December 16, 2015

Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has condemned the recent attacks and killings of the Shi’ite sect by the Nigerian Army, describing it as a terror pre-meditated, malicious, pre-orchestrated and highly reprehensible attack.

Over 500 members of the Shiite sect were reported to have rushed out to barricade the road on Saturday 12, December, 2015 while the Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS) convoy was on its way from Dutse to pay homage to the Emir of Zazzau before proceeding to attend the Passing Out Parade of the 73 Regular Recruit Intake.

The Nigerian Army in a petition addressed to the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, (NHRC), Prof. Ben Angwe, claimed its men shot dead seven members of the Shiite sect in Zaria, Kaduna State, on Saturday while 10 others were wounded in a bid by the soldiers to ward off an alleged attack by the sect’s members on the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

The Army claimed that the shooting by the troops accompanying the COAS convoy was in line with the Rules of Engagement to save the life of Buratai from heavily armed members of the Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky-led Shiite sect.

Condemning the attack, Comrade Debo Adeniran, the Executive Chairman of CACOL said, “The army could not justify the attack, since the spokesman for the Nigerian Army, Colonel Rabe Abubakar claimed on radio yesterday that the chief of Army staff was held-up for more than 30 minutes in a traffic knowing hitherto that it is the way they do their protestations. If the army waited up to 30 minutes without being attacked, it means that the sect didn’t intend to attack them. The fact that the army unleashed the terror is reprehensible.

“Why has it become a regular occurrence that almost every time the Shiites do their annual rallies they are being attacked by the military? This means that there had been a pre-meditated intention behind such attack which must be seen as malicious and pre-orchestrated.”

Adeniran further said, “If the Army found anything incriminating on the Shiite protesters, it is not for the army to mete out punishment immediately. Since they know where their leaders were, rather than condemning them to death and carrying out instant but extrajudicial judgment based on their own assessment of the situation, they should have either arrested the protesters or got their leaders arrested, prosecuted and punished judiciously or even apply the use of milder force like the teargas to disperse them.”

He also condemned the disrupting of the flow of traffic caused by members of the sect, saying rather than blocking the entire road, they could have lined-up themselves by one side of the road.

The anti-corruption activist also gave his opinion as regards the new development in the ongoing probe into the alleged misappropriation of funds in the office the National Security Adviser (NSA).

The president was said to have received a compensation of $300,000 and armored SUVs from the NSA’s office under former President Goodluck Jonathan administration after Boko Haram terrorists attacked his convoy in Kaduna last year.

Reacting to the claims, Adeniran stressed that, “nothing is wrong if the President received cash from the NSA as a former head of state. He had the right and the privilege to collect the cars as compensation for the loss suffered from his vehicles that were hitherto destroyed. And since he had not been collecting such before the incidence, there was nothing wrong in what he had done, so nobody should tarnish the image of the President or try to rope him into the web of corruption.

“However, we must say that the government seems not to be serious about the welfare of the people. Granted that they are doing something about the security of the people, especially in the North-East, the other parts of the country have virtually been left to take care of themselves. There had been reported losses of several lives on the roads and to other acts of banditry. There also was the incident of the army unleashing mayhem on pro-Biafra protesters in Onitsha and it environs,” he stated.

Adeniran said despite all the roaring promises that the new regime made, all what “we have been hearing are threats; threats that we are going to begin to pay tolls on the roads, threats that we are going to pay more for power supply, threats that the power generation had even gone down, threats that the housing scheme may not be available until sometime in the future, threats that we are going to pay more as VAT, threats that we are going to pay N97 for Petrol, and so on. So, where lies our hope?”

Source: P.M News.

PRESS RELEASE

The Coalition against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has condemned the recent attacks and killings of the Shiite sect by the Nigerian Army, describing it as a terror pre-meditated, malicious, pre-orchestrated and highly reprehensible.

Over 500 members of the Shiite sect was reported to have rushed out to barricade the road on Saturday 12^th December, 2015 while the Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS) convoy was on his way from Dutse to pay homage to the Emir of Zazzau before proceeding to attend the Passing Out Parade of the 73 Regular Recruit Intake.

