Falana says laws must be passed and enforced to deter corruption
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Lawmakers’ failure to pass vital bills is fueling corruption and Nigeria’s number one disease will continue to fester and spread, says Femi Falana, who adds that Muhammadu Buhari has long backed out of his promised fight against graft.
Falana, a respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) with an illustrious history of human rights fights dating back more than four decades, said among the critical anti-corruption draft laws gathering dust in the National Assembly (NASS) are:
- Proceeds Of Crime Bill
- Witness protection Bill
- Whistleblower Bill
He argued that Buhari also encourages greed and graft by his refusal to assent to the Federal Audit Bill the NASS passed in 2018, reneging on his promise to tackle corruption on the campaign trail in 2015, which persuaded voters to elect him.
Corruption will continue to thrive in Nigeria, Falana insisted, unless pertinent bills are not just passed into laws but such laws enforced to deter criminals and those who want to emulate them.
Falana was speaking at the 26th Anti-corruption Situation Room on ‘The State of Anti-Corruption in Nigeria: Assessment of 2021 and Setting Agenda for 2022’ organised in Abuja by HEDA Resource Centre.
To win the anti-graft war, he stressed, the narrative has to change to focus on other sectors breeding corruption rather than concentrating on public office and public office holders alone.
In his view, there is need to also focus on human traffickers, drug traffickers, ritual killers, internet fraudsters draining national resources.
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Anti-corruption fight abandoned
Falana urged Abuja to set up a team of committed international lawyers, bankers, and accountants to trace and recover $500 billion stolen from the treasury over the years.
“The government will have to decide before next year whether it wants to leave a legacy of anti-corruption but right now, the anti-corruption crusade has been abandoned by the government,” he said, per reporting by The Nation.
“The National Assembly that is controlled by the ruling party has not passed the Proceeds Of Crime Bill, the Witness Protection Bill and the Whistleblower Bill.
“To compound the problem, the National Assembly passed the Federal Audit Bill in 2018 but the President refused to assent to it.
“I hope the Electoral Amendment Bill will be signed tomorrow [today] but the Electoral Offences Commission Bill is being jettisoned by the National Assembly.
“So, if you want to fight corruption, you need to ensure that these bills are passed into law.
Fighting corruption by improving living conditions
“More importantly, the government will have to address the gross mismanagement of the economy and the implementation of neo-liberal policies dictated by the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and the World Bank.
“Without challenging the programmes that promote poverty in our country, you cannot fight corruption.
“Civil servants do not believe that their gratuity will be paid when they are retiring. They do not believe that their pension will be paid and so, you are inviting them to be corrupt.
“If your take-home [pay] cannot take you home, you cannot but be corrupt and that is why the government must address the condition of service, living conditions of Nigerians, and also put policies in place that will encourage citizens to fight corruption nationwide.
Recovering $500b looted from the treasury
“It has been disclosed that the money that has been stolen from this country is not less than $500 billion and I have not seen any concrete effort to recover the huge fund.
“What I am suggesting is that the government will need a team of international lawyers, bankers and accountants who can pursue the recovery.
“It requires some expertise and that is not being shown so far and that is why we have not been able to recover substantial funds.”
About HEDA Resource Centre
Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre is a non-governmental organisation and non-partisan human rights and development league in Nigeria.
It conducts research, policy advocacy, training, as well as citizens’ awareness and mobilisation on core human development issues, including agriculture, food security, climate change, human rights, public sector accountability and electoral reform processes, according to its website www.hedang.org .
