Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the activities of the then chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, created enemies for him because of the ruthlessness with which the latter went about his assignment to address the scourge of corruption on the country.
He admitted that fighting corruption attracted a lot of enemies, but added that he had no fear of those persons who were still alive in the country.
“t is rather them that fear me,” he said.
The former president was speaking from the floor after a presentation on “Illicit Financial Flow and Governance of Natural Resources” by Ribadu at the 3rd Tana High Level Forum on Security in Africa in Badir Dar, Ethiopia, yesterday.
Obasanjo, who said he made it clear to Ribadu that there should be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption, recalled that the EFCC then investigated him, and other people close to him, including his late wife.
He also narrated a story of how a serving minister, who was his senior in secondary school, was indicted and prosecuted by the EFCC, adding that when the minister was found wanting “there was no issue of senioity again.”
Talking of vested interests in the anti-corruption crusade, Obasanjo told a story for the first time of how Ribadu was once poisoned which he said was a very serious case that was “a matter of life and death.”
Obasanjo, who is also the chairperson of the Tana Forum, reechoed Ribadu’s submission that at the centre of anti-corruption fight there was the need for willing political leadership at the highest level.
He, however, added that the leader also needed relevant legislations to work with, narrating his experience with the bill establishing ICPC which, he said, was whittled down by lawmakers who felt they could be victims of the law.
In his remarks, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, thanked Ribadu for his presentation, which, he said, highlighted ‘many good things about Nigeria different from what is portrayed in the media.”
In his presentation, Ribadu offered measures African countries can follow to tackle illicit financial flow and repatriate money already illegally taken out of the African countries.
He said what Africa needs is honest and committed leaders who will set examples with themselves by eschewing corruption and close in avenues of illicit financial flow.
According to him, it is the seriousness and commitment showed by the political leadership that will convince other foreign countries to work with them towards recovering looted monies stashed abroad.
Ribadu also emphasised on the need for concerted effort among countries through and synergy between law enforcement agencies so that looters would have no hiding place.