Chuks Okocha
19 November 2007
Abuja — The Action Congress (AC) has described as a national disgrace the involvement of several Nigerian government officials in the monumental Siemens bribery scandal.
In a statement issued in Abuja, at the weekend by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the time has now come for the Yar'Adua administration to summon the courage to probe the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
"The $6-million Wilbros bribery scandal and now the 12-million-euro Siemens bribery scandal have shown that the Obasanjo administration was a cesspool of corruption, despite its anti-graft battle and Obasanjo's holier than thou attitude", the statement said.
It noted that "The latest scandal is particularly sickening, considering the staggering amount involved and the calibre of government officials named in it. It is instructive that Nigerian officials alone took 10million out of the overall 12 million euros allegedly paid out by the German company to officials in three countries, including Russia and Libya", he said..
"That made Nigeria a clear gold medallist in this Siemens bribery contest, with Russia a distant second with only 2 million euros shared by 38 people," the party said.
AC said investigation into the Siemens bribery scandal should determine, among others, the culpability or otherwise of the listed officials; identify the 'political office holders' who took over 3 million euros out of the 10 million euros; reveal the identities of the "Telecom and Ministry officials"referred to in the scandal and mete out appropriate punishment to all those involved to serve as a deterrent."It is not enough for any of those listed among thebribe takers to hurriedly issue a statement denyingtheir involvement.
They must be bold enough to gofurther, and perhaps institute a legal action to cleartheir name, if indeed they are not involved. That way,the truth will come out."And to the Yar'Adua administration, we say: If everany government has a chance to show itsanti-corruption campaign is not a fluke, it is this(Yar'Adua) government, considering the rate at whichthe corruption allegations are being made againstpublic officials, in both the past and presentadministrations," it added.The party said others named on the Siemens' briberylist, especially the three Ministers of Communicationsunder the Obasanjo administration and ranking SenatorJubril Aminu, should be immediately taken in forquestioning. If found culpable, Aminu in particularshould resign from the Senate and retire to hisvillage for a long period of atonement, consideringhis knack for grandstanding as a squeaky clean citizenand a patriotic Nigerian"These Ministers and Senator were the frontlinedisciples in Obasanjo's anti-corruption temple, yettheir hands are dripping with the oil of corruption.This is a pointer to the revelations that will comeout in the days ahead, when a searchlight is beamed onthe eight years of Obasanjo's deceitful and do-nothingadministration and its apostles."This monumental bribery scandal, which has shown thedepth of moral decadence by depraved and greedy publicofficials as well as their primitive acquisition ofwealth, has further exposed the double standardemployed by the immediate past administration, usingthe gullible and malleable EFCC and the Police, toprosecute an incredibly selective anti-corruptionbattle."Obasanjo was quick to hit their airwaves to addressthe nation when former Senate President AdolphusWabara and others got enmeshed in a bribe-for-budgetscandal. Yet, his Ministers and other topfunctionaries of his government were lining theirpockets with staggering sums that made the amountinvolved in the bribe-for-budget scandal to look likepeanuts."One can now see that no administration in Nigeria'shistory has been more deceitful, corrupt, inept,vindictive and double-faced as the Obasanjoadministration. The impact of the past season ofanomie will take many more years to clear, as they arejust beginning to manifest. Only a full disclosure onthese bribery scandals and others that will eventuallyemerge can save Nigeria from corrupt elected andappointed government officials masquerading asdo-gooders," AC said.
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