Letter to EFCC Chairman, Mrs Farida Waziri

Dear Mrs Waziri,

Firstly, I will like to wish you happy first year anniversary, as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Madam, as you are aware, ‘corruption’ has been the bane of human and infrastructure development in Nigeria. I need not to educate you on how much of the nation’s wealth has been stolen and stashed overseas by many of our leaders since independence.

You will also agree with me that you were appointed as anti-corruption Czar at a very important time in the nation’s history. It was at a time, the nation lost one of its finest and passionate law enforcement officers in strange, but not unusual circumstances. This is in the person of Nuhu Ribadu. Whilst he had his flaws, your predecessor Nuhu Ribadu demonstrated that it was possible to fight the ‘beast’ called corruption. Up until 24 months ago, “the fear of Nuhu Ribadu was the beginning of wisdom”.

Although your apologists may say that you’ve only been in office for 12 months, but I think it is important that we start asking the right questions. As they say, “the signs of a good weekend should be obvious on Friday”. Firstly, should you have accepted the EFCC job? And secondly, what has been your achievement so far?

For me, your 12 months in office has been marred with nothing but sleaze. Your appointment in itself was controversial. The fact that you were appointed under controversial circumstances was enough to demonstrate that you were brought in to do your masters’ bidding. And so far, you have done perfectly well in protecting the interest of your lords and masters.

In a country with endemic corruption such as Nigeria, the position of EFCC Chairman is for people with unblemished moral integrity and financial accountability. However, it is on record that prior your appointment; you were retained as a consultant by many of the former Governors to help fight their corruption charges. This represents serious conflict of interest, and for this reason you should have been the last person to be appointed as the EFCC Chairman.

Madam - in the last 12 months - in concert with the Attorney-General you have successfully subverted the anti-corruption campaign. Under your leadership, the EFCC has now become an appendage of the Justice Ministry. You have colluded with Attorney-General to undo what Nuhu Ribadu achieved in five years, in less than 12 months! Only God knows what will happen by time you complete your tenure in four years time.

I also noted your recent comments, that 2010 will be hard for corrupt politicians. Madam, if I may ask, is there anything you will do differently in 2010? Because your track record at the EFCC is telling. Since your assumption of office, you have been unable to successful prosecute any of the former governors. All you do is to look for excuses and lay blames on the judiciary. If Nuhu Ribadu was able o secure court judgment against the likes of Tafa Balogun and Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, then what is your problem? Instead of getting on with your job, you keep asking for special courts to try corrupt individuals. For your information, Nuhu Ribadu did not ask for a ‘special court’ to prosecute corrupt individuals. For me, I can’t seem to understand the need for these special courts.

Madam, let the truth be told, you have failed in your role as the EFCC Chairman. You have failed to build on the foundation laid by your predecessor. Your ineptitude has only encouraged our leaders to continue to steal with impunity. Instead of concentrating on the task at hand, you look for every opportunity to launch scathing remarks against your predecessor. It is the likes of you and the Attorney-General that will continue to make Nuhu Ribadu a hero.

Madam, for how long will you and Attorney-General continue to destroy our nation? We have now become a ‘rogue’ state, thanks to your subversion of anti-corruption principles. We are now been perceived as a nation of time wasters when it comes to corruption, thanks to your ‘rule of law’ syndrome. Foreign countries will not even share intelligence with your agency due to lack of trust. You collude with Attorney-General to embark on wild goose-chase that is devoid of any sense of purpose. You even had the moral authority to criticise an organisation such as Human Rights Watch. Now that you have spent one year in office, can you point out any non-governmental organisation local or international that has commended you for job well done. The answer is NONE!

And by the way, whilst reading the transcripts of your one year anniversary media briefing, I noted that the name of the Ex-Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori was ‘conspicuously’ missing from the list of former Governors under investigation. Can we assume that it was an oversight? Or can we simply take it as an indirect confirmation that James Ibori is no longer under EFCC investigation?

Madam, please consider these issues very seriously. I want to believe that there is still ample time for you to redeem your image.

Kind regards


Concerned Nigerian