Buhari not fighting corruption, says Ango Abdullahi – TheNigerialawyer

..prisons ought to be full by now

Chairman, Northern Elders’ Forum, (NEF), Professor Ango
Abdullahi said on Tuesday that President Muhammadu Buhari is not
fighting corruption in the country, saying “prisons ought to be
full by now, if he is truly fighting it.”

Ango Abdullahi stated categorically that, “we have now seen
corruption on a massive scale, and nobody is doing anything about
it”.

He stated this while fielding questions from Journalists on
Tuesday in Kaduna shortly after opening ceremony of a public
lecture entitled, “Education as an instrument for national
integration: The northern Nigerian Crisis.”

According to the elder statesman, if President Buhari was
committed to fighting corruption, the nation’s courts and prisons
would have been congested with corrupt politicians.

He said many corrupt politicians are going about freely because
APC has forgiven their sins, pointing out that the case that
readily came to mind is that of Senator Danjuma Goje whose ‘sin’
was allegedly forgiven by APC.

He said, “The President said he is fighting corruption, but I
don’t believe him because, if he is fighting corruption, our courts
and prisons should be full by now. This is because corruption is
everywhere.

“You don’t just pick one case and make it a universal example of
fighting corruption. We have just seen the conviction of Orji Uzor
Kalu and it is becoming something that the world should know, when
there are so many people with seventy something billion with them.
Those people should be in the same prison with Uzor Kalu.

“And in any case, if you want to say that, Uzor Kalu had
committed an offence, but here is a national chairman of a party,
the President’s party who pronounces that, don’t worry how much you
have stolen somewhere else; as long as you come and say you are a
member of APC, you are forgiven. A good example of that is former
Governor Danjuma Goje. It was the Attorney General of the
Federation himself that went to court to say, they were withdrawing
the case from the court. And his offences are not different from
Orji Uzor Kalu’s and many others that were reported.

“The media is equally guilty in this direction. You journalists
are part of the crises that we have, because you are not addressing
these issues as hard, objectively and fairly.”

The NEF leader also spoke on restructuring, saying, “If we are
going to restructure Nigeria, we must abandon Presidential system
of government. If you want Nigeria to function as it used to
function in 1960 at the point of independence, we should go and
reconsider retention of Presidential system of government, because
it is inefficient, it is corrupt and there is no
accountability.

“Under the parliamentary system of government, you cannot be a
minister until you are elected from your village. So, you are
already accountable to your electorate and then, the leader of your
party who happens to be President or Prime Minister would make a
nomination, which means other members must approve; if you are not
a good man, from there you have failed,” he said.

FRSC Deploys 39,450 Personnel to Highways on Ember
Months Campaigns

Pursuant to the commitment towards the realisation of its
corporate mandate and the imperatives of making the highways safer
during the yuletide, the Federal Road Safety Corps has mobilised a
total of 39,450 of its personnel including special Marshal’s, 806
patrol vehicles, 120 Ambulances, 204 motor bikes, and 27 tow trucks
along designated routes as part of measures to ensure sanity on the
nation’s highways, during this year’s Christmas and end of the year
celebrations.

The Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem revealed that
the special patrol which is scheduled to hold from 15 December 2019
to 19 January 2020 entails 24 hours enforcement along major
highways, robust public enlightenment campaigns across the nation,
prompt rescue/recovery services, stakeholder collaboration, Road
Safety Observatory, uninterrupted motorized patrol, day time route
lining, traffic control, operation of Mobile Courts, activation of
high alert on internal and external medical facilities,
establishment of road camps and help areas, arieal surveillance,
and purposeful synergy with other security agencies.

To achieve the aforementioned, the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye
Oyeyemi has directed that the 2019 Ember Months campaign be
targeted at enforcement on critical offences, such as; excessive
speeding, dangerous driving, tyre violation, lane indiscipline,
road obstruction, use of phone while driving, overloading
violation, seatbelt use violation, child safety, passengers
manifest violation, mechanically deficient vehicles, and unlatched
container carrying vehicles.

Kazeem stated that part of this nationwide special operation is
the massive deployment of personnel and logistics along 52
designated critical corridors and black spots such as
Lokoja-Benin-Auchi, Abaji-Lokoja,
Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-HawanKibo-Jos,
Minna-Birnin-Kebbi-Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua-Zaria, Potiskum-Damaturu,
Kabba and Udi-Orji River-Awka-Owo, Ibadan-Ogere-Sagamu,
Abuja-Airport Road-Giri and Opi-Junction-Nike-Enugu Highways among
others identified for this exercise”.

Similarly, the Corps has identified the following alternative
routes that can be used by motorists to ease traffic flow:
Lokoja-Kabba-Ayere-Akunu-Ise Junction-Ileare-Ado Ekiti-Ilesha,
Lokoja-Kabba-Ayere, Lokoja-Okene-Ogori Magongo-Owo, 9th
Mile-Udi-Oji River-Ufuma-Umunze, Bauchi-Alkaleri-Kaltungo, and
Kaduna-Kachji-Kwoi-Manchok.

Others are Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto-Abaji-Lokoja,
Lagos-Ikorodu-Sagamu, Lekki-Epe-Ijebu Ode, Sango Ota-Ifo-Abeokuta,
Dutse Alhaji-Bwari-Jere, and Dutse
Alhaji-Bwari-Kwoi-Kafanchan-Jos.

According to Kazeem, the Corps Marshal has directed Commanding
Officers to ensure adequate deployment of logistics and operational
materials within their Commands to aid the campaign. The
Operational Materials are: Patrol Vehicles, Advance Life Support
Ambulances, Heavy Duty Tow trucks, Medium and Light duty tow
trucks, Patrol Motor Bikes, Extricating Machines, Reflective
Jackets, Traffic cones, Patrolites, Radar Guns, Breathalyzer,
Cameras, e-tablets, Alcolizers, Walkie-Talkie, and CUG mobile
phones. .

Motorists are also warned to ensure strict compliance with all
traffic rules and regulations as well as proper maintenance of
their vehicles. Passengers are equally enjoined to monitor their
drivers over reckless driving, driving under the influence of
alcohol and other road vices.

Following the need to bridge the existing gap in communication
between the motoring public and the Corps, Kazeem disclosed that
the Corps has established the National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM for
daily traffic updates for travellers, effective enlightenment and
education on best road culture among others. The station is to
serve as a veritable platform for the motoring public to report any
obstruction, incidences of crash or traffic-related
emergencies.

In case of any emergency, call the toll free telephone line 122
and 070022553772 or tune in to the National Traffic Radio 107.1FM
and call 08052998090, 09067000015, or visit the social media
handles; Facebook TrafficRadio1, Twitter; @TrafficRadio1,
Instagram: TrafficRadio1 for prompt response. The FRSC Corps
Marshal wishes all road users a crash free and joyful Yuletide.

Bisi Kazeem
Corps Public Education Officer