•Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Photo: Sun News Publishing

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Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, has described the exit of the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as good riddance to bad rubbish.

Alamieyeseigha, governor until December 2005, was impeached by the State House of Assembly on allegations of corruption supplied by the EFCC and later arrested by the agency and kept in detention until 2007 when he was set free after a plea bargain.

Speaking with Daily Sun in Yenagoa, where he attended the inauguration of the new Secretary to the State government, Alamieyeseigha said he had no tears for Ribadu over his replacement by Mrs. Faridi Waziri, who was recently confirmed by the Senate.

He also came hard on the critics of President Umar Yar’ Adua, noting that contrary to the belief in some quarters, the president is putting the country on the fast track of development.
He said that Ribadu allowed himself to be used by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration to mess up the anti-corruption crusade of the EFCC.

Alamieyeseigha explained that people who do not know the antics of the EFCC gave Ribadu a larger than life image, which, he said the commission used to spread propaganda on the pages of newspapers.
Alamieyeseigha noted that there was no way EFCC could curb corruption with the way it was managed under Ribadu.

His words: “I have no sympathy for Ribadu as he leaves the EFCC. He is one young man without an independent mind. He allowed himself to be used. I believe we have overpriced Ribadu in Nigeria, which also made the international community to over- rate him. If you meet him, you would know he has been given a larger than life image. He knows nothing about investigations of cases in the EFCC. The engine room of EFCC was Ibrahim Larmode. Ribadu was just there to collect the facts and present to the public. He was just a public relations man that used the media to push out propaganda to accuse people.”

Alamieyeseigha commended President Yar’Adua for taking the step to restructure the EFCC without allowing himself to be blackmailed by hired guns of Ribadu who want the old order of lawlessness enthroned under Obasanjo to continue.
He said with the changes in EFCC, Nigerians would now begin to attach more credibility to the activities of the agency.

Hear him: “I must commend President Umar Yar’ Adua for taking the bold step to restructure the EFCC. This is the best thing to do because the place has been messed up. He took the right step by sacking the leadership. There is no doubt that there would be changes in the agency, in its ability to fight corruption. I, for one, do not believe that the agency, as it was then, was capable of fighting corruption.”

On the perceived slow pace of the Yar’ Adua administration, Alamieyeseigha explained that Nigerians should be patient with Yar’ Adua as he has good plans for the development of the country.
He noted that the few people who criticize Yar’Adua cannot be compared with the overwhelming Nigerians who voted him into power.

“Nigeria is on course and everything would soon be fine. Those who criticize Yar’ Adua are in the minority compared to the millions of Nigerians that voted for him. Nigerians know what is good and that is why they voted for him,” he said.