I saw Ribadu in Rwanda
By Reuben Abati

I RAN into him at the reception lobby of the Hotel Des Milles Collines in Kigali. He had just arrived and was trying to check into the hotel: Nuhu Ribadu, the erstwhile Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission who lost his job under rather controversial circumstances, and who is regarded as having been unfairly treated by the Yar’Adua government. I hugged him. He had lost nothing of his humility, his sense of humour and his humanity. He didn’t look like a man who had just been rough-tackled by the unpredictable Nigerian state whose moral compass is subject solely to the whims and caprices of whoever is in charge, and not necessarily principles and values.
 
The following morning, we sat together on the same long table, and I slipped a note to him. I wanted an interview with him for The Guardian. It is about time he told his story at great length. He read my note, and picked up his pen. I noticed that he is a Southpaw, and I chuckled remembering how so many southpaws tend to find themselves in the hot corners of history. In his response, he had said “we would discuss.” We were both attending a conference organised by UNECA in collaboration with UNDP to assess the efficiency and impact of anti-corruption institutions in Africa. There were anti-corruption chiefs in attendance from various African countries.

Ribadu wouldn’t grant an interview, but he was ready to discuss. “I think it is better for me to remain silent now”, he says. “I am using this period to reflect on what we did. You know when I took up the job in 2003, I resolved that I will try my utmost best. And walahi, I tried. I took the assignment seriously. Maybe I failed, but at least we proved that it is possible. So, I have been thinking and trying to figure out what further should have been done or could have been done differently.” We were soon asked to introduce ourselves. When it was Ribadu’s turn, he told the meeting: “I am Nuhu Ribadu, former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria, currently recuperating from a bloodied nose”. The hall cracked into laughter. But the other anti-corruption chiefs and operatives would not laugh later when Ribadu took part in a country case studies panel.

There has been so much speculation about Ribadu’s whereabouts in the Nigerian press. But the fact is that he is currently a Senior Fellow at St Antony’s College in Oxford University in the United Kingdom, working with Professor Paul Collier, the leading authority on African economies and politics. St Antony’s College has become the sanctuary for many progressives who get into trouble in the developing world. Ribadu stays in a residence that was recently vacated by Anwal Ibrahim, the embattled former Prime Minister of Malaysia whose only offence was that he fell out of favour with his boss, Mahathir Muhammed. “Such a nice man”, Ribadu says. “he left me his plates and cutlery and kitchen utensils.” One of the persons Ribadu met on arrival at St Antony’s is John Githongo, the Kenyan newspaper columnist and anti-corruption campaigner who had to flee from Kenya in 2005, after he discovered that the majorly corrupt persons in the country are his own colleagues: Ministers and the big men of Kenyan society. Githongo got their confessions on tape, but they told him bluntly that they are the ones milking Kenya dry. One fateful day, Githongo packed his bags and fled to London, from where he sent a letter resigning his position as Permanent Secretary for Ethics and Governance in Kibaki’s NARC Government. He has now returned to Kenya where he enjoys massive media and civil society support, and his book, written by Michela Wrong and titled It’s Our Turn To Eat will be released in London on February 23. It will go on sale in Nairobi the same day.

Unlike Githongo, Ribadu did not run away immediately he discovered that he had fallen out of favour. He stayed and tried to fight the system. He was sidelined and sent to a course he didn’t ask for in Kuru near Jos. Behind his back, they gave his job to someone else, without regard to the security of tenure. Then, they demoted him in what looked like a routine administrative exercise, but the political undertones were writ large. When he tried to resist the system, they shoved him out of the graduation hall at Kuru, and his employers, the Police sent him to Siberia: what Nigerians would call the Ogbugbuaja treatment. Ribadu got lawyers and again tried to fight back. He refused to report for duty. He refused to wear the uniform of the new rank.

