By Our Reporter
A coalition of 130 civil society groups, under the aegies Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC), have called on the Federal Government to declare former Chairman, Kano State Public Complaints and Anti‑Corruption Commission (PCACC), Muhuyi Gado Ramingado, a national anti-corruption hero.
It would be recalled that PCACC was established in April 2005 to fight corruption in Kano State.
NHRC made the call at a press conference, which held on Thursday in Lagos, and addressed by its Deputy President, Mr Babatunde Adeleke, saying that said the Nigerian civil rights groups were deeply concerned about the threat to the life of Ramingado and his family having exposed scandalous sleaze running into billions of naira being the fall out of the mismanagement of Kano State public funds.
The coalition described Ramingado as one of Nigeria’s most outstanding anti-corruption fighter who risked his life for the good of Nigerians but had been facing threat to life from politicians who it alleged seemed desperate to eliminate him.
It called for immediate halt to the harassment, intimidation and humiliation of the former PCACC boss, even as it equally urged the Federal Government to stop all trials instigated against him for his stance against corruption.
Besides, NHRC also called the police to ensure that it stopped the surveillance placed on the former PCACC chief and his family by suspected corrupt officials.
The NHRC said by declaring Ramingado a national hero, the Federal Government would have inspired millions of Nigerians who were shocked that a man of conscience can be so hunted for speaking the truth.
The coalition, while making the call, noted that Kano State represents the commercial hub of Northern Nigeria and by far the richest state in the North, and yet with a high rate of school drop outs and poor access to health, partly due to official corruption.
NHRC recalled Ramingado, during his tenure, launched an intensive investigation into public finances based on complaints he received from the public, saying that he did his job diligently and in good faith to God and to mankind and in the process discovered corruption running into over N20billion.
"He did his job diligently and in good faith to God and to mankind. In the process, he discovered corruption running into over N20b. He did not allow himself to be politically influenced. He continued with his work as a dedicated and loyal servant of the people," the coalition said.
According to NHRC, the gross mismanagement of public funds discovered Ramingado were linked to the outright stealing of the state’s Internationally Generated Revenue, (IGR), alleging that those responsible for the stealing made every effort to bribe him, and "when that failed they started to force, blackmail him to retreat, but his good conscience prevailed."
This was just as the NHRC recalled that armed men, a forthnight ago, bundled Ramingado into a vehicle where he was sandwiched between armed policemen who drove all night from Kano to Abuja in order to gag him, saying that if armed bandits had attacked the convoy, there was only a slim chance that he would have escaped.
"Since his dismissal by the Kano State Government, his life has been in serious danger. Day and night, he and his family are hunted and threatened with death," it said.
NHRC, while maintaining its stance, urged the Federal Government to recall that Ramingado had once said that fighting corruption was like confronting the Columbia drug cartel, noting that in Columbia, the Medlein Cartel led by Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel dominated cocaine trafficking leading the country "to vast illicit wealth of the few which promoted corruption, violence, mass public revenge and prolonged bloody gun fights with the authorities."
"We hereby draw the attention of the world to the consistent persecution of one of Nigeria’s most outstanding whistleblowers, Muhuyi Gado Ramingado. They are planning to silence him. We don’t want him to be killed. The world need to rise up in defence of Ramingado," the coalition said.
"While the EFCC investigates series of corruption cases, it is obvious that the EFCC and the ICPC cannot handle all the various vases of corruption in the country.
"This was the idea behind having state level anti-corrutpion agencies. The Government of Kano led the way by establishing this at the state level. Currently, he is being persecuted and hunted by the various government authorities and powerful individuals, mostly, politically exposed persons.
"The cases he started investigating in Kano involved billions of public funds diverted by public officials. It is clear now that politically exposed persons are desperate to kill him in order to sit comfortably on stolen funds. This was why he said fighting corruption was like the battle against drug cartels in Colombia. Corruption cannot be fought effectively when law enforcement agents are compromised by the same corrupt politicians who have no respect for accountability," it added.
"Today, corruption remains one of the most dangerous threats to human and environmental development in Nigeria. Corruption undermines the integrity of the country and stunts the greatness of Nigeria. It promotes poverty, hunger, starvation and unprecedented human misery.
"Corruption is partly responsible for terrorism and the geo-metric increase in violence and banditry spreading across Nigeria like the speed of light. Lack and honesty and transparency in Nigeria has compounded the growth and development of democracy in Africa’s largest democracy and the biggest configuration of black people all over the world. Corruption continues to compromise the integrity of Nigeria making the country the least attractable destination for foreign investors.
"It is estimated that Nigeria loses some $18 billion annually to corruption. These are related to financial crimes in public and private procurement, contracts for construction works, kickbacks by private and public individuals and corporate institutions," it added further.
NHRC, therefore, called on the Federal Government to strengthen the anti corruption laws to empower whistle blowers in the country.
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