… Says president has no hand in anyone’s travails, EFCC in order
By Lukman Olabiyi
chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committe on Anti-Corruption (PACA), Prof. Itse Sagay has denied that President Muhammadu Buhari is personally involved in the fight against corruption.
Sagay said if the present administration had not been elected, the economy would have been worse than it is.
He said critics of Buhari were ignorant of the modus operandi of how anti-graft agencies work.
Sagay disclosed this when he spoke in Lagos at the 2016 lecture and award ceremony of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC), Lagos chapter, with the theme: ‘The judiciary, media, anti-graft agencies and the fight against corruption.”
According to him, the President is not personally involved in the ongoing campaign because everything has procedure.
He stated the ongoing anti-corruption campaign was not a witch-hunt or effort to muscle out opposition.
“I am involved in the anti-corruption struggle, I have never received a call from the President giving me instructions on anything, he has assigned responsibilities and he is facing the governance of the country which is what he was elected for.
“We regard corruption cases from the last administration as low hanging fruits because they are the most obvious and have the most impact in terms of resolution.
“There have been changes in the last nine months, it is unfortunate for anybody to just say where is the change, when you have a leadership that has determination to eliminate evil.
“There is great hope for this country, let us encourage those who are working hard to bring our welfare and security to a normal level,” Sagay said.
Sagay insisted that the freezing of the bank account of the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was in order.
He stated that the fact the governor has immunity does not stop him from being investigated by the EFCC.
The don also commended the efforts of the EFCC which he said had been in the forefront of fighting corruption.
Besides, Sagay said the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 which was signed into law last year had hasten the prosecution of corruption cases unlike what obtained in the past.
He further disclosed that his committee had made various reforms that would tremendously aid the speedy dispensation of justice of high profile corruption cases in the country.
“We have created a new manual for prosecution of financial cases which will give prosecutors a step-by-step process for prosecution.
“We have recommended that for effective prosecution, the prosecution should be made up of a team comprising investigator, prosecutor and other lawyers.
“A series of workshops have been organised by the committee for 180 prosecutors across the country in which we brought in a number of experts to teach them how to draft charges to prevent the charges being faulted in court,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Godwin Obla, said the judiciary was pivotal in the fight against corruption.
“The institutional role of the judiciary puts it on a pedestal as a tool for social engineering which is done through the instrumentality of the court system.
“The judiciary cannot remain soulless, it must connect with the values of the people in justice delivery.
“The adjudicatory system in Nigeria supports case law, the interpretation of statutes by judges have a role in effective justice delivery, he said.”