In Nigeria sometime in the beginning of the last decade, the former president of Nigeria, Chief Olesegun Obasanjo, created yet another government parastatal, entitled The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (E.F.C.C) Although I have not been able to access the operational mandate of this government "Agency," it has notoriously been used by powerful politicians in power or otherwise, to persecute their political foes, and sometimes personal enemies. This, today, is common knowledge, to most educated Nigerians, and citing specific instances could take me large months of research; something , quite frankly I am not willing to spend my time on, in such a inoble, institution. The primary reason it was created in the first place, as the name clearly indicates, was to fight economic and financial crimes in the country, or in a more simple, and direct term to fight corruption, being the country's national modi operandi. Needless to say the anti corruption graft agency over the years, had to succumb to all sorts of political pressures, illibating some of the world's most corrupt, and viciously greedy men and women, in the face of this planet, hiding under an illusional cloud that they are patriotic Nigerians as they rob and drown this country dry until it's imminent financial and social collapse. In the process it is alledged that the "agency" E.F.C.C have become one of the most corrupt agencies in Nigeria themselves, well, obviously if this being true, just getting in tune with our national modi operandi.
From personal knowledge, they detain accused people, who are innocent, until proven guilty, as long as 9 months, without ever charging these people to court, basing their detentions many times, on petitions submitted to this "agency" by people looking for personal revenge. For the rich and corrupt who steal billions of Naira from this unfortunately very wealthy country, is not a problem, because sooner or later they buy their way to freedom. However, for the down under, the common man and woman, when innocent, and happens to have had the ill fate of making an enemy, that can petition to the E.F.C.C on a petition as feeble as he stole two motorcycles; in a country where many steal hundreds of millions of dollars and go home free. This is where the line of decency ends, and forments an inner hatred for a system that has already failed, and is merely trying to save face. The consequences years down the line, of this massive out of control social injustice are already very visible, and very frightening with irreperable damaging consequences down the line, to say but the very least. But for some of us who still believe ardently that the truth allways prevails, and nothing negative lasts forever, or even better, for too long, hope of change is the last one to die. The same is true of this government graft "agency", as it is indeed of this current government itself, a disgrace to the intelligence, and common knowledge of most decent Nigerians, at a time when other African countries with less than 5% of our GDP, are forging ahead, and we... well... just keep staying in tune with the BBC, CNN, Al JAZEERA, and so on and so on.....And very soon with ANN.