The Nigerian Army in a petition addressed to the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, (NHRC) Prof. Ben Angwe, claimed its men shot dead seven members of the Shiite sect in Zaria, Kaduna State, on Saturday while 10 others were wounded in a bid by the soldiers to ward off an alleged attack by the sect’s members on the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai. The Army claimed that the shooting by the troops accompanying the COAS convoy was in line with the Rules of Engagement to save the life of Buratai from heavily armed members of the Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky-led Shiite sect.

Condemning the attack, Comrade Debo Adeniran, the Executive Chairman of CACOL said, “The army could not justify the attack, since the spokesman for the Nigerian Army, Colonel Rabe Abubakar claimed on radio yesterday that the chief of Army staff was held-up for more than 30 minutes in a traffic knowing hitherto that it is the way they do their protestations. If the army waited up to 30 minutes without being attacked, it means that the sect didn’t intend to attack them. The fact that the army unleashed the terror is reprehensible.

“Why has it become a regular occurrence that almost every time the Shiites do their annual rallies they are being attacked by the military? This means that there had been a pre-meditated intention behind such attack which must be seen as malicious and pre-orchestrated.

Adeniran further said, “If the Army found anything incriminating on the Shiite protesters, it is not for the army to met out punishment immediately. Since they know where their leaders were, rather than condemning them to death and carrying out instant but extrajudicial judgment based on their own assessment of the situation, they should have either arrest the protesters or got their leaders arrested, prosecuted and punished judiciously or even apply the use of milder force like the teargas to disperse them.

We must also condemn the disrupting of the flow of traffic caused by members of the sect. Rather than blocking the entire road, they could have lined-up themselves by one side of the road.

The anti-corruption activist also gave his opinion as regards the new development in the ongoing probe into the alleged misappropriation of funds in the office the National Security Adviser (NSA).

The president was said to have received a compensation of $300,000 and armored SUVs from the NSA’s office under former President Goodluck Jonathan administration after Boko Haram terrorists attacked his convoy in Kaduna last year.

Reacting to the claims Debo Adeniran stressed that, “nothing is wrong if the President received cash from the NSA as a former head of state. He had the right and the privilege to collect the cars as compensation for the loss suffered from his vehicles that were hitherto destroyed. And since he had not been collecting such before the incidence, there was nothing wrong in what he had done, so nobody should tarnish the image of the President or try to rope him into the web of corruption.

However we must say that the government seems not to be serious about the welfare of the people. Granted that they are doing something about the security of the people especially in the North-East, the other parts of the country have virtually been left to take care of themselves. There had been reported losses of several lives on the roads and to other acts of banditry. There also was the incident of the army unleashing mayhem on pro-Biafra protesters in Onitsha and it environ.

“Also despite all the roaring promises that the new regime made, all what we have been hearing are threats; threats that we are going to begin to pay tolls on the roads, threats that we are going to pay more for power supply, threats that the power generation had even gone down, threats that the housing scheme may not be available until sometime in the future, threats that we are going to pay more as VAT, threats that we are going to pay N97 for Petrol, and so on. So, where lies our hope? Adeniran wondered.

“Ordinarily, Nigerians supported the present party to form the federal government because of their expectation of hope. This hope is gradually being dashed; nothing have been done, people are suffering, many people can no longer eat one square meal a day, those who are producing food products are being chased out either by Fulani heads-men in the south or Boko Haram in the North and so, food is no longer in high production because they made it almost impossible for peasant farmers to practice their trade and to get their products to the markets. How long can we continue to tolerate these?

“Given the fact that the opposition then, had all along been preparing for a takeover of the federal government, why is it now that they have taken over, that they have now resorted to giving excuses. Recall that CACOL had forewarned that people with shady characters, who have demonstrated high level of incompetence in the area of their earlier engagements, should not be made members of the cabinet. This is what is now manifesting. Those who have made people to suffer in their earlier areas of engagement are the ones democratizing it all over the country. The suffering they had unleashed on the people they claimed to have served before is felt all over the country. This spill-over impact has to be nipped in the bud otherwise it will spell catastrophe for the regime.

2019 is just around the corner; we will not hesitate to throw them out if they do not do what the people expect. They should therefore avoid losing our respect.” Adeniran concluded.

Macjob Temitope

Acting Media officer, CACOL

temitope@thehumanitycentre.org

cacolc@yahoo.com

December 16^th, 2015.

