Former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Wednesday said his acceptance of the offer as chairman of the 21-man Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force, was a decision he took in the interest of the nation.
Ribadu in a statement titled, ‘When the Nation Calls,’ said: “At this point in my life, it is also easy to answer the honest question if it is inappropriate to invest my modest talents and capabilities to my country what I have readily offered many foreign communities, from sister nations in Africa to far flung places like Afghanistan.
“This, if nothing, makes my decision very personal, freeing all affiliations (social and political) of complicity, but investing the decision also with the unique character that when people reach evaluations in favour of their larger communities, it doesn’t necessarily blemish their moral identity.”
The former EFCC boss added: “Given my recent political pedigree, many inquirers naturally wanted to understand what was happening, and whether it was true that I was consulted and whether I would accept the offer.
“The history of my life is a history of public service, and if we cast an honest look to the recent protests in the wake of the oil subsidy removal, it will be clear to all that the biggest single victory Nigerians scored was to put the question of corruption squarely back on the top of our national policy agenda.
“Regardless of our affiliations, our differences, and our engagements, it is at least safe to say that we have a national consensus on the deadly impact of corruption on our march to greatness, and on the capacity of our people, particularly the youth, to earn a decent, promising, life.
“This, therefore, is a national call. In answering it, I go back to the template of my own parents who taught me that honest public service is the greatest asset a person can offer his community.
“It was the same lesson I learnt from his biographical example when my own father returned home as a federal legislator in Lagos to take a job as a local council official in Yola - it is all about the community, and it is sometimes bigger than our personal egos,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ACN said in a statement issued in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that as a political party, we wish to reiterate our position barring any member of our party from taking any appointment whatsoever from the PDP-led Federal Government. Any member of our party who takes such an appointment does so in his personal capacity,'' it said
Ribadu is on his own — ACN.
ACN said, however, that as a leading opposition party, it will continue to play its role in ensuring good governance and contributing to nation building through its regular constructive criticisms which, hitherto and unfortunately so, have fallen on deaf ears.
“Rushing to poach credible personalities from the opposition without first accepting that it is overwhelmed by the problems facing it smacks of underhand tactics aimed at decimating the opposition and also tarnishing the well-earned credibility of such personalities.
“After all, one can never be sure - going by the deceptive nature of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - that the kind of appointment now being offered to Malam Ribadu is being made in good faith or just to get credible people to launder the government's badly damaged image and credibility.
“There is also the possibility that booby-traps will be deliberately set for such credible personalities to guarantee their failure in their stated assignment, after which they will be ridiculed and dumped like an ordinary chump,” the party said.
Ribadu’s decision personal — Falana
Also reacting to Ribadu’s appointment, human rights lawyer and activist, Mr. Femi Falana, recalled that during the recent general strike and public protests against the removal of fuel subsidy, Nigerians were united in demanding accountability and transparency in the oil and gas industry.
He stated that although the battle for the reversal of fuel price to N65 per litre was not fully won, the Goodluck Jonathan administration was compelled to set the engine in motion for the investigation by EFCC of the monumental fuel importation scam.
He said: “Before the protests, the government had shielded the cartel of pampered economic saboteurs smiling to the bank at the nation's expence! The recommendations in the KPMG report submitted to government in November 2010 and thrown to the shelves are now to be implemented.
“The Federal Executive Council has also appointed two external auditors to investigate the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, an agency whose budget has never been submitted to the National Assembly since 1999.
“On its own part, the Lawan Farouk committee set up by the House of Representatives is exposing the unprecedented rot in the fuel subsidy fraud. Incidentally, the ACN members in the committee are doing very well. It is also on record that all the 36 governors, except one, supported the removal of fuel subsidy!”
Falana stated that since the conclusion of the 2011 general election, Ribadu had been involved in the establishment of an anti-corruption agency in Afghanistan, an initiative of the United Nations.
“When he informed me three days ago that the Federal Government had requested him to head a presidential committee to investigate the fraud in the payment of royalties by oil companies, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu made it clear to me that he was going to take a decision after consulting with some trusted political allies.
“Although I expressed my reservations with respect to the commitment of a pro-imperialist regime to engage in genuine transformation, from the way Mr. Ribadu spoke to me, I was left in no doubt that he was totally on his own,” he added.
Well, Ribadu accepting this appointment came as a shock to many and many still have reservations about it but like I tweeted earlier today, only time will tell if he(Ribadu) will hide or fight the criminals a.k.a cabals..
dangel eyez is watching him tho and I shall update you all as the story unfolds
much luv,
dangel eyez
(twitter: @dangeldiva)