One day, assassins trailed him and pumped bullets into his car. Having served in the Nigeria Police for more than two decades, he could spot a warning shot if one was fired in his direction. So, Ribadu succumbed to the logic of Bob Marley’s lyrics: “He who fights and runs away, will live to fight another day.” He is not likely to come anywhere Nigeria for a while. Those who do not like his face and his work have effectively driven him out of town. But he is a determined man. “What has happened to me is just a temporary setback”, he concludes. “I am a fighter, I don’t give up. I don’t believe the people who think they have dealt with me will have the last laugh.”

Like Githongo, Ribadu is spending his period in exile to think and write. “I am working on two books”, he told me. The working title for the first book is “The Problem of Corruption in Africa: The Nigerian Experience.” He explained: “You know corruption is the biggest problem we have in Africa. It is so central to the problems we have. But to fight corruption, the biggest man in government, the President or the Prime Minister must be honest about it. That is where it starts. Americans talk about Obama. We need change in Nigeria more than America does. What I discovered is that we have a challenge to give power to ordinary Nigerians, to ordinary people, to take it from the politicians. And we don’t have time. Change is important.” He didn’t have a working title for his proposed second book. But he offered an outline of its posssible contents.

“When I look back, I realise that some of the people who liked what I did also have issues with some of the things we did. I plan to do a second book to address some of their concerns. I intend to show for example that we deliberately went after grand corruption because that is where the problem is. We interrogated the Governors, the Senate President, the Vice President. I put a Bank Director, Bulama in handcuffs. The moment we did that, the banks knew immediately that there were no sacred cows. We needed to send a strong signal that corruption will not be condoned and the cleansing process had to start from the stop. The day I took the job, I knew that it could end up like this. I knew that I could be victimised or dismissed or killed. It could have been worse. That I am alive today is by the Grace of the Almighty and I am grateful. But my position is that some people just have to make the sacrifice to save our country. I swear by the Almighty that wherever there are people who are trying to make Nigeria a better country, I will be among them. Walahi.”

Another objective Ribadu intends to achieve in the second book is to comment on a number of case studies. “People go about saying that Obasanjo used me to go after his enemies, Obasanjo didn’t use me, in fact may be it is the other way round. If you check, you will notice that the people we went after were actually Obasanjo’s people. Alamiyeseigha was very close to the President. Odili was also very close to him. Saminu Turaki was an Obasanjo man. I deliberately did not go after the opposition. Yes, we investigated Orji Kalu. We also investigated Bola Tinubu. I know the President’s people would have wanted the EFCC to go after a man like Ken Nnamani. But we needed to start with the Obasanjo people to make a point that nobody is above the law. And that was why we investigated the President himself, And we went after his daughter. I was in Kuru then, but I knew about the Iyabo case. If we want to clean up our country, then let us do it. And that was why I went after Atiku. Atiku is from the same village with me. But Nigeria is more important. It belongs to all of us, not some powerful people.”

Ribadu’s book is also a response to questions about due process and the rule of law. “People complain that we didn’t obey the rule of law, that we violated due process and they use specific instances to criticise us. I plan to respond to all those criticisms. Take a man like former IG Tafa Balogun. I didn’t like what happened myself. I was against putting him in handcuffs. But I have to be sensitive to the people who work under me. They came to me and accussed me of double standards. When I accepted the job, I was inspired by the example of Jerry Rawlings of Ghana who went after the big fish and changed his country for good. So we decided that if we could put a Bank MD in handcuffs and follow that up with an Inspector General of Police, then Nigerians would realise that we meant serious business. That was what happened. I am a human being. I make mistakes. I admit that. But I was honest about what I did. So they say we abused the rule of law? What is rule of law? The same rule of law that has now been used to recapture Nigeria?”

I told Ribadu I can’t wait to read and review his books. When are they coming out? “This year. By July. We have to keep the anti-corruption campaign alive. For me personally, there is nothing left for me other than to dedicate myself to the struggle. I am not seeking to be an Obama. But people must be prepared to make the sacrifice. We need change more than America.” How is he these days? “I sleep well these days”, he said. “My needs are minimal. Look at this pair of slippers”. I checked: an over-abused pair of slippers with worn edges and threatening holes. “I have been wearing this since 2003 and I am okay. But I must tell you I have enjoyed a lot of goodwill since I left office. I was offered jobs by many international organisations. I receive invitations to attend conferences and to write books. I came here for example from Lusaka. I am happy to know that there are people out there who have faith in human progress and integrity.”