For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at

www.corruptionwatchng.com, www.cwatch.thehumanitycentre.org

PRESS RELEASE

Following the revelations arising from the $2.1bn arms procurement scandal, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has insisted that corrupt public officers and all culprits in the arms deal should be treated as armed robbers and murderers and should be allowed to face capital punishment.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has begun a fresh investigation into a transfer of N6.7bn from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the Office of the National Security Adviser and two other agencies after the 2015 presidential election.
According to a document from the Office of the SGF, Special Services Office, other beneficiaries of the fund transfer were the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Ekpeyong Ita; and an agency simply referred to as MEA Research Library. It stated that N3.1bn was transferred to the account of the DSS; MEA Research Library, N2.6bn, and the ONSA, N216.8m.
According to a staff Officer, Accountant 1 in the ONSA, Yazidu Ibrahim in the statement of witness made to the EFCC, he stated that under the former NSA, contracts were awarded without the input or approval of the tenders’ board and procurement unit. Bafarawa a former governor of Sokoto State, has also since confessed to receiving N100m.
Meanwhile, Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, who was accused in the arms deal has denied receiving N100m from the former Minister of State for Finance, Yuguda, but admitted that he received $30,000.
Another surprising development to the arms deal is the N120m given to the President of the Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, Nduka Obaigbena, by the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.)
It would be recalled that CACOL had recently called on Nigerian authorities to thoroughly investigate allegations that over $2.1 billion meant for defence equipment were mismanaged by several people and said that those found culpable should be severely punished.
With all the allegations and new revelations, Comrade Debo Adeniran, the Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) in his reactions has berated all the culprits involved especially the members of the NPAN that collected the N120m compensation. He said lamented that money meant for securing the country and citizens was distributed like an honorarium.
“We say our security agencies have no writing materials, no computers, no uniforms, no vehicles, barracks, no lecture halls, no weapons, guns etc yet those who are supposed to make the system work well are busy distributing monies among themselves for political campaigns and compensations. Our wish is that the president would treat these people like robbers and murderers and make them face the heavy punishments”, he said.
While expressing his disappointment on the media involvement, the anti-corruption crusader averred that the development is worse than being a mess.
“When notable media houses in our country decided to get into tie with the government and loot the treasury, what solace is there for the ordinary citizens who crave a fair and just society?
Those who have stolen from and looted the national treasury have no rights to be protected by anyone or by any known law of the nation. If they deemed it good to steal, why should any law of the land protect those who raped it and short-changed the nation? These people are worse than the common armed robbers and murderers”, Adeniran said.
The group, however, called on the Buhari administration to begin the prosecution of those who had been found culpable of corrupt practices in connection with the alleged stealing and diversion of monies meant to prosecute war against insurgency.
“We believe these revelations which are just the tip of the iceberg, are mind-boggling and justify as well as reinforce our call for heavy punishment in cases of those found culpable and for all corruption in public office. The corrupt act had sent so many soldiers and innocent Nigerians to their early grave, so it would be unjustifiable to allow those who engaged in the acts to go without punishment”.

Macjob Temitope

Acting Media officer, CACOL

temitope@thehumanitycentre.org

cacolc@yahoo.com

December 14^th, 2015.

For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at

www.corruptionwatchng.com, www.cwatch.thehumanitycentre.org

Being the Text of Press Statement issued on the occasion of 2015 Annual Anti-Corruption Tour organized by the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) on the Anti-Corruption Day dated 9^th of December, 2015.

Compatriots, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), has organized its 2015 Annual Anti-Corruption Tour to monitor some Federal and Lagos state budgetary deficits typified by notable infrastructure decay in Lagos State with a view to calling the attention of responsible authorities to it.

In the past few years, Nigerians have been groaning under the weight of infrastructural decay all over the country which is evidenced in many of the federal and state roads and hospitals.

The conditions of various government hospitals are so bad to the extent that many accident victims and patients of other emergency illnesses do not have beds to sleep, with many of the hospitals lacking in other relevant equipment. In cases where there are equipment, they are seldomly used because the equipment are either substandard or don’t have expertise to operate, not to talk of maintain them. While many of our so-called leaders patronize foreign health institutions to access basic health care, the teeming masses that cannot afford costs of private health care are left to suffer the jeopardy of perpetual illness or premature death due to lack of necessary infrastructures in the all-essential health sector.

