IS anybody surprised that Waziri's persistent calls for establishment of special courts to handle corruption ' related cases to ensure speedy dispensation of justice, seem to have fallen on deaf ears'The recent disclosure by the Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Samuel Orkura that EFCC has not audited its accounts for a number of years must have come as a shock and embarrassment to Waziri.And in spite of EFCC's response that its accounts have been audited, Orkura has insisted the anti-graft agency's accounts are yet to be audited.There is no doubt that those with discerning minds would be surprised that such an important agency of government that should demonstrate exemplary conduct in its operations could be reported to have failed to get its accounts audited as required by law.Just recently, some federal lawmakers called for the appointment of a responsible retired Supreme Court Judge with impeccable integrity to henceforth head EFCC as against retired top police officers so far represented by Ribadu and Waziri.The lawmakers said an experienced person from the Judiciary will perform better. The fight against corruption seems to have been on slow wheels for some time now in spite of the fact that cases of corrupt practices have been on the increase. As it was during the tenure of Ribadu under Obasanjo, the EFCC is being accused of selective handling of corruption cases involving only perceived political enemies of a particular prominent personality whose visible overbearing influence cannot be ignored even by the Presidency.While Obasanjo was in office, due to his closeness to the former Chairman of the Board of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Bode George, Ribadu-led EFCC could not prosecute George over alleged corrupt practices. But why was it that it was after Obasanjo left office that George was prosecuted and jailed' Why was it that due to the closeness of Yar'Adua to the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, the cases of corruption against him (Ibori) witnessed a lot of abracadabra to the extent that he had to flee the country shortly after the sudden demise of the former president' It is a shame that it was outside Nigeria that he was arrested. It is even more shameful and worrisome that the cases for which he is standing trial abroad are clearly different from the corruption cases levelled against him in his country.It is unfortunate that a lot of Nigerians have lost hope and confidence in the Waziri-led EFCC as it was under Ribadu. Is EFCC jinxed' Why is it difficult for the agency to do its work without fear or favour and transparently too' Why is EFCC shying away from stepping on powerful toes if the need arises' Why is EFCC hunting and persecuting innocent citizens' Why is EFCC fond of engaging in media trials and directly or indirectly portraying innocent citizens guilty of corruption before they are formally tried in the court' Why is EFCC fond of grandstanding all over the place instead of getting serious for once' How many of the corruption cases against former governors and bank chief executives have been reasonably concluded' Why is it that so far, only the cases of Mrs. Cecilia Ibru of Oceanic Bank that was reasonably concluded' Why can't EFCC muster the political will and speed with which it handled cases of corruption against Ibru and George and extend same to the growing list of corruption cases in its kitty'Is it true as it is being alleged within the public domain within the country and even beyond that EFCC is selective in the manner it handles its cases' Is it true as it is being alleged everywhere that arrest and prosecution of certain former elective office holders are politically motivated'Could this be why some powerful former political office holders since the return of civil rule on May 29, 1999 who have been associated with stunning allegations of corruption copies of which have been reportedly forwarded to the EFCC, are yet to be arrested not to talk of prosecuted' Or before the EFCC, does it mean not all Nigerians are equal' Obasanjo was in firm control of Nigeria for eight years as president with executive powers but corruption grew in leaps and bounds. Just recently, at an international conference, he reportedly remarked that the present administration led by President Goodluck Jonathan cannot fight corruption. Was he indicting Jonathan' Was he indicting Waziri' Was he indicting the EFCC' What could make a former president to be portraying one of his successors in bad light' When he was in office, despite the fact that he set up EFCC, did he give the anti-graft agency free hand to operate for it to succeed'But the irony of it all is that some human rights groups were reported to have forwarded copies of allegations of corruption against the former president to EFCC when Ribadu was in office. As expected, no action was taken. Such copies had since been sent to EFCC since Waziri assumed duty. Again, no action has been taken. Instead of keeping quiet as if Obasanjo is a sacred cow, wouldn't it be in the interest of EFCC to investigate the allegations and make its findings public instead of portraying Obasanjo as untouchable and thereby incurring the wrath of the generality of Nigerians'It is not surprising that the manner in which EFCC has so far handled the arrest of the new set of former governors continues to generate mixed feelings in certain quarters across the country. It is for this reason that EFCC has to retrace its steps if it wants to be seen as free, fair, just and transparent in its dealings especially as the formal trial of the former governors will soon commence.It is no longer a secret that information is spreading like wild fire that the travails of some of the former governors are politically motivated. A case-in-point is that of former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. Everybody knows he is a political enemy of Obasanjo. It would be recalled that during the ferocious heat generated by the political crisis in Ogun State shortly before Daniel left office, Obasanjo, along with his anointed candidate for the Ogun State 2011 gubernatorial seat, Chief Tunji Olurin, vowed that Daniel would go to jail after leaving office..There is a common adage in Yorubaland that says if a witch cried yesterday and a child dies today, who does not know that the witch that cried yesterday killed the child' To any ordinary Nigerian even if he is an illiterate, there is a correlation between the vow made by these two powerful personalities of inestimable value and Daniel's on-going political travail.On the part of EFCC, the handling of Daniel's charges so far has been shoddy and very sloppy. How did the unbelievable and uncoordinated charges purportedly involving N58.2 billion suddenly go down to N5 billion' Is this part of EFCC's love for media trials and shameful showmanship at the expense of the interest of innocent persons being persecuted even before they go on trial' Explanations from informed quarters concerning the actual positions of shares, illegal deduction of local government funds and stealing, amongst others, must have now exposed the true intentions of EFCC over Daniel's travail.It is for this reason that some now perceive EFCC as not in anyway independent and that it is being teleguided by some powerful individuals who want their inordinate interests to be protected at all cost.For instance, it is for this reason that some say those being prosecuted may not have free and fair trial after all unless EFCC is provided the enabling environment to operate freely, independently and transparently. Perhaps this is also why there is need for a second look at who appoints the boss of EFCC. It is strongly believed in certain quarters and understandably too, that the EFCC boss will always tend to owe allegiance to the sitting president and also a former president.From all indications, the EFCC, which by virtue of its functions tries others, is itself now on serious trial, especially judging by the controversial and stormy waters in which it is currently swimming. But of all the dangerous landmines steadily being paced on its path, how it will succeed in meandering away from the call for retired Supreme Court Judge to head the outfit to ensure its activities are given more professional touch, especially in the areas of investigation and speedy dispensation of justice, will determine the fate of Waziri and that of her embattled anti-graft agency in the coming months.
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