It was soon the turn of Ribadu to participate in a panel discussion focussing on country case studies. There were contributions from representatives of Nigeria’s EFCC and the ICPC, but Ribadu’s comments had a special accent which struck a chord among the participants. He said: “If you fight corruption, it fights back. If you go after petty corruption nothing will happen to you, But if you go after grand corruption, you’d be taking on the politicians and they have the money. And they will come after you, But you can choose to go to bed with them and you’d continue to be Chairman or Director, and you can go to conferences and enjoy tea and collect estacodes. But I made a choice, I decided to go after the big ones, even if they were the ones that put me there, I investigated President Obasanjo, I took his statement myself. I went after his daughter, a Senator, I went after Governors, I charged all of them to court. One of them offered me $500, 000 US and a house in Seychelles and an aircraft, but I rejected all of that. By the time I left EFCC, I had 275 convictions in a country that never had one on cases of grand corruption, I charged the Vice President to court – somebody from my village. I proved that it can be done.

“It is the most difficult work to do. To confront it will require people who make sacrifice like Mandela, like the people who fought for independence in our various countries. It requires people who have courage, people who do not think that they want to enjoy. If you want to enjoy, it is not the kind of work you can do. I have no regrets. It requires a strong will to make sacrifice. You have to make a fundamental decsiion. It can even mean you lose your life. They will try to compromise you, They will try to blackmail you. I survived an assassination attempt. I have bullets in my car. I intend to keep that car for life. I have no regrets. You have the media. You have to carry them along, be open, be accountable. I have never given a penny to anybody in the media, But there is no newspaper in Nigeria that has not made me Man of the Year, even though I charged some publishers to court and even threatened to close down newspapers. Which shows that people are good. If they see that you mean well, they will support you. I am out now, but Nigeria has changed. You need international co-operation. You also need to build capacity.

“We built a Financial Intelligence Unit, you have to be in control of Financial intelligence in your country. because money is at the root of all forms of corruption. If you track the money, you can stop the corruption. Be on the side of your own people. Don’t be on the side of the leaders. A President will go, but the country will be there, Those who are in control, it is only temporary. History will judge you and you will never regret.”

1. Nigeria was ranked as the 9th best performer in doing business in Africa at the 108th position behind Mauritius, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, Ghana, Swaziland, and Ethiopia.
2. Unlike Ghana (109 to 87), Mozambique (140 to 134), Kenya (82 to 72), Burkina Faso (165 to 161) who made some form of progress towards reformation, Nigeria was stagnant at 108.
3. Abuja had the shortest time to start a business at 22 days while it took at least 57 days in Cross River which came in last.
4. Abuja scored best in terms of bottlenecks while Abia was last.
5. It is cheapest to start a business in Abuja while it is most expensive in Cross River.
6. There is a variance in administrative fees required to start up a business.
7. It is easiest to do business in Kaduna while it is most difficult to do business in Ogun State.
8. If the best practices are adopted, there is a potential of Nigeria’s ranking improving from the 108th position to the 51st position.

The Growth Report - Africa Highlights (126)
The Growth Report - Presentation (117)

Other findings include:

1. The performance of all Nigerian states is weakest in the area of registering property. Governor consent for property transfers is the main source of delays and high costs of property transfers throughout Nigeria. The delays in granting consent are longest in states where every consent is signed by the state governor, and shorter where the authority to grant consent has been delegated to another government official. Currently, all Nigerian states would rank low in the global Doing Business ranking. Abuja, FCT — Nigeria’s top performer on this indicator — would rank only 157 out of 178 economies worldwide.
2. Registering a business has become significantly easier across Nigeria, thanks to computerization of the registry, establishment of zonal branches of Corporate Affairs Commission, and new Stamp Duty offices. Company registration remains fastest in Abuja, where the headquarters of Corporate Affairs Commission are located.
3. Compliance with building regulation is easier and cheaper in northern states. There is wide variance in the cost of obtaining building permits across Nigeria. A permit for the same warehouse would cost just 25% of Nigeria’s income per capita in Sokoto, and 826% in Lagos.
4. There are substantial differences in the time and cost to enforce a commercial contract in Nigeria. Typically, court performance is better in states that have already implemented the new High Court rules, such as Abuja, FCT, Lagos, and Kaduna. Across the country, enforcement time substantially contributing to delays in recovery of commercial debts.

