Abdulraheem Aodu
16 July 2008
Kaduna — The Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory is not legally empowered to ban former minister of FCT, Malam Nasir el-Rufai or any other Nigerian from holding public office, a member of the National Electoral Reform Committee, Festus Okoye has said.
Okoye also criticised the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and former Yobe State Governor, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim for blaming the problems of the Niger Delta on its alleged corrupt leaders, saying the solution to the problems goes beyond increasing the derivation fund of the Niger Delta region.
The human rights activist however added that it would be wrong for the people of the troubled but oil-rich region to want to treat the issue of corrupt practices by their political leaders as a domestic affair, which concerned them alone adding that it is a national issue.
Okoye who is also the Executive Director of the Human Rights Monitor stated these yesterday while reacting to the ban placed on el-Rufai by the Senate committee in an interactive session with newsmen in Kaduna. He alleged that, "there are too many Nigerians that should be banned for life from holding public offices, including members who served on that committee.
"As at today, there is a high level of impunity and the impunity recycles itself when there are no sanctions. El-Rufai is not the only bad Nigerian. They (National Assembly) are just ridiculing the entire process. If the National Assembly is sincere about banning people from holding public offices, they must convene a summit of all Nigerians for the purposes of making a determination on the category of Nigerians that should be banned, their offences and the period for the commencement of such".
"But what is paramount is that democratic anchors must begin to work; the institutions of democracy must begin to function. When people infringe on the law and there are sanctions, then the democratic process will begin to clean up itself. It is not only those who stole public funds that should be banned, let them (National Assembly) set up a public hearing, we shall tell them why those who also stole the people's mandate or sovereignty should be banned. The process should be holistic.
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