By Ahmed Idris
The former chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, on Monday expressed concern over the way and manner the present administration was fighting corruption, saying government was focusing its war against corruption on embezzlement and theft rather than tackling bribe giving and taking in states and federal government institutions.
He said the present administration should resist the temptation of restricting its ongoing anti-corruption war to embezzlement and theft alone, stressing that he scope of fight should be extended to cover bribe taking and giving, especially in government agencies.
“The fight against corruption has to be intensified in all its ramifications. There are many successes achieved which are commendable but the magnitude of the problem on the ground is turning these into drops in ocean.
“Members of the National Assembly engage in bribe taking when they pursue Committee works and oversight and I wonder what is happening with intelligence and investigative responsibilities of security agencies in policing our National Assembly.
“Some chairmen of the committees in the National Assembly have become notorious on this issue of demanding for bribe with impunity. I have passed through the university system. I have heard so many stories of many vice chancellors about the horror that they go through on question of budget and so-called oversights assignments.
“I am not saying that chief executives are saints but all we are saying is that we must point the searchlights so that Nigerians and particularly public office holders should have basic common decency and integrity by which they discharge their responsibilities because virtually everybody seems to forget about what is going on.”
