TheCable

Yusuf Maitama Sule, former minister of national guidance, says public officials convicted of looting should be banned from partisan politics and government offices.

In an interview with NAN on Sunday, the elderstatesman recommended that the ban should be backed by a law passed by the national assembly.

“This will be possible when there is a law to back it and we hope the law will be enacted soon to support the idea,” he was quoted as saying.

He said the fear of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had become the “beginning of wisdom” for public officers.

“EFCC has done extremely well in the discharge of its responsibilities so far, as there are a lot of recovered looted funds now,” he said.

“But the biggest challenge for EFCC is that it can investigate but it does not have the power to spend money and utilise it for other purposes.”

Maitama Sule, who is also a former Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, also called for an enabling law for the government to utilise the recovered looted funds to improve the living standard of Nigerians, “especially the common man”.

He suggested that recovered funds be used to revitalise education, agriculture and power sectors in order to give the nation’s moribund industries a new lease of life.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for tackling insurgency, saying even the “most diehard cynics” cannot fault him in this regard.

“We have to thank God Almighty for the peace that has since been restored in the country and we will continue to pray for its sustenance,” he said.

“No meaningful development can be achieved in any country without peace and even the most diehard cynics know that President Buhari has done well in terms of restoration of peace in the country.”

He urged Nigerians to continue to support and show understanding to the government in its determination to restore sanity in the country.