A recent report on PUNCH newspaper of Saturday 14^th November, 2015, titled “Lagos Hospital where new born babies, mums sleep on chairs, floors”, was an exposé of what happens in the Ifako Ijaye general hospital in Lagos state and some other government hospitals all over the country. Pregnant women who had just been delivered of their babies are told, and sometimes compelled to vacate the bed and sit on plastic chairs so that other pregnant women in the queue could be admitted. The same newspaper, The PUNCH, reported earlier that patients and visitors to Gbagada General (Govt.) Hospital defecate in open spaces due to non-functional and subsequent abandonment of its toilet facilities. A development, which findings revealed as being synonymous with the government hospitals because of the constraint of space and the need to attend to other women in labour.

On the other hand, many of the Nigerian roads are in bad shape. To put it mildly, the state of most of the nation’s highways today has become a serious embarrassment to the successive Nigerian regimes without reprieve in sight. It is not just that most of these roads are so impassable; it is also a disturbing fact that dangerous spots along many of them have also become convenient operating centers for highway robbers, who lay siege on unsuspecting motorists and other road users. This is aside the notorious fact that the poor state of these roads hampers economic activities as much as it costs Nigerians their lives and properties.

The raining season is one season that most Nigerians especially Lagosians hate to experience. Rains ought to have been factored into the plans of all states developmental agenda. It is lack of adequate planning and preparation that makes predictable disasters to become emergences before efforts are made to fix them. If adequate precautionary measures had been taken in advance, the effects of floods would not be as devastating as we have it presently in some states of the country. It is not normal for flood to wreck constant havoc on the people. Lasting solution must be found to the cause of such floods because it does not only endanger lives and properties but also disrupts economic activities in the state.

The present state of Lagos State is particularly pathetic. This is a state where we have a raft of broken infrastructures as symbolized by bad roads, poor quality of construction, dilapidated schools, a comatose health system, flood-ravaged neighbourhoods etc the conditions have been made such due to official negligence, thereby causing citizens a lot of untold hardship in their bid to eke a living. The state has a recent history of an unaccountable government and complacent legislature; a ham-strung judicial system, over-taxed citizenry and corporate bodies, and other poor developmental indicators. These have left the people asking questions, questions and questions. These questions, so far, have remained unanswered.

Roads are bad – riddled with craters and gorges making them sources of personal danger and economic waste. Schools lack functional infrastructures; most are in various states of disrepair. There is no efficient drainage system, roofs are leaky, and pupils still sit on bare and broken floors, while their personnel are poorly motivated morally, technically and materially.

Ironically, Lagos State that prides itself as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ with a presumed ‘Modern City’ status has nothing much to show for this over-bloated rating due to several dysfunctional infrastructural facilities. To say the least, Lagos State cannot boast of adequate social amenities and good infrastructural facilities in the magnitude proportional to its income and need. Some parts of the State have become a nightmare to its dwellers due to the decrepit state of its utility structures and infrastructures which are grossly inadequate and non-functional.

The pressure on the highways which led to traffic congestion on our roads would have reduced if the potentials of waterways are developed. A particularly terrible example is the Apapa-Oshodi expressway which serves as the main access to the nation’s two main seaports in Lagos but is perennially congested and presently a complete disaster. All attempts to fix the road have been mired in politics. Most of the adjoining streets, especially the famed Apapa GRA are death traps, and maneuvering through them in times of emergency is a waste of time. All the feeder roads linking Marine and Liverpool roads remind drivers of a war-torn region.

There are other visible contradictions like the gap between Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and others classified as ‘Lagos no-land’; all of which ought to be equally developed with the collective resources of the state. The basis of the differential provisioning becomes hard to understand thus becoming subject to primordial interpretations as in the case of extremely opposing two sides of the city that radiate immoral affluence on one side and roasting poverty on the other. This is accentuated by the ultra-expensive Cable Bridge in Ikoyi-Lekki access road and the Pako Bridge in Ayobo-Igando axis, all in Lagos state. For residents of Alimosho and other underdeveloped areas, the need to link communities has been a major drive which has resulted in the construction of wooden bridges otherwise known as ‘Pako bridges’ in parts of the states. The Alimosho Pako bridges, as an example, provide the needed escape and a short route for motorists who intend to avoid the burden of traffic snarl at the popular Ayobo-Igando axis.

