Posted by By AKEEB ALARAPE, Ibadan on
Foundation member of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences (ICPC), Prof. Sayeed H.A. Malik, has asked anti-graft bodies in the country to wake-up from their slumber and tackle the nation's endemic corruption headlong.
Foundation member of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences (ICPC), Prof. Sayeed H.A. Malik, has asked anti-graft bodies in the country to wake-up from their slumber and tackle the nation's endemic corruption headlong.
Speaking with Daily Sun in an exclusive interview in Ibadanm Malik, who is also a professor of Islamic Studies at the premier University of Ibadan, (UI), stated that the amount of money so far expended between 1999 and 2008 among the three tiers of government was enough to have turned around the economy if they had been prudently managed.
Malik stated that both the ICPC and its sister body, the Economic Financial and Crimes Commission (EFCC) ought to have overcome their teething problems by now and ensure that there was no more sacred cow in the onslaught against corruption.
'I think by now, the ICPC and EFCC have passed through their teething problems. Although, there may still be some problems but I think they are now firmly established. What we now have is for the people to carry out their assignment with the fear of God, without fear or favour, regardless of whose ox is gored because the provision is there for corruption at any level.
'What is now left is for the people to follow due process and also have fear of God in the execution of their assignment. That is important because without the fear of God what you will see will be some sort of sacred cows. Neither the ICPC nor the EFCC Act makes room for any sacred cow. So, the regulations and rules should be uniformly applied whether poor man is involved or an highly placed person is involved.
'So, if they follow the rules and implementation is done with the fear of God and due process, I think the ICPC and EFCC will achieve their objectives of wiping out corruption from our body polity," Malik stated. The renowned Islamic scholar bemoaned apparent lack of development in many states of the federation in spite of huge allocations from the Federation Account between 1999 and 2008.
'I do not know the figures but I think from what we heard and from what is occasionally published of whatever is shared between the Federal Government, states and local governments, if we have prudent management of the resources, I think it should be reflected in the development of the state.
'If the resources are prudently managedm then there should be better development in the states now because I think the money is quite substantial if it is compared to what happened in the first and second republics with what is happening now, he added. Malik commended the initiative that gave birth to the two anti-graft bodies, describing it as ‘development in itself'. He, nonetheless, explained that the teething problems confronting the two bodies might have led to the slow space of work of the organizations.