The chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, on Friday, called for a shared vision and unity of citizens against corruption in Nigeria.
Mr Olukoyede made the call during the presentation of three books authored by Umar Yakubu, the Executive Director of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, in Abuja.
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The event, which took place at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, served as a platform for deliberation on solutions to corruption in Nigeria, a recurring theme in the books.
“We do the same thing that we condemned before we became part of them. This is a major problem we are facing in Nigeria. Foreigners are not the ones destroying our system, it is us.
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“Your brothers and your sisters are in government. You know, one way or the other, someone in the system. We encourage ourselves to do the wrong thing. When an investigation file is opened, you need to see the avalanche of telephone calls,” Mr Olukoyede said.
He urged Nigerians to “rise up” and “form ourselves into pressure groups – responsible and responsive pressure groups – not those who go out and collect money behind and call themselves activists.”
The EFCC chair said the “responsible and responsive pressure groups” must agree to “sign an undertaking and a bond, that if your brother or sister commits financial crime, you will not be in a position to help or to support.”
“So on note, I want us to look inwards. Not upwards. Don’t look at people and begin to condemn them. Look at yourself, and let us agree to do the right thing,” the EFCC chair said.
The books authored by Mr Yakubu include, ‘Nigeria Reimagined: Anchoring a Future on Integrity’, which was published by Premium Times Books, the publishing arm of Premium Times Group.
The two other books, published by Safari Books Ltd, are ‘The Shadow State: Public Sector Corruption in Nigeria: Causes, Consequences, and Reforms’, and ‘Shielding the Heartland: Rethinking Nigeria’s Border Security’.
Shedding light on the motivation for the trilogy, Mr Yakubu said he was provoked by the state of Nigeria.
The chairperson of the occasion, Ibrahim Gambari, a professor and former Minister of External Affairs, noted that the books are not merely literary works but represent calls to action and provide pathways to Nigeria’s future.
Similarly, Angela Nworgu, chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch, said the books are a comprehensive, diagnostic, and prescriptive analysis of issues facing the country.
Reviews
Nigeria Reimagined, Anchoring a Future on Integrity
Reviewing the book, Nigeria Reimagined: Anchoring a Future on Integrity’, Mr Gambari, who was Chief of Staff to then-President Muhammadu Buhari, said it provides a competitive vision for a new Nigeria.
He described the book as “a powerful antidote to the cynicism that often dominates our conversation about Nigeria’s future, which should not be seen as a mere dream, but an achievable reality.”
He added that the book challegnes Nigerians to embrace good values, while calling for imagining leaders as servants of the people for the restoration of public trust and good governance.
Contributing to the review, Shehu Abdullahi, former ambassador and professor of criminology and security studies, lauded the 268-page book, published by Premium Times Books, for being a captivating mixed grill of lamentations and solutions.
He said the lamentations are germane, conveying the frustration of Mr Umar regarding how Nigeria has been destroyed by Nigerians themselves, especially those who have the privilege to serve in leadership positions.
The Shadow State: Public Sector Corruption in Nigeria: Causes, Consequences, and Reform
In his review of the 376-page primer, ‘The Shadow State: Public Sector Corruption in Nigeria: Causes, Consequences, and Reform’, Mr Abdullahi recommended the work to scholars, academics, policy makers, and the general public.
The reviewer noted that the book analyses corruption in Nigeria and sends a message “that corruption is a global scourge that has undermined progress, and if not tackled head-on, will kill Nigeria.”
Discussing further on this, a lawyer, Bala Sanda, corruption causes a disconnect between the structure of governance and the populace.
Mr Sanda said corruption impedes primary allegiance to the government, leading to apathy toward public sector theft.
Shielding the Heartland: Rethinking Nigeria’s Border Security
Taking the audience through the third book, ‘Shielding the Heartland: Rethinking Nigeria’s Border Security’, a former Comptroller General of the Nigerian immigration service, Muhammed Babandede, criticised its recommendation for the creation of a new agency for border control.
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Mr Babandede rather suggested reinventing the existing agencies.
Also commenting on the book, Ugoji Eboju, stressed the importance of a shared sense of nationhood where the weakest person is protected. Mr Eboju said such a person is “more likely to side with the country than to side with the evil outsider.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, while presenting the book to the public, lauded it for its recommendations.
“What I like about these books is that he comes up with bold recommendations, whether you agree with them you disagree with them,” Mr Tuggar said. “They show that he’s not just writing about what has transpired, or simply criticising because there’s a tendency to be overcritical about the government, about governance, about corruption, and so forth. But he’s coming up with very profound recommendations, which for policymakers and policy implementers is very useful.”
Prominent dignitaries who graced the event, included the Emir of Zazzau and former Ambassador to Thailand, Nuhu Bamali; Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSME, Temitope Adekunle-Johnson; chairperson of Arewa Consultative Forum, Bashir Dalhatu; chairperson of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Abdullahi Bello, and Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dasuki Arabi.
