HURIWA Hails Removal of Obono Obla from Anti-Corruption Panel
The Civil Rights Advocacy group- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has stated that If the story trending in the news is anything to go by concerning the sack of the ethically challenged Chairman of the Special Presidential Panel on Recovery of Public property Obono Obla following a spate of accusations of corruption and abuse of office levelled against him, then his dismissal has even come a bit later than generally expected. The Rights group however said the IGP ought to arrest him (OBONO OBLA) to give statement rather than treat his case as if he is bigger than the institution of law enforcement.
HURIWA stated that for a very long time, the President has been asked to sack the senior Special Assistant on Prosecution and Chairman of the Special Presidential Panel on Recovery of Public property following his direct indictment in alleged certificate forgery of his West African School Certificate which he used to obtain his law degree but the appointing authority and the President who through his many speeches told Nigerians that he has zero tolerance for corruption did not act on the recommendation of the Federal House of Representatives in the eight session of the National Parliarment.
“As a totally non political and pro-transparency platform we in the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria had petitioned the National Assembly to investigate the allegations of certificate scam against the Senior Special Aide of Mr President on Prosecution because we believe comprehensively that he who goes to equity must do so with clean hands and the National Assembly had to set up a special Ad-hoc committee to investigate the concerns we and many others raised that the man heading the panel on Recovery of Public property is not a fit and proper person to so hold such a sensitive position and the Federal parliament in their wisdom called the Chief Registrer of the West African School Certificate Examination Council and the Council appeared before the National Assembly under oath and tendered evidence in documentation directly indicting Mr Obono Obla of tempering with an aspect of his WAEC certificate with which he used to procure admission to University of Jos to read law and that what he parades as his WAEC is not valid.
The House categorically asked Mr President to sack this his now indicted aide but the President decided to play politics and never acted even when he is abreast of the sensitive nature of allowing such a character already deemed unfit to continue to harass Nigerians in the position of an anti corruption fighter when he has a matter in which the issuing authority of the certificate he parades said he allegedly forged it.
He, Obono Obla rather refused to appear before the National Assembly and has continued to move from one place to another selling himself as Buhari’s anti graft crusader.
We hereby call on Mr President not to give in to any lobbying from any quaters to let Obono Obla remain in this office that he is not in anyway suitable and in fact we learnt from impeccable sources that he has in the last three or four years operated a one man squad in a Presidential institution that should have experts and other public officials who ought to be allowed to discharge their statutory roles in line with the terms of their engagement by Mr President in his wisdom.
Why should one person be let to run an institution as Chairman and chief accountant of the same Presidential Panel when this clearly violates the well known principles of checks and balances which nourishes transparency and accountability in government? We were told that as Chairman he has failed to even take instructions from the Federal Attorney General and the Vice President who is the most learned lawyer in government at the moment with a professorial title to his name.”
HURIWA has nevertheless praised the President for taking the bull by the horn no matter how belated just as the Rights group has challenged the Inspector General of Police Alhaji Mohammed Adamu to arrest Mr Obono Obla to face prosecution based on the public indictment of forgery of his school certificate as made at the eight session of the National Assembly. “We give our absolute and unconditional support to Mr President because nobody should be treated as a sacred cow.”
HURIWA recalled that Buhari’s aide, Obono-Obla is reportedly in trouble, as police seal
Mr Obono-Obla’s office even as it can be recalled that he is a senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as the chairman, Special Presidential Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property.
HURIWA recalled that the office of the presidential panel, located in Asokoro, was sealed Friday afternoon by some armed police officers, a source close to Aso Rock said the police action followed a directive from the presidency that Mr Obono-Obla should be relieved of his appointment “immediately”.
The source said Mr Obono-Obla is aware of the communication relieving him of his appointment but that he has been dodging it so he could use the holiday period to persuade people close to Mr Buhari to talk the government into rescinding its decision.
The police were brought in to restrict movement in the office, so nobody would tamper with evidence while investigation is going on.
“The panel is still in place, it’s only Obla that has been removed,” the source said.
“They have built a case of corruption and overzealousness against him over time, it’s not an emergency action, so it may be difficult for the decision to be rescinded,” the source said further.
Emmanuel Onwubiko
National Cordinator