Honestly, I think this is a shame. Why else would the authorities ask him to go on a year-long study leave if it isnt because they are protecting some people and are afraid that he is stepping on toes to get the job done. Can the government still claim that they want to fight corruption when the head of the anti-corruption agency is being sidelined?
Read more on BBC.

James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State was arrested yesterday and will be arraigned on 103 counts of corruption.

He is claiming that the trial was meant to tarnish Nigeria’s image and its justice system. What B.S? I would have expected that he would support such trials. If he wants the case to be stopped, does he plan to try Ibori in Nigeria? If not, the guy should shut up!

Here is Reuben Abati’s opinion piece in Guardiand Newspapers of Friday, November 2nd.

 
Etteh-tainment
By Reuben Abati
“SOMEBODY should do a home video on Patricia Olubunmi Etteh’s story” “Or a stage play” “Absolutely. It is perfect material for a dramatist.”

“Such a pity I can’t find the time to do fiction. I would have loved to do a special copy for posterity. Hopefully, some day, someone will find the Etteh material useful for a play script or a movie.”
“I have a ready title: Woman of Ikire”
“Why Ikire? I believe even the people of Ikire are embarrassed that their daughter has brought them so much disgrace”
“Okay: How about The fall of a Speaker?”
“My friend, can you be a bit more imaginative?”
” Okay. Etekete will be a good title then. Perfect in fact”
“Except that there is a copyright on that. It has already been used by Segun Gbadegesin in The Nation.”
“Yeah. I read him. He said Etteh yi a lo lau/Bo gbe ina kari, lau/Bo wo ewu eje, lau/Etteh yi a lo”
“And the woman is gone, She is gone. It is a triumph for civil society.”
“The Presidency says it is a triumph for the rule of law”

“Except that most of the people using that term don’t really know what it means. The way they are mouthing rule of law, rule of law, these days, you would think it is some strange formula or a branch of rocket science. And if you ask me, I would say the rule of law ought to be given. Nobody should contemplate the misrule of law. I am in fact amused when people say that President Yar’Adua ‘s main achievement is the rule of law. When I was much younger and we learning how to dance, we were taught to move quick, quick, quick, slow, slow, quick, quick. But Yar’Adua is just doing slow, slow, slow, slow slow, slow, slow.”

“Let us give the man his due credit. If the Etteh saga had occurred under Baba, I can bet that Etteh will still be in office today.
“No. She was bound to go. The opposition was too strong. But I just hope that she and her sponsors would have learnt the right lessons. Because if they do not, then we are in very serious trouble.”
“We must thank members of the Integrity Group for their resilience, for their vigilance.”
“Civil society too. All the forces in civil society who stood up to say that Nigerians expect a certain minimum standard of conduct from their leaders: probity, integrity and accountability.”
“And decency, please. We have to keep insisting that our leaders should act decently. Look there are too may people in high places in this country who do not know that there is something called shame in the dictionary.”

“That woman broke all the codes”
“That is the problem with the reign of Peter’s principle in Nigerian politics”
“Peter’s principle?”
“Yes, Peter’s principle. When people are promoted beyond their level of competence.”
“No be Baba cause am?”
“I hear Baba was not alone in the management of that matter”
“Which matter?”
“The same matter that we are discussing”
“I think Peter’s principle should become Patricia’s principle. Beats me how a hair dresser made it to one of the topmost positions in the country.”
“This is Nigeria my brother. There are so many square pegs in round holes. Have you not seen graduates of chemistry prescribing drugs in hospitals; and graduates of religion running oil companies?”

