Sunday Okobi
A coalition of Citizens Watch Nigeria (CWN), Transparency Centre Network (TCN), and Good Governance Project Initiative (GGPI) under the auspice of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have berated the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) for what they termed as “frivolous writing, self-serving, time wasting and ill-motivated petitions” to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) against some top government officials in President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
In a statement signed and issued by the Executive Secretary of CWN, Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele; National Convener of TCN, Umar Faruk, and National President of GGPI, Innocent Okadigbo, the groups described some of the CSNAC’s petitions as malicious, wicked and defamatory aimed at resolving personal grievances.
The groups alleged that the petitions are just ways to settle old scores, probably seek revenge on perceived enemies “because some of the said petitions have been handled severally by anti-graft agencies and found to have lacked merit and subsequently dismissed.”
The trio maintained that this matter has gone beyond anti-corruption war but has become highly political and unpatriotic aimed at distracting President Buhari government and later accuse him of achieving nothing.
“All the accused are patriotic Nigerians and key players in Buhari government and their mischievous aim is to dampen their enthusiasm to work for the government,” the statement added.
According to the statement, CSNAC had recently mentioned Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the president; Army Chief of Staff, General Tukur Buratai; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; Chairman, Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro, and the Interior Minister, General Abdulrahman Danbazau (rtd), in its petition to the AGF as public officials to be investigated but “we insisted that some of the mentioned persons had no case to answer but CSNAC and its paymasters have some axe to grind with them.”
The statement added that this is a case of witch-hunting from CSLAC for pressurising an anti-graft agency to indict a government official but after examining the case, the anti-graft agency found nothing against him and exonerated him of any wrong doing but CSLAC is curiously insisting on the case.
The trio therefore urged Malami, to be vigilant and cautious of blackmailers and mischief makers who might be hell-bent to smear the good reputation of honest and hardworking Nigerians working tirelessly for the good of Buhari government because of past disagreements.
According to the statement, “President Buhari should ignore the antics of these unpatriotic and disgruntled elements masquerading themselves as activists and move forward as a former American President said: ‘If you are running and looking back, its either you fall or slowdown’.”
Meanwhile, the CSO has endorsed the present anti-corruption war by Buhari administration as it hailed the AGF for being at the forefront, but cautioning him against its being hijack by people on revenge mission to blackmail others and achieve their selfish agenda.
