Apparently encouraged by the All progressive Congress, APC administration of President Muhammadu’s stance against corruption in Nigeria, a socio-political organization, Centre for Social Justice, Equity And Transparency (CESJET) has called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission ICPC to as a matter of national interest, live up to the mandate establishing it by stepping up its fight against corrupt individuals and institutions in the country.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Executive Cordinator of the group, Comrade Ikpa Isaac said that their desire to compliment the efforts of a New Nigeria Initiative by Buhari administration necessitated the need to remind ‘erstwhile moribund’ anti-graft agencies of their role and responsibility in this current regime.
According to Comrade Ikpa, as we approach a new dawn in our nation’s history, it is imperative that leaders and concerned citizens should support this new course which is aimed at setting our great nation on the path of greatness in line with this new regime of accountability and probity.
While it is paramount for Nigeria to build on a solid foundation to achieve its goals and aspirations, he said that the group deems it necessary that the ICPC and other anti-graft agencies should beam their spotlight on the clandestine activities being perpetrated by certain elements in the Nigerian Export and Import Bank (NEXIM).
“We are alarmed by the snail-pace attitude of the ICPC to investigate sharp practices and under-hand actions of one Miss Folake Oke, Executive Director, NEXIM Bank and her collaborators for which a petition had earlier been submitted and other relevant supporting documents already provided to assist the Commission.
“This character and her partners in high places have visited the nation with the worst magnitude of illegality and the discovery which has necessitated the need for them to be brought to book in the overall interest of our national development, he queried.
He said that their (CESJET) interest in NEXIM was not only in the desire to sanitize the institution of systemic corruption, but to prevent any acts capable of denting the image of Nigeria especially at this time when so much effort is being put to regain the nation’s lost glory.
“The ICPC and all relevant agencies saddled with the crucial responsibility of checkmating acts of corruption in public service, be prevailed upon to do the needful in investigating and prosecuting Miss Salami Oke who was erroneously rewarded with an unmerited position at the detriment of other qualified Nigerians. Copies of our well investigated and researched compliant is hereby presented for your perusal.
We converge here today to call on the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission ( ICPC) and other sister agencies to live up to the mandate of their establishments to save and redeem our image from the claws of corruption and misappropriation of both human and material resources that have greeted our national sphere in recent times.”
The group further appealed to the concerned agencies to properly look into the petition it submitted with the of taking positive steps towards correcting already established ills and further preventing such destructive promotions in public service.
Comrade Ikpa therefore, implored the ICPC and other agencies to take a second thought on the trending stand of President Muhammadu Buhari that, “I belong to everybody and belong to nobody,” which spells justice, fairness and equity to all even in the past.
The group urged ICPC to ensure that the said Miss Folake Oke be made to summarily answer to those crimes so as to serve as deterrent to other potential perpetrators who have been banking on their relationship with ‘powerful persons’ at the top to short-change other helpless but qualified member of the society.
“This we believe if allowed to go down in history is capable of enthroning a dubious and fraudulent culture in our national life where the national purse would continue to pay at the detriment of the suffering masses”, the group noted.