“Etteh’s exit is worth celebrating. One lesson that has been passed across is that persons in leadership positions cannot just behave as they wish. They have to conform with basic rules of morality. They must act right, do things properly and have the fear of God.”
“You know that woman lied till the very end.”
“Her Deputy played smart. Babangida Nguroje. It was Etteh that took all the flak. He simply stayed in the shadows.”
“You no hear im name? Maradona. But in any case, a Deputy is a spare tyre.”
“Another lesson in the whole saga is that the people should never be taken for granted. Etteh and her Deputy did not want to leave. But the Nigerian people stood their ground. They spoke with one voice that it is indecent for a public official to try to renovate a building with over N200 million, buy cars, furnish an official residence and ask for a body massager in addition”

“You know when I heard that bit about body massager, I was angry. Body massager for N90 plus million. I could provide the same services free of charge and I will do a better job than a machine!”
“Craze dey worry you”
“Person wey craze dey for Aro”
“There are more mad people on the streets and in government than there are in psychiatric hospitals. That is what you don’t know Look psychiatrists talk about bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety neurosis, sometimes you don’t know what is worrying some people.”
“I don’t get your drift”
“I hear the woman wept”
“Even our Lord wept”
“And Jesus wept”
“And Patricia wept”
“Etekete”
“Etteh-tainment”
“Candidly I think the people at Ebinpejo lane should do a movie on this”
“If the marketer at Ebinpejo lane won’t act, then may be whoever is at Iweka street, Onitsha”
“You sef. You don kolo.”
“I like the kind of messages that are showing up in the public domain these days. At least, politicians now know that they can’t just get rid of their opponents by hook or crook and expect to get away with such impunity. A tribunal or a court of law can reverse the decision and do justice”

“But now that Etteh is gone, I hope the lawmakers will settle down and do some work for the Nigerian people. Each one of them has collected over N60 million in the past three months, all for doing nothing.”
“One of them actually said so”
“Etteh’s disgrace is not just about Patricia Etteh, it is a comment on the political leadership elite and in particular the Peoples Democratic Party, and the quality of representation in the present National Assembly”

“Every National Assembly that we have had since 1999 looks like a bad copy of a familiar one”
“We may still witness more interesting episodes. Something tells me that the Etteh syndrome is not yet over.”
“But one point has been made and that should serve as a lesson again to other public officials that public appointment should be about service not self enrichment. Etteh was so much into herself, her selfishness infuriated me”
“That is why she is a hair dresser”
“In her resignation letter, she even lied to Nigerians. She said she was resigning in the interest of democracy and Nigeria. When did democracy and Nigeria become so important to her?”
“Nguroje said he had to resign in order to move Nigeria forward.”
“I agree. Nigeria is better off without those two. The Etteh saga brought Nigeria to a standstill. Even the 2008 Budget could not be presented to the House. It had to wait. Hopefully, the country can now move forward”

“You know the way my mind is working?”
“How is it working?”
“The way my mind is working…”
“Be careful. Too many people have heart attack these days, and I hear when you overwork your heart, something could just snap and you are a dead man.”

“I think Patricia Etteh owes Nigerians an apology.”
“Absolutely”
“She needs to show that she is contrite. She needs to admit that she conducted herself in a manner that was less than honourable. I get the impression that she still doesn’t get the point. She is adamant. She is still behaving like a victim whereas she should be very sorry indeed.”

“She says the media has never said anything nice about her.”
“The media is not a propaganda arm of the National Assembly, please”
“But she says she loves all journalists”
“She doesn’t need to love us. Let her read newspapers”
“You think she doesn’t read newspapers?”

“She behaves like someone who does not read newspapers. Because if she does, she would have offered to step aside immediately the Idoko report was submitted. And if she did, she may have attracted some sympathy which could have worked in her favour.”

