 Justice Osai Ayako has commended the federal government for fighting corruption among top government officials. In a statement released in Calabar, capital of Cross River State, Ayako said the ongoing investigations of former ministers of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation. Sadia Umar Faroq had a suspended successor, Betayidu, accused of misappropriation of public funds, which significantly enhanced Nigeria's image in the global index for the fight against corruption. The legal experts said that technology can enhance the detection and prevention of financial crimes, adding that they can enable authorities to identify suspicious activities and take prompt action. The national coordinator, activist for good governance, Comrade Declan Ekare. Comrade Declan, good to have you. Thank you so much. What will be your response to the reportage just read out now? It's a good news coming from the presidency at this point in time in this country. It's quite unfortunate that we are getting this unfortunate information or story from a minister that was duly screened by the highest screening body in the nation that has been the senate. Despite the screening and other security tests, we are still getting this kind of news coming from them. I just hope you will not see me as a cynic but you really want to call what happened in the senate. You really want to call that screening sir? I am only saying that that is the highest screening body that can screen ministers and if they failed to have done the needful and we are getting what we are getting now. Seeing ministers that have just been screened that should have been questioned very well and they are doing this at this point in time. It shows that there was no screening. It means that the cry of where should be screened and where to thought are not being taken care of. That's the area I am going to sir. Let's even be a bit lenient with the senate now and we take it past the senate and we say even the cabinet members and senior civil servants up to the level of permanent secretaries were said to have had a retreat of a thought. At the retreat one wonders what they were put through because anybody who may not even have served in government before take away the fact that the person we are talking about was formerly a commissioner in a state in Nigeria. Anybody would know that there must be processes and procedures especially regarding how monies are moved from the coffers of government to private entities and all those rules seem to have been scrapped down in this instance. There is an investigation going on but how would you want to respond to the fact that what were they thought, what were they taking through when they had their retreat? Thank you so much. You see it is quite unfortunate like I repeat and I said they went through retreat fine well and good but it shows clearly from what is happening now that they only went there. It didn't allow the retreat to really penetrate into them and also is coming at the point where Nigeria masses are going through a lot in the hand of the government. It is very clear at this point in time that we see how people in government whose hands are soiled, who should be shown way out of governance. And if at this point in time somebody of that caliber, a minister, does not know the procedure of how money should be treated, public money should be handled, is quite unfortunate. Comrade, in so much as I fully agree with all the points we've made, I think it's imperative especially on me to let our viewers know that nobody has been convicted yet. Investigations are going on and if sometimes we speak as though somebody has been nailed, it may just be the passion of the movement but it is incumbent on me and it's a duty, a journalistic duty I must perform to fatically state at this juncture that nobody has been convicted yet. We are just opinionated. I agree with you but any infraction in governance, any infraction in governance if well investigated, if was scrutinized by authorities that should do the needful, it will be very clear that something is wrong somewhere. You see, it's quite unfortunate that technicalities might begin to set in at this point in time but the bitter truth is people should be questioned very well. This very acts or this very thing that has happened must be allowed to pass through the process in investigation and I am telling you if proper things are done, I am sure that more revelations will emerge at the end of the investigation. Comrade, a friend of mine used to crack a joke, would say, look, when you are chasing a thief, you have basically told the world that in the first place you have allowed yourself to be taken. If you had your system together, if you were well guarded, if you had put preventative measures in place, the thief would not have taken your stuff and you wouldn't have to be chasing the thief. So from what you have, from the point of made, it does seem that even if nobody is eventually convicted on this matter, it does seem that the system, there are systemic failures and about time we had some operational reforms of our government money moves at the further level. What do you think about, although we must give it to the federal government that they set up a committee headed by the incumbent minister of finance and the head of the economy team they call him to review financial movement or something like that, what would be your take on my opinion? Yeah, there has always been procedures, there has always been lay down principles and policies on how policies and, yes, to prevent these policies to better their lives one way or the other. And that's what I'm saying, that's every infraction in governance is always been done, maybe they feel nothing will happen at the end of it all. So what we're saying is this, at this point there should be proper investigation to really fish out those that are culpable in this act. There are so many people out there that are involved in this act. There are laws guiding every action that's been taken in governance. There are set out rules on how to manage what belongs to the people of this country or a common way. And so the way you use a personal wealth in reaching yourself or servicing yourself is not the same way you use public funds. You see, and that is why I said there are lay down principles and acts that guides everyone who is at the helm of affairs in this nation who has been entrusted with responsibilities. And if those ones refuse to do the needful, refuse to follow the procedure that has been laid down in our constitution on how to do things right, then the law should take its course. And I'm just wanting to think aloud now. I know you don't quite fall into the age bracket, but the youth that are closer to you, especially maybe those ones that you are mentoring in corporate governance activism. How do they feel about the particular age range of the person that is here being investigated? How do the youths around you, how do they feel? Because, ordinarily, there have been agitations for getting the youths to be assimilated into government. What is your feedback for the youths around you? Beyond how the youth feels is a slap to the other side of the female folk. The women have been advocating for women inclusion in politics. And now they have been included, they have been added to do better than men. But what we are seeing is that they are not even better than men. But they are only better than men in certain aspects that are negative to the economy. And so people are disappointed, I am disappointed, the youths are disappointed, the women are disappointed, the nation is disappointed. And so it's not about the age bracket at this point in time. I think it's about having people who have conscience, people who love the nation, should be appointed into positions to do what the Nigerian people, not just appointing people on political party basis or on friendship basis or on the fact that this person sponsored me through my campaign. No, we should go beyond that. We should have people who have conscience, people who can feel the pulse of the people. And once you can feel the pulse of the people, I tell you, you will not be able to do anything that will go negative today to the mindset of ordinary Nigerians. In an environment of partisan politics where the ultimate winner would have been supported and would have been aided and would have been helped by partisans who believe is almost inevitable, is almost inevitable that the first line of beneficiaries from his victory or our victory would be those who stood by him, who campaigned for him, who worked with him when he was aspiring or contesting. So don't you think it's going to be challenging to... This is the area at the test most politicians. You see, in a nation would, you must go beyond party politics. You must go beyond it. You must go beyond it. You must go for the best. You must go for those that have conscience. You see, why we begin to compensate... Have you factored in the fact that most times these politicians would need to seek re-election and when we are the other, they may need the services of those that helped them to attend the office and if they snubbed them, it may become a liability for their re-election. What do you think about that? We are also getting it wrong there. Until we get to the level in this nation where politics is based on the people's mandates, on the people's mandates, when the people say yes and they vote for you, then you should be able to serve the people with all your heart. But when do people put you there? My good colleague, when you say that is what you want to detest about our politics in this nation, any liberal democracy also suffers the same. You want to go to America, where we borrowed the presidential system from, you want to go to England even in a parliamentary system environment, or France. Every liberal democracy has a tendency for the winner to want to reward those who have to orchestrate its own victory. I understand your point. Nobody can fault the logic of your point, but the pragmatism, that is the real politic hand of it is just what I am thinking about to think is a bit idealistic. That is a question remark. Make a question remark so that we will wrap it up. We must get to the level in this nation where we go beyond party politics. We must begin to embrace politics of the conscience, politics of serving the masses, politics of thinking Nigerians was before you think about your pocket. And so Nigerians are wiser now that they must make sure that they monitor every act of governance. And by doing that, I can assure you that we will get to the best of the best in this nation. Thank you very much sir. We quite appreciate your contribution. Thank you and wish you all the best.