These wooden bridges built by communities also go to show the failure of government in the provision of essential infrastructure for the people. For so many years the owner of this Pako bridges have been extorting poor citizens with it. Each passage on this motorable and pedestrian wooden bridges cost as much as N200 per vehicle and N30 per person. It is high time the Lagos state government intervened in this situation by building a proper bridge for the citizens living in the area for free as dividend of democracy. Why do we have to suffer in our own state to have access to a road?

There are other invisible contradictions within the aspiring modern city that Lagos State is. It appears that there are deliberate concerted efforts to obliterate the poor who government apparently seems to consider as deface to the face of the mega environment Lagos state desires. To clean the environment and make it decent for the rich and the international community, the commercial and residential shacks of the poor are demolished, together with their goods and at times even, with the people. However, it must be reiterated that it is the mega population that confers the ‘megacity’ status on Lagos not the expensive estates. What is expected of a responsible government is to expand infrastructural facilities to contain and made affordable for the population of various socio-economic classes; not depopulation by systematically frustrating the poor out of the city.

Thousands of potholes form a death-ring on Lagos roads thus make driving in the state a living hell on earth. Taking a look at Command- Ile-Iwe/Meiran road, you would continue to wonder if those roads are considered as Lagos roads.  The Meiran road which is less than 2 kilometers has been under perpetual construction for 5 years now with the project yet to be completed. Even though some of the major federal roads are considered to be in good shape; they are bumpy, narrow and badly managed. A vast majority of the feeder roads are a crying shame on governance and those who run the affairs of the state.

Most of the roads actually need complete redesign and reconstruction, with side drains to channel flood waters into dedicated reservoirs by very competent and reputable construction companies; not quacks masquerading as construction companies, who collude with state officials to shortchange the state.

A worrisome contribution of the federal government into the national infrastructural decay is the old Toll-gate on the Abeokuta Expressway where there have been daily cases of road crashes. These accidents no doubt have caused several losses to life and property since a very long time. According to the 2015 statistical data of accident cases requested and received from the Federal Road Safety Commission, Sango-Otta Unit, a total number of forty (40) road accident cases occurred on the route between January and November. A total number of 354 people were involved, 116 people got injured while 26 people lost their lives. It is expected that a responsible Federal government would have devised a lasting solution to the preventable carnage occurring at that spot. A flyover on the road, we believe, would have prevented the perennial loss of lives and properties.

We urge the governments at various levels to give adequate attention to all the aforementioned and all other begging areas. We therefore appeal to them to urgently address and fix the issues of infrastructural deficiency. This, we believe, would alleviate the hardship, pain and loss that majority of the people of Lagos, and Nigerians as a whole experience in various parts.

Taking a look at the anti-corruption campaign so far, we all should first of all admit that our dear country, Nigeria, is yet to attain the true status of nationhood; true federalism is yet to be attained. Our democracy is yet to meet the required standard that could make it take its pride of place among the comity of democratic nations of the world as it lacks the posture of a true representation of the people. Elected leaders must be made answerable to the electorates whenever the need arises; our legal cum judicial system needs to be comprehensively overhauled in order to ensure effective dispensation of justice; fiscal and economic policies need to be reviewed to reflect the reality of our composition as a conglomerate, especially in the area of distribution and sharing formula of revenue amongst governing institutions at the three levels of government i.e. federal, state and local governments and of course, we need to strengthen the machinery that effects a clear-cut separation of powers as well as the independence of the three arms of government, to ensure necessary checks and balances at all times and thus prevent impunity and arbitrariness in any form or guise.

Corruption is Nigeria’s primary problem and it is a major challenge the country must battle and overcome if indeed Nigeria must enjoy the dividends of democracy. Corruption has so far succeeded in not only ravaging our values and pride, but has also succeeded in bastardizing the psyche of the majority so much so that common thieves are openly hailed and celebrated. Ours is gradually becoming a society that encourages opportunism in whatever form.

The tendency to exploit every given opportunity to satisfy one’s selfish desire no longer rest only with the leaders, the led themselves now encourage the leaders to thrive in self-serving exploits. It’s saddening and highly disturbing to see what has now become the norm for the led to constantly remind their newly elected (or appointed) leaders of why they should see their new positions as an opportunity that might come only once and so urge them to corruptly enrich themselves to the maximum at the expense of the less privileged. The common phrase nowadays is ‘it is our turn to chop’. It is now a common sight to see ‘men of timber and caliber’ turning out in large number to accompany an accused corrupt person to the court or law enforcement or anti-corruption agencies, on a solidarity mission; all aimed at intimidating the institution of justice.