“But all the papers were abusing her.”
“It is the duty of the media to stand by the truth and to set agenda and act as the conscience of society”
“I think Etteh is a disgrace to her gender. The first woman to serve as Speaker of the House of Reps and in less than three months she blew the chance of the womenfolk.”
“Gender is too strong a word in this matter. This is not about gender. It is all about Patricia Etteh and her own choices. Whatever has happened to her or whatever she has done has nothing to do with Nigerian women. Don’t forget that a lot of women criticised her conduct. Even the National Association of Beauticians joined the Labour Congress to protest at the doorsteps of the National Assembly. Before she finally agreed to resign, some women knelt down before her and begged her to throw in the towel”

“But what kind of system produces her type? She is out of office but we have to worry about the system that throws up her type and empowers them beyond their level of competence”
“It is the Nigerian system, what other system are you looking for? The truth is that many competent people do not want to go into politics. It is too risky.”
“Because really, on second thoughts, I pity the woman. To rise so far and to fall so heavily.”
“I don’t think she is feeling that hurt. She is a hair dresser. Hair dressers are used to getting into fights and moving on. They will fight and utter threats but when the next customer ambles along, they will put a smile on their faces and go for their articles of trade.”

“We are talking about governance, about the big stage, not some funny beauty parlour. The personal lesson for Etteh is that Nigeria is not a beauty parlour. It is serious business.”
“May be now that the woman is no longer the Speaker, she can set up a hair dressing salon close to the National Assembly.”
“She may get something better than that. Don’t be surprised if she shows up later as the Chairperson of a House Committee.”
“The committees have been constituted”
“They could be re-constituted now that a new Speaker is in the chair.”
“Dimeji Bankole”
“I only hope he too has learnt the lessons of Etteh’s fall”
“He is another Egba man”
“Meaning what?”
“Well, I hear is not from Owu”.

 When will this shame end? The saga sorrounding the Speaker of the House of Representatives continues. The speaker, Ms Etteh has refused to resign over the contract scandal. And now there is the story that Honourable Aminu Safana of Katsina dies during a scuffle during the house of represenatives session debating Ms Etteh’s case?  I am forced to ask – how many people must die for her to do the right thing?  

EFCC were set to charge former Abia State Governor, Kalu for corruption. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) tried to takeover the case from the EFCC and the EFCC pointedly refused to hand over the case to the MOJ. The Minister of Justice then demanded an apology from EFCC Chairman, Mr Ribadu, who refused to tender any apology for embarassing the Attorney Genera.

Earlier this week, Gani Fawenhimi demanded that the AG resign. Very few people have come out to back the Attorney General. To make matters worse, The Senate has stated that they fully back the EFCC in this matter.

So the story continues…

I just hope that for the sake of the respect the great Nigerian women deserve, she will step down.

Cost of renovating the Speaker’s house

IT is the most telling sign of the times, that nothing shocks Nigerians any more. Yet, the widespread condemnation that greeted the latest scandal in the House of Representatives shows just how appalled Nigerians have become at official misdemeanour. The whistle over the scandal was blown the other day by House Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Suleiman Kawu. He disclosed that contracts worth N628 million had been awarded for the renovation of the official residences of the Speaker, Hon. (Mrs.) Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, and her deputy, Alhaji Babangida Nguroje, and for the purchase of 12 cars, at a time when, and in a country where, poverty and disease are pandemic.

It is even more shocking that this contract award was among the first concrete actions of this session of the House of Representatives. What manner of legislators are these, who have done nothing to alleviate the condition of Nigerians, but have been busy awarding massive contracts to renovate their homes?

If, according to Hon. Eziuche Ubani, Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, the contract for the renovation of the two houses was “only N238 million” (or N.24 billion), it means that the balance of N390 million (or N.4 billion) was spent on 12 cars, at a cost of about N32.5 million each! It should be noted that what was allegedly done with the sum of N.24 billion was the renovation of existing buildings, refurbished only in 2003, and not the building of a residential estate or even the construction of two brand new houses.

In a country where the average citizen spends less than $1.00 per day, to expend the stated sum of N.238 billion on the renovation of the residences of only two of the several elected lawmakers in just one of the two chambers of the National Assembly trenches on scandalous prodigality, if not on a crime, and it places a moral burden on the national legislature.

