PROFESSOR Itse Sagay the new chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption has advised government officials with skeletons ion the cupboards to come forward and confess assuring them that certain lenient terms can be obtained by doing so.  

Earlier this month, President Muhammadu Buhari named Professor Sagay at the head of a new committee to advise him on how to deal with graft in public life. Given the scale of corruption that took place under the administration of former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan, it has been deemed impossible to prosecute everyone. 

Apart from the fact prosecuting everyone will take all the government's time and energy, the legal costs of such a monumental task will be forbidding. In a bid to find a way around the dilemma, Professor Sagay has appealed to all those who have committed financial crimes to reach out to his committee with a view to entering into a plea bargain. 

According to Professor Sagay, the fight against corruption will not be selective even as he disclosed that the agenda for the anti-corruption committee was still being worked out by the federal government. His committee’s brief is to advise the federal government on the prosecution of the war against corruption and the implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice system. 

Professor Sagay said: “The committee is still meeting to work out the details of its operations and their priorities, that is when the issue of the agenda will arise. It is premature to talk about that now.”

Dismissing claims that the war against corruption was selective, he added that any person, who has not been guilty of corruption, who has not looted the funds of Nigeria has no cause for alarm. Professor Sagay pointed out that all this escapist attitude of talking of selectivity and victimisation cannot arise, as you cannot victimise an innocent man. 

He added: “Anyone who knows that his hands are dirty should come out and confess. I am sure, certain lenient  terms can be obtained by him but let them not hide under the cloak of selectivity ignoring that their hands are deep red with guilt. 

“For me, there is no selectivity, it is plain and straight forward. Those who have looted the country’s funds are going to be requested to return them and in fact, prosecuted if necessary, so it has nothing to do with selectivity.” 

According to Professor Sagay, corruption is a major problem for the country if Nigeria is going to develop and eliminate poverty, misery and joblessness. He added that these ills arise out of depletion of our resources by very focused anti-social elements, who have sucked the nation dry.