ANTI-CORRUPTION: Sagay Debunks Political Vendetta, Optimistic of Positive Results

Professor Itse Sagay (SAN)

RENOWNED Constitutional lawyer and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), has given a clean bill on the present administration of President Mohammadu Buhari’s war against corruption stating that contrary to insinuations in some quarters,  the  on-going anti corruption war is targeted at no group of individuals, rather on those who had evidently abused  public trust, while in office.

Speaking on Wednesday, in Lagos, at a public interest symposium organised by the Lagos Island Club, Sagay stated that rather than criticizing the war illogically, Nigerians should be patient to monitor the outcomes towards knowing if the allegations and charges leveled those being prosecuted by the organizations will lack merit at the end in the court of law.

The learned Professor stated categorically that no nation of the world could make substantial progress where the public officeholders irresponsibly consider the commonwealth as no man’s property and indiscriminately diverted and shared among themselves and their cronies at the detriment of the impoverished teeming masses.

"I think we should commend this present government because we notice that these anti-corruption agencies have suddenly come alive again, due to the stand of the present leadership on corruption. We should also commend Obasanjo for coming up with these anti-graft agencies because I don’t know what we would have done as a nation without these agencies", he argued.

Professor Sagay also disclosed that as part of his committee’s plans at developing comprehensive interventions in the nation’s administration of criminal justice system, the Federal Government is presently working on a National Anti-Corruption Plan, which will enable all segments and sectors of Nigerian society to be collectively active in the anti-graft drive.

Similarly, Sagay debunked the insinuations that the federal government is neglecting all other core areas due to the anti-graft war stating that as soon as the 2016 Appropriation Budget is passed, all the development programmes and transformation policies of the government will be evident. He added that unknown to many, the president is not directly involved in the fight against corruption as the statutory security agencies established for the purposes are ably doing their job. He expressed his optimism that those skeptical and politicking the anti-graft war will soon be disappointed.