By Godwin Ifijeh, 03.31.2005

Ribadu, who was the guest speaker at the 2005 annual public lecture of Lagos State chapter of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), said no person, no matter how highly placed, would be spared but declared that the war on corruption would be total as no one found guilty in any form of economic or financial crime no matter how highly placed would be spared.
Though the EFCC chairman did not give further details on the allegation, he said the governors made the council chairmen to sign for their allocations but pay them far less than they were made to sign for.
"They make the council chairmen to sign for their actual allocations, but they pay them far less and leave them with some cash barely enough to pay salaries. So, the council chairmen cannot carry out any meaningful projects," he observed, pledging his determination to eradicate financial and economic crimes from our shores and that Nigeria must be removed from the list of Financial Task Force (FATF) of the G8 countries' Non-cooperating Countries and Territories (NCCTS) latest by June this year.
Nigeria, he explained, was placed on the list in July 2001 and considered a risky territory to do business with because of her anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism laws and financial sector surveillance Rrgulations were adjudged weak.
Represented by the Commission's Acting Director, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Mr. A. B. Okauru, Ribadu, who spoke on the topic: "Managing the National Image Through Financial Crime Policies," said "no matter, who is involved, be it the President's son, daughter or wife, we will move in and bring the person to book."
The chairman told the gathering that the commission was yet to get the files on the last All African Games (COJA) held in Abuja and Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) also held in Abuja, promising to deal with the situation appropriately when and where the files ever get to them.
"If we get the files, whoever is found to be involved in any act considered inappropriate, we will act. People must, however, realise that we act within the law, we work with other agencies. Take the 419 cases involving Ajudua and others for instance, it took EFCC six months to get the files from the police.
"There are established procedures, which must be followed, the situation is not helped by the fact that things are really bad in this battle against corruption, we are in a war situation," he said.