Call on Buhari to urgently sanitise Commission, preserve his integrity
Over
120 frontline Anti-corruption Civil Society Organisations, on Friday,
held a massive town hall meeting, in Lagos, to round off their week-long
protest against what they called "Politicisation of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, Disobedience of Court Orders and
Infringement on Human Rights of Nigerians" under the leadership of
Abdulrasheed Bawa.
The
protesters, who began to have a large following on social and
conventional media, since their first public protest last Friday, gave
the Inspector-General of Police a seven-day ultimatum to effect the
Court order that committed Bawa to prison for contempt, noting that the
EFCC's alleged desperate recruitment of "counter-CSOs" would not help
the Commission.
According
to them, though the first phase of the protest ended on Friday, the
CSOs would jointly and individually petition relevant international
agencies, demanding sanctions against Bawa until he becomes law-abiding
and serves his jail term.
Spokesperson
for the Transparency and Accountability Group, Ayodeji Ologun, insisted
that the EFCC boss could not appeal the contempt ruling without first
obeying the order, saying the Nigerian authorities were dangerously
toeing the path of anarchy with the incessant disobedience of court
orders, especially by an agency set up to stamp out corruption.
He
said the politicisation of the EFCC was evident in the slant of its
operations, noting that while series of petitions were piled up
unattended at the EFCC offices on monumental corruption across Nigeria,
the Commission's boss had allegedly demonstrated that his task was
mainly political vendetta.
The
activists kicked strongly against the EFCC's statement that they were
hired CSOs, saying those on the struggle had been at the forefront of
the fight against corruption for years and were well known for their
doggedness and patriotism.
"When
Bawa was still learning to wear his pants, or hiding in his parents'
home, many of us here were already at the barricades fighting for
democracy and the office he is enjoying today. Back then, nobody paid us
to fight for justice. Whoever is saying we were paid to do this must be
thoroughly examined. We are strictly activists, not political jobbers,"
Director, Activists for Good Governance, Declan Ihehaire, said.
"We
are saying President Buhari should sack Bawa and if he doesn't sack
him, we are sure that whoever is coming on board, come May 29, 2023,
will listen to us and have Bawa sacked," he added.
The
CSOs accused the EFCC of greater corruption and called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to immediately put machineries in motion to sanitise
the Commission so that the war against criminals and corrupt elements in
Nigeria would make a meaning.
"Go
to EFCC office today, there won't be parking space. Most of them, who
are police officers, drive different types of exotic cars that their
colleagues who don't work with EFCC cannot afford," Spokesperson for the
Coalition of Anti-corruption Organisations, Olufemi Lawson, said.
Reviewing
the protests so far, he stated, "For one week, we have, as a coalition,
embarked on a sustained agitation for the removal of Mr Abdulrasheed
Bawa as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The Coalition, comprising of over 120 active organisations, has been
able to sustain this, despite sponsored blackmail, intimidation and
campaign of calumny by agents of the embattled EFCC Chairman, Mr Bawa.
"Today,
we have invited selected leaders of our various organizations, to
further press home our demand, under an atmosphere of engagement with
some more stakeholders, whom we have also invited to be part of us
today.
"As
frontline Anti-corruption activists, we wish to restate our
uncompromising demand, for President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately
relieve Mr Bawa of the position of the Chairman of the EFCC. Mr Bawa has
lost the moral capacity to continually preside over such an important
law enforcement agency, having become a signpost for disobedience to the
rule of law, particularly express orders of our courts."
Lawson,
who is also the Executive Director, Centre for Public Accountability,
added, "This is just the first phase. We will be submitting petitions to
relevant international agencies and embassies demanding sanctions
against Bawa until he becomes law-abiding. We can't allow our Judiciary
be rubbished by anyone.
"We
are by this medium, giving a seven-day ultimatum to President Muhammadu
Buhari, in line with the mood of the nation currently, to direct the
Inspector General of Police to effect the arrest order on Bawa and
commit him to prison, as ordered by the court, after which our
nationwide protests would resume."
He
saluted the courage of various leaders and groups who had been part of
the sustained agitation for Bawa to be sacked on account of the
disobedience of court orders, and had refused to be intimidated even in
the face of obvious threats.
The
'Bawa Must Go' protests, which started a week ago, were led by CACOL
Chairman, Debo Adeniran; Executive Director, Zero Graft Centre, Kolawole
Sanchez-Jude; Chairman, Coalition Against Corruption and Bad
Governance, Toyin Raheem; Executive Director, Centre for Public
Accountability, Olufemi Lawson; Spokesperson for the Transparency and
Accountability Group, Ayodeji Ologun; Director, Activists for Good
Governance, Declan Ihehaire; and Ahmed Balogun of Media Rights Concern,
among over 100 notable leaders of Anti-corruption CSOs.
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