Lekan Ewenla is the chief executive officer of Ultimate Health, a Health Management Organisation (HMO) based in Abuja. He spoke to ABOSEDE MUSARI on the amendment of the EFCC Act.WOULD say that the happening in the House of Representatives concerning the amendment of the EFCC Act is a gang-up against the current chairman, Farida Waziri'It is quite unfortunate that we play politics with virtually everything in this country and that's why we are not progressing like other countries.The first thing we have to look at is what criteria do we use in appointing the leadership of the EFCC and probably any other anti-corruption agency. If we are going to be sincere with ourselves, what has the ICPC done since it was set up' Several retired judges headed it.If we don't want a retired police officer to be in charge of the EFCC, probably because they have relationship with the Nigeria Police and looking at the image of the Police, which has nothing to write home about; I may agree with that (amendment).But that does not mean we should call a dog a bad name just to hang it. If Waziri is not performing, what do we do' Is it by removing her and putting somebody that may not even do anything' Must we continue to allow corruption to be entrenched in our system' No.But do you think that the leadership of the EFCC is performing'As far as I'm concerned, if we look at the level of performance vis--vis the former leadership, I think she's not performing up to expectation but I'll rate her 50 per cent until we have a structure of fighting corruption.Let's look at it this way. If you are a former public official, the moment you leave power, the searchlight is on you. The Code of Conduct Bureau is there; whatever the EFCC is doing should be integrated with the CCB such that if you swore to have two or three houses, we want to know your source.Until things are synchronised, there can't be any clear-cut fight against corruption. The CCB is there doing nothing. It's only when you do something against particular interests in government that they see you as being corrupt. We need to go beyond that level.There should be a standard structure of fighting corruption. The agencies fighting corruption should be interrelated such that if a person is being tried here, his file is also with the other agencies; so you don't have a place to hide.What do we do to remedy the situation'The trial of corruption cases should not be put at the doorsteps of the conventional courts. There should be a special court to try corruption.It's unfortunate that members of the National Assembly are very corrupt themselves. If they are men of integrity and they have businesses they are doing, they will not abandon their businesses and come to Abuja to flaunt wealth that they didn't work for.Until we get to a place where coming to the National Assembly is not a do-or-die affair, we are going to be facing graft in this country.Is the action of the House of Reps well-intentioned'The intention is just to kill the agency that is fighting corruption such that they could continue to have a field day.The fact is that the searchlight will come back to them and they want somebody they can easily manipulate. We all know this.Isn't what is happening to the current leadership of the EFCC a repetition of what happened to Nuhu Ribadu, Mrs. Waziri's predecessor' Do you see Waziri surviving this plot'One thing I know is that the level of awareness in Nigeria is on the increase. Nigerians are getting to know what is happening everywhere and you see the kind of public outcry even during the last election. Most of those in the last House were voted out because they were seen as being corrupt. Those that are there now should thread softly because Nigerians are watching.If we feel that Waziri should be allowed to continue, Nigerians will say it. If they think they can play politics with everything now because they are in Abuja, they will see. The truth of the matter is she's been doing her best as a retired AIG. Let us allow her to be.If the law is going to be reviewed, let's be objective about it. We shouldn't even restrict it to retired Justices; it should be people of integrity and the fearless in our society. Let's look at the way it's being done in other parts of the world. Let's take politics out of this for a while.If you talk about fearless people from all walks of life, how about the needed skills and training to be able to function as an investigator'Whoever contest for the positions of governor or legislators, it's not as if they went to special schools to learn the tricks. It's the ability to think out of the box and have the courage to do things right. If there is need for that person to be trained, he will be trained.The Chairman of the Governor's Forum, Rotimi Amaechi, has said that the EFCC is merely hounding his colleagues. Is that statement true'As far as I'm concerned, he can't claim to be a saint. Whatever they are doing right now is to protect themselves for the time they will be out of government. We know the facts.
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