The 1st to 5th sessions of the National Assembly, which held in the last administration, were dominated by bickering and stormy exchanges among “honourable” and “distinguished” members over money sharing, which stood between them and the discharge of their primary responsibility, the duty to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the country. The present scandal, the renovation of two houses and purchase of 12 cars for a colossal and dreadful sum of N628 million, raises a number of gnawing questions: First, shouldn’t the renovation of the Speaker’s and Deputy Speaker’s residences have been undertaken by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) whose properties those two houses are, in the first place?

Secondly, if the House of Representatives twisted the arms of the FCDA for permission to undertake the renovation exercise and to purchase the 12 cars by itself, was the said sum of N628 million budgeted for in the Capital Vote for the House? Thirdly, if so, did the release of that prodigious amount of money pass through due process in the House? Fourthly, if the official residences of the Speaker and her deputy cost N238,852,192.00 to renovate, for how much was Aso Rock, the seat of Federal power, renovated?

Fifthly, are there no established rules and procedure governing the award of contracts and fixing the maximum amounts in contracts for specific projects? Sixthly, did the alleged award of over N628 million contract to three firms through the notice board of the National Assembly accord with the established House rules and procedure? Seventhly, if the houses in question belonged to Speaker Patricia Etteh and the money for their renovation was to come from her own pocket, would she have endorsed the contract for the refurbishment of two houses that were comprehensively renovated only in 2003, and a N390 million contract for the purchase of 12 cars (i.e. at N32.5 million per car)?

Finally, shall we assume that some people in the lower chamber of the National Assembly are completely bereft of conscience? Surely, such wastage, such recklessness and acts of profligacy, underlie the sub-human existence confronting millions of Nigerians today.

Not a few Nigerians are beginning to wring their hands in utter frustration at a situation in which a massively discredited set of rulers most of whom got into office through a gravely flawed process, is routinely succeeded by a worst set. Only in July, last year, a damning report on Nigeria’s economic growth was released in a collaborative effort of two U.S.-based influential organisations, The Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal.

In the report, the two bodies ranked Nigeria 146th out of the 157 countries on the list. In fact, in sub-Saharan Africa, the report rated Nigeria above only one country: Zimbabwe! It can hardly be gainsaid that the bane of rancid corruption, unconscionable wastefulness and misfeasance is at the root of Nigeria’s abysmally low socio-economic growth. This explains why we had argued in previous editorials for the need to intensify the war against corruption, a morbid phenomenon, and to carry it further to the doorsteps of legislators and appointed public officials, at the Federal and state levels, including local government chairmen.

A panel must be instituted forthwith to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the alleged award of N628 million contract(s) for the renovation of two houses and for the purchase of 12 cars ostensibly for some principal officers of the House. For good measure, the probe must be done in the full glare of the public. And the ruling PDP must do nothing to sweep this scandal under the carpet. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Patricia Etteh, has in the face of the allegations, been busy offering excuses. This is shameful. Her honour and integrity are at stake. If she understands this to be so, she should act honourably by stepping aside, to allow proper investigations to be carried out.

I weeaaaaaak when I read that N628 million was approved legally (or illegally) to renovate the official quarters of the top senate officials. In an attempt to douse this controversy, Punch reports that they are now claiming it was just N238m and not N628m. They state that:

The contracts were for the renovation of Etteh’s official residence at a whopping cost of N238m, the renovation of the home of the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Babangida Nguroje, and the purchase of 12 cars.

Dem dey mad ni? People never eat and dem dey spend dis kain money to renovate house. Na gold dem use build de house ni? Why are our leaders just crooks? Why is it that they dont have any interest for the nation at hear? All they care about is their own self interest.

This new congress has not passed any noticeable law. They have not done anything substantial in the last 3 or so months. There was first the story that the speaker used public money for a B-day bash in the US and now this? This woman should be ashamed of herself. Ms. Etteh had the honour of being the first female speaker in Nigeria and this is now what she has become known for.

Today, Vanguard reports that she is under pressure to quit. Punch reports that she had a secret meeting with the Senate President in order to come up with a strategy. This Day reports that she is moving to douse the impeachment plot.

This is a bunch of BS. She should be impeached and imprisoned for that matter!