Soyinka wants corrupt leaders jailed for corruption to end; I’m not one, Gowon replies

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Monday revealed spoke of how the issue of corruption that has continued to ravage Nigeria as a country, can be brought to an end.

He said not until justice catches up with corrupt Nigerian leaders and they are arrested and prosecuted that the fight against corruption will never achieve a desired end.

He stated this when he spoke in Abuja at the 8th Commonwealth Regional Conference for Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa.

He narrated during his speech how he was recently told by the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, when he paid a visit to the new head office of the commission, meant to be inaugurated this week, that there was no VIP (Very Important Person) detention section but that all suspects will be treated equally.

“That we have been bled dry in this nation by corrupt leadership and their agencies is nothing to reiterate. It is a given. And I took the trouble yesterday to visit the headquarters of the EFCC. I wanted to see what would be the mode of hospitality of some of our leaders who will surely, sooner or later, pass through the doors of that beautiful building.

“I am not a vengeful person but I think until we ensure that some of our leaders pass through those doors, this struggle against corruption in this country will not be won, will not be over.

“And so, I spoke to Magu and I said I want to see where the presidential wing is. I said as a human rights person, I want to make sure you treat them right when they come here and he said ‘sorry it is an egalitarian institution, and I said I would take that message back to them that they should get ready to go down a little bit in status when the time comes and justice catches up with them,” Soyinka said.

According to the playwright, anti-corruption agencies in the country should concentrate on recovery of stolen funds which could be used in developing the nation.

Meanwhile, former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, in his speech absolved himself of corruption, saying that corruption started after he left office in 1975.

He said, “I can assure you we did not know anything such as corruption. Yes, some of my ministers were accused of corruption but I can assure you that it was something we tried to make sure it didn’t happen especially in our public service.

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“But after I left office, in 1975 and the state in which I left office, I can assure you that apart from my salary, it was those members of staff that were with me during the OAU meeting that contributed their estacode to ensure that I had something to live on after I had been asked to leave office.

“That was the only one and then I said I wish I had probably done something, made sure I had provided for the future. I think it was that experience that probably made soon after I had left office, it was what made those that came after me probably to make sure that they provided for the future and therefore, you should not blame them for doing that after the experience that I had.”

 

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