Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday declared that the prevailing corruption in all sectors in the country had made many poor Nigerians poorer.
He therefore demanded that those responsible for the nation’s woes should be made to account for their crime.
Speaking at the public presentation of a three-volume book: “Unexplained Wealth: A trilogy of Nigerian Financial Law”, written by Dr Wahab Shittu, the former president described corruption as ‘development’s greatest, deadly peril ‘, adding that unexplained wealth is anti-social, anti-development and anti-progress.
Obasanjo, who was the chairman at the event, expressed the regrets that it is the under privileged that suffer most in a corrupt society, since such practice impoverishes them further.
“Those who suffer most in a corrupt society are the poor and it makes them poorer,” he said.
According to him, it would be virtually impossible for the country to make any meaningful progress where corruption is allowed to thrive, adding that some of his efforts he made while in office in checking this include the establishment of anti-corruption agencies such as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
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👉 JOIN WHATSAPP CHANNELIn his comments, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, argued that it had become imperative to ensure legal reforms to tackle unexplained wealth, accompanied by political and judicial reforms.
He argued that for good laws to achieve their intended purpose, investigators, prosecutors and judges must apply them fairly and transparently.
“We live in a society where if you have unexplained wealth and if you have the right political cover, nobody asks you. And if you are on the wrong side of politics, you get into trouble,” he added.
He also tasked the authorities on the need to ensure that anti-corruption laws apply consistently to everyone, not only those in government.
Former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, called for a fair and constitutionally sound system for recovering stolen assets without criminalising legitimately acquired wealth.
Osinbajo, who was represented by his former Chief of Staff, Ade Ipaye, argued that what Nigeria needed most urgently was a clear, fair, and constitutionally sound approach that could recover what was stolen without threatening what was lawfully earned.
The Book reviewer, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN, said lack of conventional documentation should not be taken for automatic proof of criminality.
Explaining the rationale behind the three-volume book, Shittu stated that the decision stemmed from the need to help create a system capable of distinguishing legitimate wealth from illicit enrichment.
He said reliable records were essential to the fight against corruption, warning that without them, society could end up “suspecting everyone and proving nothing”.
Shittu said becoming wealthy was not a crime, but acquiring wealth through dubious means was.
“Making wealth, becoming rich, is not a crime. It’s not a crime at all. But becoming rich and making wealth dubiously is a crime,” he said.
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