PROMINENT Nigerians have called on President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly to urgently begin serious campaign and stricter measures against corruption, particularly against mismanagement of public funds by politicians and other public officers.They said that corruption was one big obstacle to all developmental efforts and plans 'and until critical measures are taken, either to eradicate or reduce it to the barest minimum Nigeria may find it difficult to develop.'The reactions came against the ongoing trial of some former governors over alleged corruption, and several yet to be concluded cases of graft in the country.In an interview with The Guardian, former governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, former senator who represented Edo North, Victor Oyofo and National Chairman, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Prince Tony Momoh said the misappropriated billions may lead to revolution one day if concrete steps were not taken to stop it.Musa said there is no serious campaign against corruption in the country any more. According to him, 'What is happening now is political manipulation to deliberately destroy concrete evidence of corruption against the accused,' noting that this is being carried out deliberately ahead of the era when serious campaign would be launched against corruption by Nigerians themselves.He said Nigerians should critically monitor the ongoing trial of former governors, Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo) and Aliyu Akwei-Doma (Nasarawa), urging that the people should prevail on EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies in the country to reopen previous cases of graft.Oyofo said the lackadaisical manner which corruption cases are treated is worrisome.While he commended the anti-graft bodies for having the guts to arraign some public officers, he urged Nigerians to wait and see if the will was there to prosecute them appropriately.Momoh said Nigerians hope to see if the present case would be a departure from the past 'where the EFCC simply file cases of corruption against public officers merely to satisfy the crying public and no sooner that is done the whole thing is swept under the carpet.'Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, former Senator Arthur Nzeribe, who represented Imo West in the Senate said there was not enough evidence on ground to show commitment to the fight against corruption.'I am saying let us fight corruption. If I am saying let's fight it,let's start now, it means that they have not been fighting it in the way I consider adequate. I think you get the import,' he said.He said his call for the nation to fight corruption was a test of the ability of the present administration to fight the scourge.
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