– The former lawmaker says the menace can be reduced to its barest minimum.
Hon. Eseme Eyiboh has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari in his determination to combat corruption but said the menace cannot go away.
In an interview the former member of the House of Representatives for Eket federal constituency of Akwa Ibom said corruption can only be reduced but can’t go away completely.
“Corruption, in any way you want to look at it, is unprecedented. We need speed-breakers to be able to minimise this corruption to the barest minimum. And of course, part of these speed breakers is the issue of ethical integrity, national consciousness and of course, wanting to grow this thinking that would ignite the collective responsibility of the Nigerian people to be able to build the strength in our diversity and at some point too, build a integrity and national consciousness.
“First and foremost, I don’t believe that the word “fight” is the appropriate word for corruption. You can only manage corruption. All over the world, every effort at going about corruption either by institutional framework is not the issue of fighting, but management.”
“Corruption can’t go away anywhere in a human community excepting in heaven.
“We need speed-breakers to minimise, especially when it has to do with public safety. If, for example, you have a road where drivers kill people and there is misuse of the road signs, speed-breakers is intended not to stop people from using the road, but to reduce excesses. The situation has gone now to show to the ordinary man in the street that if the Senate President could be going through trial, then you have to watch out. It is part of it-equality before the law and being answerable to the law. Look at some of the trials going on now.
“Before now, the State Security Service acted like a public relations company, but now, you begin to see the issue of professionalism. What I am saying that in public places now, we have a lot of intelligence. The primary task of the State Security Service was high intelligence and to do what was called inter-agency collaboration and synergise to bring about the safety of the people. But at a point, they went outside that realm. Now, they are synergising and collaborating again.
” On the issue that the government was not following the rule of law in combatting corruption, the former lawmaker said it was false but that people were not aware of the tactics the government was employing.
“An example here: if I am a robbery kingpin and I went with you on a robbery in Ogun state and I went with another person for kidnapping in Lagos and I participated in a burglary, those are three major issues of crime. And if I am facing trial on the one I participated with you, that does not take me away from facing trial for my actions that have to do with kidnapping. That you have five criminal cases and you’ve only gone to court on one and granted bail on that one does not in any way take you away from being re-arrested for the other crime. So, the state, in itself, is at liberty to be able to look at these matters issues by issues. An average Nigerian should understand that we need the rule of law, ethical integrity and subject ourselves to a regime of the constitution.
“ Meanwhile, comrade Denja Yaqub who is the assistant general secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress has criticised the anti-corruption fight of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
According to the labour executive, the whole fight was all bark and no bite and urged the fight to be more strategic.
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