Corruption: Group blasts Jonathan on refusal to jail culprits

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has condemned President Goodluck Jonathan’s stand that jailing corrupt people could not curb corruption in the country.

Jonathan had reiterated in his speech at the 2015 Elections Sensitization Workshop on Non-Violence in Abuja today, organized by the Office of the National Security Adviser and SA to Mr. President on inter-party affairs that jailing corrupt individuals is not an appropriate solution to curb corruption in the country.

The President said that instead of fighting corruption by making arrests, he would structure Nigeria in such a way that people holding public offices would no longer have direct access to funds.

Jonathan added that his administration had curbed corruption in the civil service and the agricultural sector through the computerisation of payment system.

Reacting to the President’s statement on behalf of the Coalition, its Executive Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran said any presidential candidate that is not confident enough that he is going to fight corruption should be rejected by the populace.

He said, “Corruption is what has brought Nigeria into comatose and the future of our dear country seems to be bleak because corruption is now the garbs of honor, and the culture of impunity is now the order of the day, so any presidential candidate that must be voted by the people must be committed to reduce it to the barest minimum, if not, eradicate corruption totally in the country.

There is nothing wrong in jailing corrupt people. As a matter of fact, if corrupt persons do not go to jail then there won’t be deterrent. It is so unfortunate that we have people who are corruption-compliant at the helms of affairs. Many who have been indicted in some scandals are still working free on our streets, which have emboldened some others to perpetrate.

The anti-corruption crusader however said that any presidential candidate who won’t combat corruption frontally should be campaigned against.

“Anybody that is not confidence enough to state it clearly that he is going to punish corruption offenders, should not be voted for in this country because such a personality is neither worthy nor qualified to lead this country and should be campaigned against in the forthcoming election”, Adeniran said.