Human rights activist and political figure Omoyele Sowore has lambasted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the perceived preferential treatment given to former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who stands accused of financial misappropriation. Sowore, who has long been a vocal critic of corruption in Nigeria, has now accused the EFCC of adopting a double standard when it comes to dealing with those in power.
This is coming after the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olukoyode, has disclosed that Yahaya Bello, the former Governor of Kogi State, allegedly withdrew a whopping $780,000 from public funds and used it to pay his child’s school fees in advance.
Using his platform on Facebook to voice his grievances, Omoyele Sowore pulled no punches when addressing what he perceived to be the EFCC’s favoritism towards former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
Sowore’s scathing post aimed to expose the double standards that he believes are commonplace within the EFCC, with powerful figures like Bello seemingly able to bypass the same stringent level of accountability applied to smaller-scale criminals.
He wrote, “The @officialEFCC Chairman is stating that former Governor Yahaya Bello withdrew and paid $780,000 (N1billion) to what I learned is an “American School” in Abuja for his child’s education; he also paid fees for advance to the school because he knew he was no longer going to be governor, but in this video as well, the @officialEFCC chairman also revealed the weakness of the agency, that they treat these financial criminals with reverence, he offered to let him could me for interrogation through a “social gaye” yahoo boys are not afforded that luxury, why treat a big thief with reverence?
Continuing his line of thought, Omoyele Sowore emphasized that the recent revelations about Yahaya Bello’s alleged financial misappropriation prove a point he made two days prior. Sowore argued that there is in fact enough money to provide free and high-quality education for all Nigerians, but corrupt politicians like Bello embezzle those funds, leaving little for much-needed development projects.
“Beyond this, you see why I stated two days ago that there is enough money to provide free qualitative education to Nigerians. Still, these thieves and, most importantly, their victims would be the first to tell you there is not enough money to fix and build great schools in Nigeria.
“With N26 billion, Bello could have built schools that rival the likes of the prestigious @Charterhouse Lagos,” Sowore lamented, referring to the renowned private school in Lagos.
“Instead,” Sowore continued, “Bello allegedly pocketed the money, leaving Kogi State with crumbling schools and unpaid workers.”
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