GREAT EXPECTATIONS

In my last post, I expressed a sincere hope of applauding a rare moment of achievement of this ‘government’ of ours. My hope was almost realised, but it came in the form of a decision rather than a real achievement of sort. That, as far as I’m concerned, is still something to be cheery about.

It finally dawned on our President that this erstwhile phoney battle on corruption has to rid itself of an even phonier head in the phoney shape, and an even phonier form of, Farida Waziri. Mr President seemed to have thought to himself “Now, I return to this young fellow. And the communication I have got to make is that he has great expectations.” I’m not even questioning Farida’s personal or her professional integrity (enough yardage on those on other fora), the unambiguous irascibleness I developed toward her tenure was sired by the fact that she was patently out of her depth in the position. Cases that shouldn’t have been lost by third-rate lawyers were lost on the flimsiest of legal reasons; untold millions of Naira and countless number of man-hours lost just because investigations were below par and arrests were capriciously made. The EFCC itself has turned out to be even more corrupt than the public officers that are being investigated; it has excelled itself in the art of rapacity.

This worm of an agency has to reinvent itself and rediscover the very purpose of its existence. So far, it’s been a monumental failure; all the so-called high-profile cases turning out to be incredibly phantom-like in the manner of their prosecutions. Commercial and personal financial altercations, for which the civil courts are there to deal with, have attracted more vigorous attention than the meaty fraud cases that it was established for. The opinion in some quarters that Farida was made a scapegoat is debatable, but the fact remains that, as Mr Jaggers said to Pip, “Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule.”

The onus is now on the new Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, to impose the highest level of professionalism and integrity that is commensurate with the lofty ideals behind the creation of the EFCC.

Of Lamorde, Nigerians have great expectations. Impressions and actions have to be in tandem and he should live by this pertinent quotation: “Take another glass of wine, and excuse my mentioning that society as a body does not expect one to be so strictly conscientious in emptying one's glass, as to turn it bottom upwards with the rim on one's nose.” Nigerians up and down the land, and those in the diaspora, are watching with acute interest. Prosecute cases earnestly and without prejudice; make sure that you’re the arrowhead that staunchly refuses to be hebetated. Be brave and we’d have your back; flounder and you would end up saying to yourself: “In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong”.

*Reader, please note that the bold and italicised quotes have been culled from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.