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Anti-corruption Coalition of Nigeria (ACCN) has defended the Chairman of Special Investigative Panel (SPIP) on recovery of Stolen Assets, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla describing him as a man of integrity who is committed to championing the anti- corruption crusade of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

In a statement made available to our correspondent, the spokesperson, Emmanuel Nwachukwu, said the scourge of corruption has put Nigeria democracy in danger requiring concerted effort to reduce corruption to the barest minimum.

He said: “Looking at the current events happening in our system, especially those happening in our public private sectors of the economy, it is an obvious fact that corruption with its hydra-headed characteristic is ever fighting back in a war the current administration has set all strategy to conquer.

More so, the presidency having made the corruption fight a priority is also battling with a counter effort from within the polity and the corrupt suspects who either sees no reason to comply to the good effort of the government to bring sanity to our polity or myopic to the reality of the truth about integrity pursuit of the administration.”

According to him, since Obono-Obla became the Chairman of the panel, his private life has been subjected to public debate by those he described as corrupt elements.

But the coalition said, “Ever since Chief Obono-Obla became the chairman of the panel, his private life has been in the beam light by the alleged corrupt ones who has done much to either paint his image black or indict him in any unforeseen circumstance.

One of it been the prying to know the authenticity of his secondary school result certificate after he has gone through series of academic pursuit to a doctorate degree level and the alleged wrongful utilization of public funds. All these according to findings are calculated attempt to silence the sterling quality of Chief Okoi Obono-Obla who has vowed to bring to book all public officers who have corruptly enriched themselves.

“However, these allegations and counter-attack on the person of Chief Okoi Obono-Obla with some findings about his life both in and out has positioned him in a true beam to ascertain whether truly he deserves the integrity accolade.

Besides, these have unprecedentedly promoted Chief Obono-Obla as a paradox of justice and anti-corruption crusader in the eyes of majority of the citizenry. Despite efforts by the corrupt people to blackmail and victimize his person, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla has imprinted a mark in the anal of history as a dedicated crusader that believes so much in corrupt-free society.

“We may be fair to say that despite all the antics of the corrupt minds to blackmail the chairman of the SPIP, the present administration’s effort to fight corruption is still ongoing to actualise its agenda. The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has done much to put in place strategies and polices to block loopholes and leakages through which unscrupulous officials use to siphon public funds.

Much as we may agree that corruption cannot be wiped out in the society in a day, concerted effort by the government in empowering the SPIP panel can boast of some achievements in exhuming the rots of some political office holders without bias.

Perhaps, the stir which has sent signal in the homes of some yet to unravel corrupt officials ignites the attack on the person of Panel chair, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla. However, the Nigeria Change Agenda of President Buhari’s administration has also made remarkable efforts in repositioning the economy with the massive recovery of looted funds.

One of such recoveries is the sum $322.5 recovered from the estate of the former Military head of State, late General Sanni Abacha in Switzerland and the subsequent distribution of some of the fund to the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians.”

He noted that the economy is bouncing back with the return of some foreign companies to the land, saying recently, Volkswagen AG announced that it is set to resume assembling of its vehicles in Nigeria in a bid to foster sales in Africa. These also include the return of the National Air Carrier, Nigeria Air that is set to start operation by December, 2018 among others. Undoubtedly, all strata of society must share the responsibility for contain corruption.

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