A few years back, a prominent man from the south east died and his funeral ceremony was billed to come up in his home town. As is the tradition in most Nigerian societies so many people were coming to pay their last respect to the deceased. However when some 419ners got wind of the fact that Nuhu Ribadu was among those to attend the ceremony all of them took to their heels.
The fact remains that the mere mention of the name, Nuhu Ribadu still sends jitters down the spine of those who are corrupt and have embezzled government money. During the tenure of Ribadu as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Commission EFCC he set a record which no Nigerian has equalled. Before his appointment as Chairman of EFCC the general perception was that nothing could be done about corruption in Nigeria. Corruption had become endemic and more-or-less a way of life. Various institutions charged with the responsibility of dealing with corruption had all been compromised. The police had become so corrupt that most Nigerians would disdain the average. There was this incident that occurred when a junior army officer walked past a top ranking police officer without paying him official compliment, when the police man asked him why he refused to pay him compliment, the army officer responded, “I don’t greet people like you”. The police has lost its respect. The law courts that are charged with the responsibility of prosecuting criminals unfortunately have become comrades in crime with corrupt Nigerians as most Nigerians accused of corrupt dealings would simply hire a lawyer to argue their case and would eventually get them off the hook.
As EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu brought a radical and revolutionary change to the fight against corruption. He was able to do one thing that most Nigerians had been yearning for, that is arresting and prosecuting high profile government officials accused of corruption. One of such was former Inspector-General of police Tafa Balogun who was arrested by Ribadu and sent to jail. Apart from that, there were celebrated cases of 419 that he handled.
It is on record that he was not selective in his fight against corruption. Ribadu carried out his duties regardless of whether you were his brother or friend; he carried out his duties without fear of favour. While he was EFCC Chairman there was a friend of his who was found guilty of corruption. Ribadu arrested him and locked him up and in the evening would go to visit his friend in detention to have a chat with him. This is an uncommon attribute among Nigerians. One big problem in Nigeria today is that when a Nigerian is accused of corruption his kinsmen would rise up to his defence stating that he was being witch-hunted because he was from a particular part of the country. When Ribadu was EFCC Chairman, the fear of Nuhu Ribadu was the beginning of wisdom. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo once said if he could have five people like Ribadu in his cabinet he would have achieved much.
He is not one to be easily enticed by money. Most Nigerians readily compromise their positions and integrity for very paltry sums of money, Ribadu did not fall prey to this bad attitude. Former Governor of Delta State James Ibori once offered Ribadu billions of dollars in bribe but he turned it down and sent the money to the Central Bank of Nigeria. Most Nigerians would not do this. Even when money is mistakenly paid into the account of some Nigerians they would rather keep the money than return it.
Nigerians need to borrow a leaf from Ribadu against the backdrop of the recent ranking by Transparency International that placed Nigeria among the most corrupt countries of the world. Ribadu was a policeman but the decay in the police did not rub off on him. Like the Eagle that flies higher than every other bird and makes its nest on the mountain top, Ribadu is head and shoulders above his peers in terms of integrity and accountability.
Just like former President Obasanjo said, we need more people like Ribadu in high public office. Nigeria needs persons of integrity and high moral standing to move this country forward. The country has been lagging behind other nations of the world merely because of the fact that we don’t have leaders’ of proven integrity and people that can put the nation before their own personal interest. Since oil was discovered in Nigeria in 1959 the country has made over $400 billion from the sale of crude oil but a report says that about $200 billion found its way into private pockets. Nigeria is experiencing corruption of monumental level and there is the need for of people of integrity like Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to be elected into top positions to salvage the country.
American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy challenged the Americans by saying don’t ask what your country can do for you but what can you do for your country. Nuhu Ribadu was given a position of responsibility as EFCC Chairman which was quite a challenging assignment but carried out the assignment with all due diligence and succeeded. He has a proven track record of accountability and steadfastness. Ribadu did not take up government appointment in EFCC with the aim of amassing wealth but with the aim of serving the people. He is still ready to do same if given the opportunity. As such the electorate should rally round him to give him the necessary support to serve them better.
