Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has urged governors to demonstrate more conviction and courage in the quest to rid the country of corruption.
He also urged them as well as other public office holders to shelve extravagant lifestyles capable of encouraging corruption.
Speaking in Lagos at a retreat organised by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) chaired by Governor of Rivers, Rotimi Amaechi and attended by six governors and four deputy governors, Ribadu urged governors to live moderate lives, as this would help citizens to be incorruptible.
“Show us how to behave and we will follow you”, he said. “If we have less private jets, we see you live in moderation, we will follow and copy you”.
Ribadu described corruption as a major threat to development, and urged state governments to devise clear-cut mechanisms for fighting corruption in their respective states rather than leave all the battle to the Federal Government and its centrally-controlled agencies alone.
“The states can do more and achieve more in the fight against corruption because they control a substantial amount of development resources”, he said. “If they leave the fight to centrally controlled agencies alone, we will not get the desired results”.
Also speaking, erstwhile Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), Justice Mustapha Akanbi (rtd) harped on the need to bolster the strengthen of anti-corruption agencies, as corrupt leaders are notoriously powerful and would always fight back when haunted for their indiscretions.
“The heads of these agencies must have the political will to fight corruption”, he said. “Without courage, you can’t fight the menace; these corrupt people are powerful and it takes courage to fight them.”
Governors who attended the event were Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Adams Oshhiomole (Edo), Abdul-Azeez Yari (Zamfara), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers). Those of Imo, Osun, Ogun and Imo were represented by their deputies.
