Yar’Adua not sincere about corruption fight - Falana

Ayodele Adesanmi, Abuja - 25.02.2008

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, said in Abuja at the weekend that President Umaru Yar’Adua did not have the capacity to tackle corruption in the country.

He said this was manifest in his planned efforts “to kill the most visible anti-corruption agency in the country, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”

Falana, speaking at the formation of the Movement Against Corruption (MAC), stated that initial intention of President Yar’Adua was to scrap the commission but the out cry of the civil society organisations in the country changed his mind.

“Initially, the idea was to outrightly scrap it but this regime, being one that had perfected kite flying as an art, gauged the mood of the nation and sensed that its credibility drive would be undermined and decided to toy with the idea of merger with the Independent Corupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

“It finally had to drop the idea for now because of the pressure from us all,” he said.

Falana stressed that the administration had no capacity to tackle the rot left behind by the immediate past administration because it was an offshoot of that administration.

He said the civil society organisations “have reached a consensus to take over the battle as opposed to a situation in which the government would want to give us the impression that it was sincere with the fight whereas it is more interested in perpetrating corruption for the benefits of its cronies.”