A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ndarani Mohammed, has referred to as for the ban of retired civil servants from contesting elective positions for a minimum of one 12 months in order that anti-corruption companies can correctly examine them.
The SAN, stated all heads of Ministeries, Departments and Businesses (MDAs) which can be retired, or have been relieved of their jobs must also be investigated whether or not they’re contesting or not.
In line with the senior lawyer, it has turn out to be crucial to checkmate the {financial} actions of a few of these civil servants who retire from public service and leap straight into politics, stressing that “corruption stays one of many biggest obstacles to Nigeria’s growth”.
“It requires stronger accountability measures to make sure that public sources usually are not wasted or diverted into just a few personal pockets.
“Consequently, folks with political ambitions are already starting to throw their hats into the ring all the best way from the native authorities tier to the presidency.
“These will likely be thrilling occasions, certainly, however Nigerians usually appear to be dropping sight of a basic flaw in the entire course of” Ndarani said.
He famous that amongst these anticipated to emerge as political gladiators will likely be, as is all the time the case, retired civil servants, or those that resigned from public service or political appointments.
Ndarani insisted that the tendency for public servants in Nigeria to plunder the nation’s treasury with surprising impunity throughout their employment is “alarming and it’s because they wish to contest for political places of work after retirement”.
“This will get progressively worse because the date of their disengagement approaches.
“Most of them do that to amass huge quantities of cash with which to fund their election campaigns.
“These elections often see them work their means into lofty political positions that may additional improve their capability to additional milk the nation, usually with little or no accountability,” the SAN said.
In view of the foregoing, senior lawyer stated one of many basic measures to be put in place is to make sure that all public servants are investigated on retirement.
Moreover, he posited that political workplace holders ought to be investigated too, whether or not they’re coming again for second tenure or not, to know the sources of their present property and incomes.
“Even in the most effective of climes, politics is an costly endeavor, and Nigeria can’t be an exception, so anyone who retires from public service and nearly immediately jumps into partisan politics, deserves forensic examination, he maintained.
“We are actually preparing for the 2027 common elections; Anti-Graft companies and INEC have sufficient time to analyze all of the above talked about curiosity {groups}, to curb corruption throughout and after elections,” Mohammed stated.
The SAN urged President Bola Tinubu to use the supply of part 315 of 1999 of the Structure (as amended) to mirror all his authorized opinion, to save lots of Nigeria from electing dangerous and corrupt leaders into political places of work come 2027.
“I equally advise our President to create an enabling platform that can forestall retired public workplace holders from having the ability to use looted funds to contest elections” Ndarani stated.