The authorities should also refrain from victimizing and humiliating the heads of anti-graft agencies and panels. Such practice is fast becoming a regular practice especially when highly placed public exposed person is under investigation or prosecution. However, if in the course of performing their statutory duties, they are accused of wrong doings, they should be made to complete the assignments they are handling and allowed to get to a logical conclusion before they are prosecuted or made to quit the office. Quitting the office abruptly will be more of advantage to the accused persons than to the cause of justice and getting the heads of these agencies and panels out of the way might be the only reason why the complainant or their cronies could have accused the heads of agencies investigating or prosecuting them so that the process of getting the criminals diligently investigated and prosecuted may be truncated. The anti-corruption war in Nigeria can neither be effective nor sustained where there is no security of tenure and the leaders of the anti-corruption agencies are subjected to summary dismissal.

We need a judicial reform to ameliorate the situation of the judges and the Nigerian judiciary because the judiciary is terribly sick, and unless all necessary efforts are put in place, Nigeria will not have any hope for further development from the level that we are now. We need to remember that the judiciary is supposed to be the hope for the common man. The judicial system is too much of a serious business than to be left for the judiciary alone to tackle, since majority of them are profiteering from the rot that is in existence. It is up to those of us who are likely to be victims of their misbehavior to put our acts together, and devise means of stopping them; so that the general public may know that some of our judicial officers cannot be trusted not to go into conspiracy, or unholy alliance with criminals that we have to root out of our own system.

CACOL wants to use this medium to call on the federal government to ensure that those who stole the $2.1 billion meant for the procurement of arms are BROUGHT TO BOOK, tried and charged for mass murder. They should be punished for misleading Nigerians into internecine. Several soldiers and innocent citizens were sent to their early grave while civilians were exposed to Boko Haram pro-bono due to poor equipment.

The EFCC should ensure that proper investigation is carried out, ensuring that all cases goes through due judicial process and if the suspects are found culpable they should be prosecuted and equally allowed to face the full penalty; because no corruption culprit should be allowed to go unpunished. They should be used as an example for others who may want to indulge in similar act.

We also want to condemn the controversial Social Media Bill being proposed by the Senate. The bill which is titled “Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other Matters Connected Therewith,” seeks to gag online media by imposing a two-year jail term for an abusive statement.

The bill also seeks to impose a jail term or N2m fine or both if a person spreads false information about a public servant through the social media.

We must say the bill is a threat to democracy and should be totally condemned by all Nigerians. Our lawmakers, rather than focus on laws for good governance that will ensure the welfare of the people, are busy introducing law that will gag Nigerians from freely expressing themselves. We say no to anti-social media bill, it is anti-people.

We must also say that we see the stance of those calling for the extension of the probe to other past administrations as self-defeatist, self-condemning and an obvious product of a guilty conscience. Corruption is sure the only reason our blessed country is not moving forward. Nigerians should, despite our political differences, admit that at least Buhari is starting somewhere. Corruption has been so much embedded in our collective psyche that any person who has the best of intentions at giving it a kick is perceived as a nutter, bent on ‘wasting our precious time’. We must know that it takes bravery and courage to step on toes of the powerful and the untouchables.” We imploring President Buhari to disregard such distractions and concentrate on pursuing his anti-corruption crusade with all his vigor and ensuring that the thieves of our common patrimony are exposed and adequately punished.

As for us in CACOL, we are ever ready to collaborate with the relevant authorities in this regard, to wrestle this monster to submission by every legitimate means possible and are urging all well-meaning citizens of this country to join hands with President Buhari in this battle for national survival. We believe he’s got the credentials and the wit to do it.

Finally, we call on all Nigerians to embrace CACOL’s slogan – “NAME, NAIL, SHAME AND SHUN CORRUPT LEADERS ANYWHERE, EVERYWHERE”. Don’t join in the foolish acts of hailing and celebrating them, instead, harass, embarrass and disgrace them even to their faces.

Debo Adeniran

Executive Chairman, CACOL

dadnig@yahoo.com

www.deboadeniran.com

0803-7194-969