[Igboamaeze]

"Still, the law prescribes an annual report on September 30 or earlier, and this is a government of the rule of law. The first EFCC report was presented to the National Assembly on September 27, 2006. That was the day that the Commission established corruption cases against 15 serving and three former governors.

Among the highlights of that report were:

Abia State, where Governor Kalu allegedly used his mother, daughter, wife and brother to divert N35 billion to build his business empire;
Bayelsa State, where the Governor’s wife was involved in money-laundering;
Delta State, where Governor James Ibori and 13 local government chairman were being investigated for corruption;
Ekiti State: illegal diversion of funds, money-laundering, foreign accounts being operated by the governor and his deputy;
Edo State: Governor being investigated for diversion of statutory allocation and 13 per cent oil revenue;
Lagos State: Governor being investigated on an international case; "

We must do away with symbolisms and face reality. If these were the only acts of corruption that the EFCC under Mallam Ribadu could report in 2006, then it ought to be obvious that the man was DOWNRIGHT INCOMPETENT.

Can anyone out there please tell me whether this report was unbiased given the free-for-all-broad-day-light looting that characterised that period in our history? I think that the more we access Waziri on the basis of Ribadu's glaring incompetence, bias, nepotism, hypocricy and cover-ups ( did u read that while Ribadu was pretending that Ibori was in hiding, he was enjoying pounded yam and Oha soup with Ibori in Andy Uba's house?), the more we lower expectations on the so-called war against corruption.

My hunch is that Waziri - if she reads things like this - will be forced to prepare her own "Annual Report" with a few unlucky scape-goats (If I were her, I will compile Ribadu's acts of corruption and include them in the Report). And then we will clap and applaud. And Waziri and the looters will mock us from behind for falling for their symbolic fight against corruption.

Sorry to disappoint you, the war against corruption under Mallam Ribadu was mere smoke. A characteristic charade dressed up in borrowed white robes of zeal and, what else, patriotism.

I was not fooled. Don't let them fool you.