Ribadu, who stated while
presenting the lead paper at the 2016 Annual Lecture organised by the Law
Chambers of Joe Gadzama last Thursday in Abuja, said Mrs Waziri “inflicted
serious damages on the EFCC from which the Commission is still struggling to
recover.”
Former chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mrs Farida Waziri, has warned
her predecessor, Nuhu Ribadu against using her name in bid to gain public
sympathy and political relevance, after he claimed she was one those who
frustrated the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
Speaking under the theme
“Corruption and the Nigerian Economy: Lawyers as Change Agents”, the defeated
12015 governorship candidate of PDP in Adamawa State, also named foremost
lawyer, Ben Nwabueze, and former Attorney General and Minister of Justice,
Michael Aondoakaa, among the people who undermined the country’s efforts to
fight against the cancer of corruption. In a statement signed by her Personal
Assistant, Ms Omolara Oluremi on Saturday, Mrs. Waziri warned Mr. Ribadu to
leave her out of his frustrations.
“My attention has been
drawn to a reckless and irresponsible statement credited to Nuhu Ribadu at a
function on Wednesday (sic) in Abuja, where he, as has been his rhetoric since
2008 when I succeeded him as the EFCC chairman, attempted to malign me by
accusing me of being part of his imaginary enemies who frustrated the nation’s
anti-graft war,” Mrs. Waziri said.
“My first inclination was
to ignore Nuhu Ribadu since I know he is always obsessed with dropping my name
into his script any time he needs public pity or political relevance. But, on a
second thought I felt I should advise him to leave me out of his frustrations
and face life.
“There should be a life
after EFCC. If after eight years of being removed as EFCC chairman, he is yet
to move on with life, even after two successive chairmen had occupied the same
seat and moved on with their lives, then his problem may be psychogenic. He
needs help elsewhere, certainly not from me.
“If Nuhu is yet to face the
reality that EFCC is a Federal Government agency and not a personal estate of
anybody, eight years after, I find it compelling to remind him, otherwise one
day he would wake up to blame me for his defeat in the 2011 presidential
election and even his pathetic outing in the 2015 governorship election in
Adamawa State despite the slush funds deployed to ensure his victory at the
polls.
“I equally suspect that
Nuhu may, sooner than later, blame me for his penchant to jump from one party
to another party like a political prostitute; from the defunct Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN) to PDP and now to All Progressives Congress (APC).
“It is his lust for power,
inordinate ambition and desperation for political relevance that continue to
push him to dine and wine, and even enjoy the wealth of those he had labelled
as corrupt in yesteryears. He can’t hold me responsible for his double face,
lack of principle and complex contradictions in his character.
“There is also the need to
remind Nuhu Ribadu that before he succumbs to another logorrhoea, he should
avail himself a copy of the investigative report on recovered asset during his
tenure as EFCC chairman and use the opportunity of the next naming ceremony or
birthday party he is invited to, to explain to Nigerians what happened to
billions of funds and asset recovered from suspects under him, with no records
or documentation.
“He should be grateful to
me that I cleaned his mess by creating an Asset Forfeiture Unit to put the
records straight and do things rightly.
“No matter how hard Nuhu
tries to obliterate my tenure with his numerous lies, the record of over 450
convictions secured during my three and a half-year sojourn in EFCC remains
indelible. “Though I inherited about 10 high profile cases from him in 2008, we
took over 75 of such high profile cases to courts, with another 1,500 low
profile cases pending in courts as at my exit in November 2011.
“We initiated and commenced
work on the permanent office complex of the EFCC sitting on a 5.5 hectares of
land along Airport Road, Abuja, in addition to setting up offices in Maiduguri,
Borno State and Ibadan, Oyo State to expand the Commission’s scope of
operations. I can go on and on, on my achievements.
“I have decided to mention
just a few for now to discourage Nuhu from claiming the credit for them when
next he wants to make himself happy or seek political relevance.
