By Martin Paul
Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to re-strategise his war against corruption beyond legalistic to socio-scientific approach with a view to ensuring success.
A member of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Femi Odekunle, made the call at the weekend at the pre-inaugural lecture of Olusegun Obasanjo Good Governance and Development Research Centre, orgnised by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), saying that the legalistic approach had not allowed the war to succeed.
Delivering a paper entitled: “Fighting Corruption in Nigeria: The Journey to Date,” Odekunle said the legalistic strategy was beneficiary to lawyers and perpetrators in the circumstance that “one is innocent until proven guilty.”
He said: “The guiding precepts of this strategy, along with others as due process and fair hearing, originated in historically different socio-political and economic circumstance and against different pattern ad kinds of crimes.
“It is imperative to adopt a strategic approach that complementarily tilts more towards the socio-scientific than the legalistic. This will take cognisance of variables such as nature of crimes and the perpetrators.”
He also called for the establishment of a Task Force team to comprise fresh graduates that could be planted in vario0us organisations to check activities of others.
A former chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuru Ribadu, speaking as chairman on the occasion, recalled the antecedents that led to establishment of the commission and the ICPC.
He commended the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, that stood steadfastly with the commission, during his period in the trial of corrupt officers.
“I cannot remember, in particular, in all my years of service, when the Supreme Court went against anti-corruption efforts. We have had amazing judgments that often became golden references in support of the war against corruption,” he said.
NOUN’s vice-chancellor, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, who was represented by the deputy vice-chancellor (Admin), Prof. Victor Adedigbe, said the topic of the inaugural lecture underscored the calls that every government should show commitment in the fight against corruption.