NLC renews call for special court to try corruption cases

Leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday renewed its call for the establishment of special courts to try corruption case.

Ayuba Wabba, NLC president, who gave the charge in response to the recent public declaration of recovered looted funds from unnamed corrupt public office holders, harped on the need for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to strengthen all the anti-corruption agencies.

To effectively prosecute the anti-corruption cases, the NLC helmsman also emphasised the need to reposition the judiciary by ensuring timely and speedy disposal of corruption cases.

While commending the successes recorded through the anti-graft crusade so far, Wabba urged Federal Government to ensure accountability and transparency in the recovery and utilisation of the recovered funds.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress wishes to commend the government for rendering a transparent account of the recoveries it has made of looted funds.

The quantum of these recoveries has vindicated our unqualified support for the fight against corruption and our insistence that more stringent punishment be prescribed for corruption cases.

“It has similarly exposed the extent of the rot in the system and why virtually everything in the polity failed to work. We recall that in our national rally against corruption, we had made the point that we must look at the bigger picture of national recovery by ensuring that recovered funds be deployed to critical infrastructure such as roads, power, key industries and other sectors capable of stimulating the economy.

“Accordingly, we find it necessary to once again urge the government to deploy these recovered funds to the aforementioned key infrastructure or sectors.

“We also call on the government, in spite of overwhelming challenges, not to relent in its recovery drive and its general fight against corruption, as information reveals that the recovered funds so far are just the tip of the iceberg.

“We at the Nigeria Labour Congress believe the importance of the fight against corruption cannot be overstated for a couple of reasons.

“Certainly, we as a people cannot continue to live like this, except we want to be the laughing stock of the rest of the world. Similarly, our teeming youth and the army of the unemployed who look onto their country for their means of livelihood will not fold their hands while a few privileged individuals corner the national resources.

“We believe for the war against corruption to endure, we as a people must be firm and resolute in our support for good governance and fight against corruption.

“We must entrench the culture of accountability, ensuring that public officers are accountable even out of office,” Wabba said.