Magu: Some Nigerians don’t believe corruption is wrong
Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says not all Nigerians believe that corruption is wrong.
Speaking on Tuesday after a media workshop organised for journalists covering activities of the commission, Magu stated that the fact he was functioning in acting capacity as chairman of the EFCC has only given him determination to fight against corruption.
“You can’t make everybody to key in because some people don’t believe corruption is wrong; you should not expect 100 percent acceptance but I’m sure a greater number of Nigerians are with us,” Magu said.
“The fact that I’m acting gives me more determination. You never know, when I’m there [confirmed] I’ll crush it [corruption].
“That’s why sometimes I put EFCC on 24 hours basis so that we can do what we can within the available time [of acting capacity]. I think I have more determination to clear the ground as much as we can.
“The evil of corruption affects everybody so it is our duty to put our house in order. It is not only for us [FCC] as we cannot claim monopoly of knowledge of fighting corruption; everybody is a stakeholder. If we work together, we are going to record tremendous success.”
He added that he was not expecting to be pampered by journalists, saying: “When I’m wrong, tell me. It is easier for you to correct my wrong doings so I want to hear the wrongs so that we can correct them, there’s nothing like perfection.”
Please define corruption, then. Help us identify corruption in our daily life. Let us put an end to it from the ground level up, okay?
Good talk Mr. Magu….you gotta do what you gotta do to make it work! Question is, with all the media coverage on largescale corruption, massive treasury lootings and huge recovery claims by the current Nigerian government, when will any of these big thieves be prosecuted, convicted, actually handcuffed and sent to prison? Or set free if cleared of all charges? It’s looking like ‘too much noise and little action’ on this war against corruption. How can anyone take you serious when many of the accused persons are still holding their coveted positions and still spending freely as if nothing ever happened?
In the US, from 2010 to 2015, there were nearly 150 politicians and public officials convicted of various degrees of fraud and racketeering. Many of those convicted did not even benefit financially from the crimes they were accused of. Many received sentences ranging from a few days to several years in prison once it’s proven that they have violated their oath of office. The amount of money involved has little or no relevance. No system in the world is perfect, but until this government begins to build the structure that will see accused persons prosecuted, convicted/acquitted and sentenced appropriately, the current war against corruption will end up like the previous ones, quickly forgotten! It’s so frustrating anytime I hear this policy or that policy will not work in Nigeria but someone or a group made the decision the pay a Nigerian legislator multiple times the salary of the US President for doing nothing, and we are talking of recession in Nigeria….
What efcc boss is saying is true, because he alone he can not fight corruption. He really needs our help