By Ogechukwu Agwu
The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, PACAC, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), debunked rumours by Nigeria elites’ that the present administration lacked framework and strategy for the fight against corruption.
Speaking recently at the PACAC- Youth Dialogue on corruption at the University of Lagos, Prof. Itse said since the present administration came to power, there had been a lot of work ongoing to produce a document, which would serve as a philosophy and strategy of the government in the fight against corruption. He assured Nigerians that the document would be ready and launched on the twenty seventh of this month in the nation’s capital this manual he said would be used for the management of corruption cases committee and introduced to the Ministry of Justice, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and some other agencies.”
“That manual is based on the philosophy that prosecution of corruption cases will be team work, which will consist of different parties to ensure sufficient evidence to achieve the object of the prosecution.’’
He urged the elites to cross check their facts and make necessary enquires before making a statement. “One thing that I have noticed among the elites is that we tend to criticise without finding out our fact. They just assumed that when they don’t know something, it does not exist, that is the arrogance of those of us who are elites, who are educated.”
The Vice President, Industrial Global Union, Issa Aremu, in his keynote address tasked Nigeria youth to see corruption as a means of new colonialism which today’s youth needed to fight against the same way the nation’s founding father fought against British colonialism. He said that corruption is eating the nation so deep and those who have been trusted are now taking advantage of the public resources at the expense of the public.
He said: “The Nigeria youth fought against British colonialism in the 40s and 50s, which led to independence. I think the youth of today should see corruption as a new challenge and the need to regain our independence from looters and criminals who have stolen our common wealth.
He charged the youth to pick up their strength and fight along the President to eradicate the nation of corruption. “The fight for corruption is a general one and should not be left for entirely to the anti- corruption agencies we need to wake up to the reality and join the fight against corruption because we cannot leave it to EFCC and ICPC but take it as our own struggle.”