Banditry has dented Nigeria’s image, says Farida Waziri

A former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Farida Waziri, on Tuesday raised concerns over the declining values in the country which, she said, has heightened banditry.

According to her, such developments have, in turn, dented the image of the country in the comity of nations.

Waziri spoke in Abuja during the public presentation of four books written by Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Denis Ukume.

She said that declining values occasioned by corruption and greed were exacerbating banditry.

The ex-EFCC boss called on Nigerians to return to the era when there were values and every Nigerian was each other’s brothers’ keeper.

He said, “We never knew this (banditry) in those days, we were our brothers’ keepers and we helped each other. People left their compounds open and nobody stole from them. Now we hate each other, there are hate speeches, people kill each other without provocation.

“Do you believe that nobody has invaded Nigeria, and Nigerians are killing themselves? Nigeria will outlive all of us. You are in school, they kidnap you, they take you in the forest for ages, your parents are, maybe, carpenters, they don’t even eat three square meals a day and they say they should pay.

“Where do they get the money to pay? They rape women, they kill and how do you want people to rate Nigeria? It is about image and image is perceived. If I perceive you as a bad man I will keep away from you. If it is a country, I wouldn’t want to go there. So we have destroyed our country and it is about greed, corruption and every vice and that is why I said we should go back to where we used to be.”

Waziri also expressed worry over a situation whereby people want to stay in office forever because of spoils of office.

She said that people do not want to work hard and earn their money, but just want to steal government money.

She said, “It’s about government money. They want to live big with government money. The rich, do they build factories in their villages to employ the youth, do they build clinics? No, it is outside the country, the safe havens that they hide their money.”

Meanwhile, Ukume advised those agitating for succession to join hands with the FG to build a strong united Nigeria.

Speaking on one of his books, “I Believe”, he said, it has an exclusive chapter on Odumegwu Ojukwu.

“When the late President Shehu Shagari won n, he called me and said ‘Denis, I am sending you Côte d’Ivoire as ambassador extra-ordinary.’ Ojukwu has expressed the desire to come back but there are certain Igbo elements that don’t want Ojukwu to come back and be part of the reconciliation programme.