THE removal of Farida Waziri as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss has brought to the fore, the need for a critical reappraisal of Nigerias anti-graft crusade. Relieving Waziri of her duty last week, President Goodluck Jonathan reportedly reassured Nigerians that the action was taken to give the war against corruption the desired shot in the arm. Similarly, Nuhu Ribadu, Waziris predecessor at the EFCC, was removed in controversial circumstances midway through his term in 2007. Her four-year term in office was due to expire in May 2012.No doubt, the performance of Waziri since her appointment on May 27, 2008 has been less than satisfactory. It could not have been otherwise. When she set out in 2008, she had promised to step on toes. "Once you breach the law, you are going to be arrested, detained and prosecuted within the rule of law, accordingly. There would be no sacred cows whatsoever," she promised. Waziri had also pledged to rescue the EFCC from the shadows of the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party. "I dont think," she had declared, "this is going to be a PDP-controlled EFCC." Unfortunately, she failed to realise that the conditions under which she would function were not designed to deliver success. Transparency International says the absence of political will to tackle the issue of corruption (in Nigeria) is also a major factor militating against the anti-graft crusade. "It (the EFCC) has arraigned 35 nationally prominent political figures on corruption charges, including 19 former state governors. But many of these cases have made little progress in the courts, and not a single politician is currently serving prison time for any of these alleged crimes," Human Rights Watch said.Waziris leadership of the anti-graft body had repeatedly been called into question. In August, the HRW said that the reputation of the leadership of the anti-graft commission had been damaged by widespread allegations of corruption and incompetence levelled against Waziri. The agency said the rumours of corruption were so pervasive that they would continue to undermine the credibility of the work of the anti-graft commission until they were addressed. The overbearing influence of the Presidency on the EFCC chairman has also affected the fight against graft. And this explains why Waziri faced many battles from corrupt politicians, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Muhammed Adoke, and the National Assembly members. Adoke, for instance, took over the prosecution of many high profile corruption cases, most of which ended up either in plea bargains or outright dismissal. A proposal to merge the EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, through the amendment of their enabling laws, had been mulled over to whip the anti-graft body into line. Adoke is a strong proponent of this merger. This has spawned the belief that the government headed by President Jonathan has no political will to fight corruption. This much was alluded to at a lecture Waziri delivered at the National Defence College, Abuja shortly before she was fired. She reportedly said, "First, there must be a political will to fight corruption. When the chips are down, the essence of political leadership is to provide a direction for policies and to provide requisite anti-corruption structures, such as legislation, funding, zero tolerance policies, among others." This view also reinforced former President Olusegun Obasanjos statement in Geneva, Switzerland in June that Jonathans government had no will and lacked the consistency to fight corruption. HRW said the EFCCs failures were also the fault of Nigerias political system which continued "to reward rather than punish corruption." Waziri was right in comparing her job to holding the tail of a tiger. But, unfortunately, Waziri did not let go of the tigers tail before being kicked out. Regrettably for the nation and the Jonathan administration, Waziris removal may not change the tempo of the anti-graft war. The HRW said one of the EFCCs greatest weaknesses has been its lack of independence and its susceptibility to political pressure. The EFCC should be strengthened, its independence emphasised, and its capacity developed to international standards. If the President is really enthusiastic about getting the anti-graft war back on track, he should ensure that the next chairman is given a free hand to operate. President Jonathan should restrain his Justice Minister from interfering in anti-corruption cases.It is also important to note that, rather than wait to be fired, any Nigerian appointed to lead the crusade against corruption should be bold enough to resign if conditions remain unfavourable for the person to deliver the goods.
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