Ribadu report: Oronsaye foul cry, an embarrassment —Groups

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu
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Opposition parties and civil society groups have described the uproar over the report by the Nuhu Ribadu-led Petroleum Revenue Special Task force as an “international embarrassment.”

They said it was an indication that the probe was a populist move by the Federal Government.

Notwithstanding the presence of President Goodluck Jonathan at the presentation of the report on Friday, two members of the committee – Mr. Stephen Oronsaye and Mr. Ben Oti – had openly disagreed with Ribadu over the process that produced the report and its credibility.

Oronsaye, who is the deputy chairman of the committee, alleged that the process leading to the production of the report was flawed and did not contain the views of all the members.

The All Nigeria Peoples Party, the Congress for Progressive Change, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders and Campaign for Democracy took turns on Saturday to lambast Oronsaye.

The Executive Chairman, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, advised Jonathan not to take Oronsaye arguments seriously. He accused the antagonists of the report of having ulterior motives.

He said, “It is an indication that all is not well with Nigeria. A critical look at the situation shows that some forces did not want the report to see the light of the day. The embarrassment the massive corruption in the sector forced Presidency to use Ribadu’s name to launder its image.

“If Oronsaye claims he did not sit with the committee, his name should not be written on the report. The tragi-comedy is a manifestation of the lopsidedness of our polity. It is an international embarrassment.

“If Jonathan is considering a soft landing by asking Oronsaye to present his own report, that will not be acceptable.”

Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary, ANPP, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, said it was expected that those indicted by the report would kick and try to devise a cover-up. He expressed his pessimism about the political will to implement the report.

He said, “If Ribadu presents a credible report, friends of the system,” will query its credibility.

“Almost all of those indicted have skeletons in their cupboard. Antagonists are just rising up to rubbish the report. We have advanced in this country and we know what is happening. If the President wants to fight corruption – which I know he does not, going by the fate of similar reports – he should work with the report.”

The President, Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, said Nigerians would not relent in their fight against corrupt officials until the reports from probes into the petroleum sector were fully implemented.

She said, “The scenario is not surprising, as people have motives for everything they do. The track record of Ribadu will convince anyone that the report is credible. It only shows the type of game we are playing, in terms of political will to implement probe reports.

“My advice is that once more, the government should restore the confidence of the people. We are only subsidising corruption by failing to nail it. The implementation of the report must be very fast in prosecuting those indicted.”