I will give young people good representation in governance of Nigeria, Bawa pledges as new EFCC Chairman says ‘I was never arrested for corruption’

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

Another evidence of the President’s reward for goodness is his insistence on Lauretta Onochie, his Social and Digital Media Aide, as one of four National Commissioners-designate for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) despite that the Ahmed Lawan-led Senate has continued to dodge the list containing her name in what has been described as some senators’ effort to throw a baby away with the bathwater.  The Senate has however been told to clear itself of impression being created that its corrupt members not pleased with Onochie’s loyalty giving volume to her boss’ war against corruption and repositioning of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are behind its avoidance of the list of INEC National Commissioners-designate.”

The political landscape of Nigeria appears to have been fully charged against corruption fightback agents, whose aims are to make the anti-corruption war in the country look complex and undoable, with the pace at which the newly confirmed Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Abdulrasheed Bawa, launched into administration of the anti-graft agency throwing missiles that hit malicious rumour mongers and fake news careers to permanent disability.

Speaking before the plenary of Nigeria Senate presided over by the Senate President, Alhaji Ahmed Lawan, on Wednesday February 24, 2021, Bawa expressed hope, against the trend impression of never-ending-well that some Nigerians try to make any head of the agency look like, to leave the EFCC a better and more transparent place.

The DEFENDER reports the irony in the nature of some Nigerians, who clamour for youth in governance only on the tongue only for the same people, when they have the long desired opportunity of Not-Too-Young-To-Rule’ actualised  for the first time by President Buhari, to go round and concoct unverifiable information to bring down the young they now have.

The moment President Muhammadu Buhari wrote the National Assembly on February 16, 2021 to request Bawa’s confirmation as EFCC chief, it expectedly started flying in a section of the media particularly the online digital media (excluding The DEFENDER) wherein the new anti-corruption czar was dogged by corruption allegations saying he was once arrested and detailed in Port Harcourt under Ibrahim Mustapha Magu leadership of the eagle eye agency.

To this end, public commentators on television, radio and in the newspapers (print and digital) expressed mixed feelings with some saying it would be difficult for him to scale through screening talk less that he would be confirmed by the Senate.  They perhaps had expectation that the Senate, as an institution of democratic governance, would just move on acting on the said allegations without verifying and allowing Bawa exercise his right of self expression and fair hearing.

Some Nigerians still carry on their heads the impracticable thought that once an allegation is made against anyone, it is as good as indictment, guilt and conviction.

A Nigerian, who thinks differently, told The DEFENDER that, “From all indications, the allegations that are suddenly flying around now because President Buhari has appointed this young man are baseless.  Yes, because there has been no evidence of indictment whatsoever to show that the allegations are anywhere considerably correct and based on facts.  And if English word INDICTMENT has been explained by the English themselves as ‘a thing that serves to illustrate that a system or situation is bad and deserves to be condemned‘ and there has been nothing of such against Abdulrasheed Bawa, then I feel sorry for some Nigerians mainly the youths, who have chosen to relegate themselves for reason of failing to let education pass through them and deliberately embracing the malicious spirit of ethnic and religious hate being instilled in them by some of their ethnic and religious leaders sponsored by unpatriotic politicians.”

At the slightest opportunity that the Senate presented him on Wednesday, Abdulrasheed Bawa mounted the podium before the distinguished senators of the Federal Republic and said he had never been arrested or detained under whatever circumstances on corruption allegations before, especially while serving as zonal head in Port Harcourt for the agency.

Although the evil minded elements have been silenced finally on the allegations against him, one of our respondents has asked Bawa to “go and have it on the back of his mind that these people, who have failed repeatedly now to bring him down from getting to the apex office of corruption fighting in Africa’s most populous nation, will be his major critics who will twist every action, step and comment he makes from time to time in order to render his effort useless like they have done since 2015 against his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, who appointed him but to no success as Buhari’s achievements they labour to hide from public knowledge through their sponsoring of insecurity and other evils against his administration have remained ‘unputdownable’ and his footprints indelible.”

Peoples Gazette, an online or digital news platform according to Inspiration 92.3 FM radio, had reported last year that the 40-year-old Bawa was detained for alleged theft of confiscated proceeds of ill-gotten loot when he was heading the Port Harcourt zonal office of the EFCC.

The anti-graft agency has since dismissed the allegation since his appointment was announced, noting that the sale of the forfeited trucks was conducted after Bawa left the Port Harcourt division.

Bawa repeated the denial during his screening before senators in the upper chamber of the National Assembly on Wednesday, February 24.

He said he wasn’t involved in any probe, and that he shares a cordial relationship with the former boss of the agency, Ibrahim Magu.

During nearly two hours of questioning, Bawa answered numerous questions from lawmakers ranging from the operations of the EFCC, process of asset forfeiture, management and disposal, and prosecution of offenders.

He said he hopes to leave the EFCC a better and more transparent place at the end of his tenure, if confirmed.

“I am going to give the young people a very good representation in the governance of this country so that more young people will be given more responsibility in this country,” he said.

Many lawmakers praised Bawa for his years of service, and noted that his appointment is a manifestation of the demands of young Nigerians to occupy top leadership positions.

Senators approved his appointment in a unanimous vote after they became convinced beyond doubt that Bawa is the man for the job.

Following his confirmation now, he will take over fully from Mohammed Umar Abba, who was appointed Acting Chairman last year to replace Magu, who was indicted for numerous corruption allegations.

President Buhari is yet to act on the report of a committee that investigated the allegations against Magu, who was Acting Chairman for five years because the Senate under Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki refused to confirm his appointment several times that the President presented his name.

It will however be on record that President Muhammadu Buhari’s nature of rewarding good work played out with Ibrahim Magu, which was reason he refused to change him as EFCC Chairman-designate, despite repeated demand by Saraki’s senate to send another person’s name.  The same spirit of the President had recently also played out when he rewarded a team of Service Chiefs whose retirement from the military service he accepted and under a forthnight made them non-career Ambassadors of Nigeria.  They have since been confirmed.

Another evidence of the President’s reward for goodness is his insistence on Lauretta Onochie, his Social and Digital Media Aide, as one of four National Commissioners-designate for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) despite that the Ahmed Lawan-led Senate has continued to dodge the list containing her name in what has been described as some senators’ effort to throw a baby away with the bathwater.  The Senate has however been told to clear itself of impression being created that its corrupt members not pleased with Onochie’s loyalty giving volume to her boss’ war against corruption and repositioning of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are behind its avoidance of the list of INEC National Commissioners-designate.”