HOUSE RENT IN ABUJA: ICPC To Investigate Land and Estate Owners, Says Rent Will Soon Crash

The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has said that house rent in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory will soon  crash down as early as the first quarter of next year, 2016.

The secretary to the commission, Mr. Oglafa Ebipamowei Elvismade made this statement when fielding questions on the awareness of the commission that a large portion of the proceeds of corruption goes into acquiring lands, and estates in Abuja at the International Anti-corruption Day (IACD) 2015 roundtable discussion hosted by the United States embassy.

“By the first quarter of next year you may see that rent may even come down. Because we will be looking at the owners of estates and houses. We will be asking them where they got the money to do all that they have done.”

Admitting that not much of the commission’s tactics has changed except that there is more political will from the present government to fight corruption, Mr Oglafa noted that corruption is retrogressive and that strengthening of institutions is one of area the commission is focusing on.

“No we have not changed our tactics. We are still carrying on our mandate. But we have the political will from the administration of President Buhari.

READ ALSO: Oby Ezekwesili Describes Nigeria’s Corruption

“Corruption is retrogressive and we cannot as a people continue to endure it. Because we have been enduring it, it then make it look as if it is normal. But as a public officer what are the principles of life? Do we have any principle of public life? Of course there are we have selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. In absence of all these is bad governance and bad governance is the symptom of corruption. Corruption is not a symptom as such.

“How are we sure that what we are doing today will be believed by the international community. Obasanjo came and preached anti-corruption set up ICPC, set up EFCC. Yar’ardua came and Goodluck came and yet we are still discussing this issue of corruption.

“The ICPC is interested in the processes, in the strengthening of institutions because we have done a survey and we have realised that when you catch one man in NNPC and you end up prosecuting him and his jailed there are another 1000 or 2000 people unnoticed who are even doing more things that are dangerous than the one man we are prosecuting,” he said.

Speaking further on the need to look into systems, processes and procedures such that preventive measure against corruption are given more relevance, Mr Oglafa said, ‘The ICPC believes that there must be fidelity of the system, processes and procedures. And that is prevention. The whole world is talking about is less and less of law enforcement and more and more of prevention.”

READ ALSO: EFCC Boss Speaks On Anti-corruption Fight

Making a case for more of law enforcement, Mr Oglafa said: “In as much as law enforcement is important we cannot deny that….. but we must prevent an act before it happens. What is the gain when you know that somebody is going to still 10 million and you are looking at the person and you are not preventing it? Is it not better for us to prevent it? To be preventive could also mean being fundamentally alive to the basic responsibilities of the society by making development the living manifestation of the society.

“It also ensures that effective social justice when the entire society is put at the center and made the greatest beneficiary of the democratization and development process like what we have in the Scandinavian countries and Singapore. For example we had an encounter in the office of the Head of Service where 40 banks are being by the pensions when we intervened and collapse those 40 banks to just four and as a result over 200 billion naira was saved for the country,” he concluded.

Also in the news is the statement credited to the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, that some VIPs are reluctant to leave the commission’s cells because of their conducive nature.

He made this remark when talking about how information leaks from the EFCC to the press at the International Anti-corruption Day (IACD) 2015 round table discussion hosted by the United States Embassy yesterday, December 8.

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