Coalition of 259 groups task Tinubu to remain firm on anti-corruption fight

• Accuse presidency cabal of trying to frustrate Obazee’s investigation panel

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

A coalition of 259 anti-corruption, civil society and human rights groups, Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER), has called on President Tinubu not to allow anyone, no matter how highly placed, to rubbish the credibility already secured for his administration in the international community through the invaluable works of the Special Investigator, Jim Obazee.

Obazee has successfully been laundering the image of this country and the President Bola Tinubu-led administration internationally through his bold and courageous work as CBN Special Investigator.

In a statement by its President, Dr Peter Chima Chukwu and General Secretary, Mallam Auta Ibrahim Koko, COTER raised the alarm over what it called the intervention of a top government official)name withheld) in the functions of the Special Investigator.

COTER has therefore urged President Tinubu to warn the said top official of government to steer clear of what the Special Investigator has been doing successfully since his appointment, which involves handling the very delicate and dangerous national assignment of investigating and recovery all the funds looted by powerful individuals from the CBN and other Government agencies.

According to them, “Obazee has successfully been laundering the image of this country and the President Bola Tinubu-led administration internationally through his bold and courageous work as CBN Special Investigator. So, nobody should come and attempt to usurp that office or the Special Investigator’s role after Obazee has taken all the risks to achieve so much in recovering funds from the Federal Government’s coffers and the vaults of the CBN”, it said.

The coalition specifically advised the said top government official to face his own job, which he’s yet to excell and discharge effectively, and stop being a meddlesome interloper.

The job Mr President gave him, he has not done well in the first place. Who gave him the mandate to recover looted funds? Certainly, President Tinubu didn’t do that.

“We believe this Government should not allow itself to be forced or coerced by some unpatriotic and corrupt elements in government to thread the ignoble path of the previous administration. At least, there should be some decency in government this time round under President Tinubu”, it said.

COTER this harped on the imperative need to to stop the concerned official from meddling in the work of the Special Investigator.

“But if he refuses to be called to order, COTER shall not hesitate to mobilise all the civil society groups in Nigeria against him”, they said.

The coalition commended the Federal Government “for fishing Obazee out for the job and we urge the President to adequately appreciate him with a special National honour/award.

“The Special Investigator should also be considered for higher national assignments because we have the confidence in him, that he’ll always deliver.

Nigeria should not make the mistake of allowing other countries, international agencies and organisations, which are watching events in Nigeria now with keen interest to snatch Obazee away from us. Nigeria seriously needs Obazee at this moment of our journey as a nation”, the group said.

Meanwhile, COTER has said that it’s findings have shown that a cabal in the Presidency has intensified its fight against the complete government take-over of the four erring banks seized by the Central Bank of Nigeria early this month by allegedly arranging for their cronies to surreptitiously buy over the affected banks.

The former owners of the seized banks, it was further learnt, are currently negotiating with some highly placed Presidency officials on how to retrieve the banks from the CBN through the backdoor.

The CBN had, on January 10 this year, announced the sack of the managements of Union Bank, Titan Trust Bank, Polaris and Keystone banks and dissolved their Boards in line with the directives of President Bola Tinubu following a report of the Special Investigator, Jim Obazee, on the erring banks.

The Aso Rock cabal, it was learnt, had on a number of occasions allegedly concocted lies against the Special Investigator with the aim of convincing President Tinubu to halt his investigations and eventually sack him. The cabal has also allegedly been shielding many of the suspects that should have been interrogated by the office of the Special Investigator.

Competent Aso Rock sources said if not for the determination, resilience, courage and the unwavering devotion to duty exhibited by the Special Investigator, he and his team would have been unable to retrieve the four banks from their sacked managements and dissolved Boards, as top government and Presidency officials were busy hobnobbing and conniving with them and other alleged looters of the nation’s commonwealth.