“At this juncture, let me
advise Nuhu Ribadu to stop being a weeping man. Garrulity does not heal
frustration or depression. He may consider vying for a local government
chairmanship or councillorship position to get b’ so that he can stop spewing
falsehood, fables and lies to seek public sympathy and political relevance”
“We find Ooni’s statement
unguarded and historical fallacy disturbing” - Olugbo of Ugbo
Oba Akinruntan the Olugbo
of Ugbo, Oba Obateru Akinruntan, verbally attacked the Ooni of Ife for
describing Moremi Ajasoro as a heroine.
The Ugbo monarch disagreed
with the Ooni, who described Moremi as a goddess and recently built a 42-foot
statue in her honour.
To the Ondo monarch, Moremi
was a traitor who betrayed her husband, Osangangan Obamakin.
But in a swift reaction,
the Ife monarch said Olugbo did not have deep knowledge of Yoruba history.
The Olugbo, in a statement
issued by the Olugbo-in-Council, said, “We, the Olugbo–in–Council, found such
(Ooni’s remarks about Moremi) unguarded statements and historical fallacy
disturbing, particularly when such emanated from a monarch who is expected to
be a custodian of history, customs and traditions of Yorubaland. We hereby
state categorically that we are Ugbos, the aboriginal settlers and owners of
Ile-Ife.
“Our forefathers descended
from heaven, that is why we are called ‘Ugbo Atorunwo.’ We are not Ibos
(Igbos), who are from the South-East, and who have their own clearly researched
and defined ancestry. To set the record straight, Moremi remains a traitor. She
was a slave captured by Ugbo warriors during one of their many raids on
Ile-Ife. She later became the wife of Osangangan Obamakin, the son of Oranfe,
of who was the paramount ruler of over 13 aboriginal communities of ancient
Ugbomokun, which later came to be called Ile Ife.”
The statement said further,
“Oduduwa came to Ugbomokun as a stranger and was welcomed in Ilero, the
aboriginal palace of Osangangan Obamakin, which is still in existence in
present-day Iremo, in Ile Ife. During the dynastic struggles, Osangangan
Obamakin was directed by the oracles (Ifa and Osanyin) to leave Ile Ife. Moremi
betrayed her husband’s trust when she exposed the secret of the Ugbo warriors’
gallantry.”
“Popular history states
that Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Ooni, migrated from the East/Mecca. In
another account by the Oba of Benin, recently, Oduduwa came from Benin. We ask
that the Ooni should confirm his ancestral roots. It is also of importance to note
that in the ancient custom of Yoruba, an incumbent king must have no living
father. Also, no man from a female lineage of a ruling house is qualified to
sit on the throne.”
But Oba Ogunwusi, who spoke
through the Director of Public Affairs of the Ooni’s Palace, Moses Olafare,
said the Ooni would not dignify the Olugbo with an answer because he was more
focused on achieving unity among all Yoruba people and would not allow himself
to be distracted.
The Ooni insisted that
Moremi was a heroine, who deserved accolade because of the role she played in
the liberation of Ife people from some “faceless terrorists.”
He said, “This outburst of
Olugbo can only be viewed by well-meaning people as a pitiable act of absurdity
that doesn’t deserve serious attention by serious people. How on earth could a
Yoruba king refer to Moremi as a traitor because she used her power as a woman
to liberate her people from incessant invasions by some faceless terrorists?
“Most paramount on the mind
of His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, with the unflinching
support of the Alaafin, baba; the Awujale; the Alake; the Orangun; the Deji;
the Ewi; the Osemawe; the Olubadan; the Oba of Lagos; and other relevant peace-loving
monarchs in Yorubaland and in other parts of the country is and remains the
much-needed progress of Yoruba nation which can only be achieved through peace
and unity.
“It is a pity that at this
time when everybody is tired of retrogressive royal discord, the Olugbo, who
claims to be the Chairman of Yoruba Obas Committee on Peace and Reconciliation,
has suddenly without a deep knowledge of Yoruba history, woken up to see royal
controversy as the only tool for cheap publicity.”
Punch
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