I remember the days Reverend Chris Okotie was a music star. One of his hit songs I really loved was ABC..123. There was a stanza therein that said goodbye to a teacher. I couldn't think of anything that the international security community could offer as parting words to Farida Waziri that would be more appropriate than Chris Okotie's ABC...123.The relevant part of the song goes thus: 'Goodbye teacher[Fari], when will I be seeing you; my dear teacher[Fari]; hope it's gonna be looong. Goodbye teacher[Fari], when will I be seeing you; please make it far away...' I doubt if any of them would be willing to see Farida soon; particularly not when she begins to learn about the role they played in her sack as Chairman of the EFCC. The Americans will most likely take the lead chorus in this parting requiem as they sing at the top of their voices to leave no one in doubt as to where they stood about Farida and her efficacy on her corruption fighting job. It is strange that the newspapers reported that she was deaf to the plans to sack her. Any wise person should have read the writing on the wall, unless of course she was trusting Baba to ward off all weapons of war employed to persuade the President to sack her. Maybe she didn't know Jonathan well enough and had failed to learn from the experiences of those who have trod the path she was treading. Shhhhhh! No elaborations here please; a word is enough for the wise. If I was the head of the EFCC and I was billed to lead a team of my officers to the United States of America for a training programme; if for some curious reasons my officers were given visas to proceed to the United States and I was denied the same visa; if I had to procure the intervention of top diplomats to save me from the attendant embarrassment; if I finally got a single entry visa that restricted me to the city of training as if I was Iranian President Ahmedinejad on a visit to the United Nations and restricted to New York by an unfriendly American government; I would begin to systematically draw down on my personal effects in my office. Did she think she could stave off an American security impression that she was ineffective and undesirable in that office' Many will tell you she did make an attempt to impress the Yankees about her investigative prowess and commitment to fighting corruption. She embarked on a hoarding of big names into court even when it was clear that the evidence her agency adduced against them was at the best circumstantial. She had to be seen to be doing something before the pressure on the Presidency became overwhelming. The truth is that Farida dug her own grave. The manner and depth of investigations by the EFCC under her charge was embarrassing. It was easy to conclude that the agency was rather mediocre. Arrests were made before investigations started suggesting malice aforethought. She abandoned serious corruption fighting for political battles foisted on her by those she thought could perpetuate her stay in the EFCC chair. The Bible says woe unto him who puts his trust in man. That woe was what came unto her last Wednesday when she was sacked without ceremony, without soft landing. As she sits at home licking her wounds, I hope she will find time to give recompense to those she had allowed herself to be politically used against. She should begin to appreciate the virtues of fair-mindedness, thoroughness in investigations and resisting evil pressures. Those who succumb to evil pressures, in the final run, lose that for which reason they succumbed. And they also lose something more and greater; their integrity. Text only to: 08070991006 abbeyzeekat@yahoo.co.uk
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