Barr. Inihehe Effiong, who is a lawyer to detained presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore, has said that the country has not succeeded in winning the corruption war because it is fighting corruption with corruption.
Effiong, who hails from Akwa-Ibom state, spoke at a 2-day stakeholders’ dialogue on corruption organised by ActionAid Nigeria in Uyo, the state capital, on Thursday.
This is just as the youthful lawyer criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for not keeping to his electoral promise of stopping medical tourism abroad.
According to him, “we have a president who said that the era of foreign medical trips will be over if he emerges but he has gone abroad several times.”
He also talked about corruption allegations in Akwa Ibom, disclosing how the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission, ICPC, recently accused former governor Godswill Akpabio of diverting constituency projects for personal use and that the facilities have been recovered.
He queried why the commission, rather than invite Akpabio, resorted to media trial of Akpabio. Saying that Akpabio has denied the allegation, he called on the ICPC to invite Akpabio or remain silent.
“Akwa Ibom,” he said, “has become the headquarters of abandoned white elephant projects in Nigeria.”
He also spoke on corruption in the judiciary. “A corrupt judge is worse than an armed robber.A judge has a power that is next to God; over power and death. We must never as people show sympathy to a lawyer and judge found to be corrupt
“We have lecturers who shamelessly harass female students to pass them. The ASUU, beyond fighting for members’ welfare, should also work to expose corrupt academic staff. There is need for strong institutions
The ICPC and EFCC are politically bias. Nepotism and favoritism are the greatest forms of corruption staring us in the face. People serving in the present administration have been accused of corruption but they have not been investigated. As citizens, our loyalty must be to our nation.
Related
