We find the character of Nuhu Ribadu a very irritating phenomenon. On the surface he has an indomitable penchant for knowing what people want to hear and saying it even if it means contradicting himself, for self aggrandisement. It really does not matter to him if it is at the expense of Nigeria’s image or another person’s honour. A few examples will suffice.
1. RIBADU VS BOLA AHMED TINUBU: While briefing the National Assembly on EFCC’s anti-corruption activities on September 27, 2006 Ribadu indicted Tinubu of corruption and described him as a looter “of international dimension”. But in September 2010 he told newsmen in Wuse area, Abuja that he would not bother himself with the integrity profile of politicians sponsoring his election as the President of Nigeria. He shamelessly exonerated Tinubu, simply because Tinubu gave him the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) presidential ticket and sponsored his campaign financially.
2. RIBADU VS ATIKU: Nuhu Ribadu forcefully defended EFCC’s purported indictment of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; who got into trouble with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo over his presidential ambition. But instead of proceeding to the court to prosecute their purported indictment, including Atiku, he took their case files to the ex-President in brazen demonstration of eye service feigned as loyalty. When newsmen asked whether indictment was the same as conviction upon which a candidate could be banned for contesting election, Ribadu blabbed as follows: “We have only one government in Nigeria. The President has the mandate of Nigerians. And we cannot take the cases of these individuals to Tony Blair”.
3. RIBADU VS EX-PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO: Ribadu follows the tide of wealth and authority. When Olusegun Obasanjo was in power Ribadu held him as the best, incorruptible and a power worthy of emulation. About two years ago, with Obasanjo no longer in power Ribadu wrote a secret report to the American Ambassador in Nigeria stating that Obasanjo was more corrupt than Abacha, only that he (Obasanjo) was very clever to cover his criminal activities. The ambassador forwarded same report to America. What an insult. Did he prosecute Obasanjo of corruption after he had left office as President and lost his immunity to so classify our president? No citizen of America, a bastion of democracy and human rights, can write such a damaging report about the President of America to another country and still walk the streets. A few days ago Ribadu took sides in the altercation between Obasanjo and Mrs. Farida Waziri where he exonerated Obasanjo. Ribadu is a zero entity when it comes to principles and true to type he forgot that what he said about Obasanjo earlier is still in the media.
4. RIBADU VS CHIEF BODE GEORGE: Ribadu exposed a case of monumental fraud against Olabode George and his colleagues in the NPA Board. But in an interview he granted The NEWS magazine in 2007 and reproduced by the Sunday Sun of November 8, 2009, page 47, the same Nuhu Ribadu said: “Olabode George was never an executive officer of NPA. He was a part-time Chairman. It is the Executive Managing Director who runs the place; it was the MD’s name that appeared in all the contract papers of NPA. Olabode George was a part-time Chairman whose name was never on any contract paper…” In early 2008, Ribadu went for a course at NIPSS, Mrs. Farida Waziri, AIG rtd, stepped in as the EFCC Chairman in June 2008. On August 8, 2008, Mrs. Waziri arraigned Bode George and five others. (About) 14 months after, she got a major conviction following a meticulous prosecution of the case. Still, Nuhu Ribadu, the chameleonic hypocrite, turned around and said the following in an email he sent to media houses in October 26, 2009 in respect of the judgement of Justice Joseph Oyewole on Bode George: “I salute the courage and intellect of the learned judge who has demonstrated over time that he is an exemplary reference point in the fight against corruption and for a true definition of rule of law in the country…” Cases of Nuhu Ribadu leaking his own vomit are endless.
5. RIBADU VS MRS. FARIDA WAZIRI: When Mrs. Waziri was having issues with Obasanjo Ribadu came from nowhere like a scally-wag that he is joining issues with Waziri. He claimed he never worked under Waziri and that he taught her the job. One wonders how Ribadu could have come from another command, section or department to teach Mrs. Waziri the job if he was not working under her. On a more serious note, what job can Ribadu who was a Superintendent of Police and could not handle a small Police Division in Surulere Lagos as a DPO, and so worked his way to Force CID, Alagbon, Lagos teach an Acting AIG? He found the exchange of words between Obasanjo and Waziri as an auspicious occasion to defend Obasanjo and mend fences with him over his secret report to America indicting Obasanjo. Ribadu, with all his grand standing did not secure any conviction in all his cases. He depended on plea bargaining which our legal luminaries have said is unconstitutional and illegal. On the other hand Waziri recorded more success than Ribadu in her short time in EFCC.
6. RIBADU VS SIR MIKE OKIRO, IGP (RTD.): Ribadu’s current target of slander is Mike Okiro, a former Inspector-General of Police. While giving evidence in the trial of James Ibori in London Ribadu alleged, among others, that Okiro was the most corrupt Police officer he (Ribadu) has ever seen, that Okiro attempted to assassinate him. We are not defending Okiro, since we are certain he can explain himself to Nigerians. Records show that Okiro was Deputy Inspector-General of Police from 2002 to 2007. This was the period Ribadu held sway as Chairman of EFCC. If he was as corrupt as Ribadu is attempting to make us believe why did Ribadu not take action against him. If he could take in Governors, serving IGP for corruption was it a DIG, the most corrupt Police Officer he “have ever seen” that Ribadu could not handle? Ribadu merely used the occasion to attempt to rubbish the name of an illustrious, detribalised, hardworking, courageous and upright Nigerian whom a majority of Nigerians honour, respect and emulate.
7. RIBADU VS WHOS’S NEXT: The catalogue of prominent Nigerians whom Ribadu tried to hound or blackmail is endless. Who is next in the series?
Nuhu Ribadu is a pretender. He is worse that some of the people he investigated, haunted and demonised. There are many unanswered questions with regards to Ribadu’s probity.
i. Nigerians need to know who has a large housing estate in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
ii. Whose 13-year old daughter owns a house in London.
iii. May be Nigerians may want to know who was given a house as a gift in Dubai.
iv. Who claims that the house he is living and owns in a high brow Mambila Street, Aso Drive Abuja was bought for him by his father-in-law who is a retired lecturer.
v. Most importantly, Nigerians may want to know who has two oil blocks in the Niger Delta area.
vi. Nigerians want to know what happened to properties recovered and confiscated from fraudsters by Ribadu. Nigerians may want to know that Ribadu sold the properties to himself, his friends and cronies at ridiculous prices.
Nuhu Rinadu ran out of Nigeria into self exile to avoid being prosecuted for his conduct, corruption and sales of EFCC property while he was Chairman. In a demonstration of magnanimity, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, brought him back, restored his dubiously acquired rank, changed his dismissal to retirement and withdrew the criminal cases against him in court.
That the Chairman of an anti-corruption agency could be involved in monumental corruption and run away from justice shows that the beautiful ones are not yet born in Nigeria. What hope for Nigeria!
We urge President Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR to use his good office to order the completion of the investigation of Ribadu. If we must fight corruption, then there should be no sacred cow. Otherwise we are paying lip service and cannot make headway. Secondly, the President should direct that the list of all beneficiaries of oil block allocation should be published in the daily newspapers; these people should not be growing rich and living ostentatious life for doing nothing while majority of Nigerians are wallowing in and dying of poverty.
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Hon. Onimim Quakers
National Chairman
John Fiwarigoma
National Secretary
Grassroot Politicians of Nigeria
