass through the doors of that beautiful
building.
“I am not a vengeful person but I think until we
ensure that some of our leaders pass through those doors, this struggle against
corruption in this country will not be won, will not be over.
“And so, I spoke to Magu and I said I want to see
where the presidential wing is. I said as a human rights person, I want to make
sure you treat them right when they come here and he said ‘sorry it is an
egalitarian institution and I said I would take that message back to them that
they should get ready to go down a little bit in status when the time comes and
justice catches up with them.”
The Nobel laureate said for now, the
responsibility of anti-corruption agencies should be to recover the rest of
Nigeria’s stolen funds which could be used for development.
He added: “For now, your responsibility I believe
is to help us recover the rest of the loot which is still flying all over the
continent.”
Soyinka also queried the status of million
dollars donated to a neighbouring Head of State by the the late military head
of State Gen. Sani Abacha.
He said for posterity, the cash must be retrieved
if it had not been done.
“Very specific, I said a certain sum of money was
taken in a night plane to the head of state of a neighbouring country and if
you can just help us recover that sum, it may be 50 per cent, given the
resistance, it may be about 25 per cent and that way, it will help us not only
to continue the war that existed but establish a principle that corruption is
not just in one country. It is a responsibility of a collective group of people
to fight it.
Many, many years later, I was justified because
it became an issue in that country. I think you all know the country I am
talking about. They raised a panel, explanations had to be given and up till
now, I don’t know whether Nigeria has recovered the million dollars that was
the figure.
“But at least, that was an issue of problem of
conscience and this is exactly what I hope will emerge from this meeting.
A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon,
recalled the circumstances of his ouster from office in 1975.
Gowon said leaders who came after him started
looting because they did not want to end up like him, who was poorer after
leaving office.
The former military head of state, who ruled from
1966-1975, recalled that he was attending a Continental summit in Ethiopia when
he was ousted from power.
He said it was his aides that contributed money
for him to travel to Britain where he went on exile.
He said: “I can assure you we did not know
anything such as corruption. Yes, some of my ministers were accused of
corruption but I can assure you that it was something we tried to make sure it
didn’t happen especially in our public service.
“But after I left office, in 1975 and the state
in which I left office, I can assure you that apart from my salary, it was
those staff that were with me during the OAU meeting that contributed their
estacode to ensure that I had something to live on after I had been asked to
leave office.
“That was the only one and then I said I wish I
had probably done something, made sure I had provided for the future. I think
it was that experience that probably made those who came after us probably to
make sure that they provided for the future and therefore, you should not blame
them for doing that after the experience that I had.
“We must really try to make sure that all our
leaders elected into office do not touch the nation’s coffers. They should move
away from being tempted to touch national wealth.
“We should come up with solutions on how we can
deal with this problem (corruption) and get back all the money stolen from this
country for the well-being of this country and not for the good of those in
office.”
Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen,
said the summit would enable leaders of anti-corruption agencies to “put heads
together in an attempt to better understand the phenomenon of corruption and
the canckerworm that has eaten deep into the fabrics of our country.
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