Corruption: NLC to Support Buhari with Nationwide Rally September 10

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday disclosed that its National Executive Council (NEC) has approved September 10 as the definitive day on which it will galvanise its members to undertake a one-day nationwide rally against corrupt practices and its perpetrators in Nigeria.
NLC’s president, Ayuba Wabba, stated this in his remarks at the ongoing national leadership retreat of the congress in Calabar, Cross River State. The retreat has as its theme: “Returning to our founding principles.”

Wabba explained that the planned nationwide rally is aimed at notifying elected politicians at both the federal and state governments of workers’ discontent with the spate of corrupt practices in the country.
He also stated that in undertaking the rally, Nigerian workers hope to lend their support to President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts at cleaning up the system from corrupt practices.
While insisting that the rally had become necessary following his claims that there are several interests in the country that are scheming to frustrate Buhari’s anti-corruption efforts, Wabba called on members of the recently constituted presidential advisory committee on corruption to learn from the 22-man Justice Muhammed Uwais committee that was constituted by the last government on electoral reforms, and honestly undertake their tasks.
Also, in support of NLC’s planned rally, members of the House of Representatives, through the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, indicated their willingness to participate in the rally if invited by the congress.
Wabba however said: “It is of course no longer news that corruption has eaten deep into our body polity. We now learnt that in the twilight of the last administration, the nation’s revenues were indiscriminately transferred to individual accounts.
“For us in congress, these funds must be recovered by all means. If we need to employ the services of forensic auditors to uncover the various amounts stashed away in foreign and domestic banks, so be it.”
He then added: “NEC has resolved that come September 10, labour is going to champion a course to ensure that we strengthen the hands of Mr. President and tell our elected officers to do what is needed to make sure that all corrupt officers in and out of office are brought to justice.
“Investigations into the looting of our national treasury should not be unduly made a controversial matter. Those trying to engage in semantics on who can and who cannot order a forensic audit to uncover the actual state of the looting spree of our commonwealth, risk being identified as celebrating corruption or trying to team up with the corrupt elements to forestall their being brought to book.”
According to Wabba: “No one should pretend about the fact that corruption is a critical national challenge which needs to be confronted and subdued for our country to make progress and actualise its potential.”
The NLC also reiterated the need for the government to institute a special court for corruption and its related cases, to expedite trails of perpetrators of corrupt practices in the country.
On this, Wabba said: “For us, the situation where cases involving multibillion naira corruption allegations drag on for several years without resolution is clearly unhealthy for the anti-corruption crusade.
“Just like we have election tribunals, we do not see why for instance, the Chief Justice of the Federation cannot work out the modalities and establish these special courts and ensure that they are not bugged down with technicalities which is the case with our regular courts at the moment.
“The maxim that justice delayed is justice denied is applicable in this dragging out of anti-corruption prosecutions,” he added.
While castigating and describing the economic proposals of multilateral economic agencies like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as unfit for Nigeria’s use, Wabba requested Buhari to ditch any of such proposals brought to him by the agencies.
He stated in this regards that Nigeria should in its attempt to grow the economy, develop and adapt to specific home-grown economic policies that fit her peculiarities.
Meanwhile, Dogara who was represented by a member of the House, Sanni Zoro, at the retreat, noted the commitment of members of the House to fight corrupt practices in the country.
He stated that if invited by the NLC, the House will galvanise to participate in the rally, adding that the eight House of Representatives will provide legislative support to NLC’s fight against corruption.