I FIND it difficult coming to terms  with the motive of those who delight in faulting the anti-corruption war initiated and vigorously prosecuted by former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his tenure which lasted between 1999 and 2007.

The reason for my confusion in this respect derives from the glaring evidence that these so-called critics of the former Head of State are usually not sincere, but are more often than not persuaded by some ulterior motives.

No matter his short-comings or what some perceive as his excesses while in office as president, what no one can take away from Obasanjo are his sincerity and commitment in fighting the corruption war to a logical conclusion.

On assumption of office, he had made it clear to Nigerians that he was dismayed at the global perception of Nigeria as an irredeemably corrupt country based on the activities of past leaders who took advantage of their positions to amass wealth for themselves at the expense of the vast majority of Nigerians. It was a situation that left the country adrift for many years and left it occupying top spots in Transparency International’s yearly list of the most corrupt countries of the world.

But it was an unenviable development that Obasanjo was determined to change and possibly stamp out. And true to his avowed resolve in this respect, he had gone ahead to establish two anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, which succeeded to a large extent in bringing many public and private corrupt officials to book.

It does not bear repeating the exploits and remarkable achievements of these agencies, especially the EFCC, as they are well-known to most Nigerians. But what we should not forget is that the advent of the anti-corruption agencies brought some level of sanity in governance, especially in how public funds are handled by public office holders.

For instance, within a short time the fear of the EFCC and by extension, its pioneer chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, became the beginning of wisdom among all and sundry, both in the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Another fact worth mentioning is that as far as the war against corruption was concerned, there were no sacred cows, as both the EFCC and the ICPC did not discriminate on the basis of tribe, religion, class and social status.  Also with the EFCC in existence, there was no hiding place for those engaged in the crime of obtaining money by trick, popularly known as 419, as many of them were arrested and prosecuted, while others took to their heels or went underground.

The EFCC equally extended its investigative forays to the organised private sector where identified corrupt captains of industry and other officials of different companies were thoroughly quizzed,  investigated and in some cases prosecuted based on petitions written against them.

It is to the credit of former President Obasanjo that he did not interfere with either the EFCC or the ICPC in the execution of their anti-corruption assignments. But there was no denying the fact that he was anxious to have the corruption malaise, which has eaten deep into the polity, either eradicated or checkmated.

This is why I find it quite laughable when some misguided or uninformed critics accuse him of using the anti-graft agencies he set up to hound or witch-hunt his perceived political enemies.  What many of them fail to understand is that as a member of Transparency International, Obasanjo was thoroughly embarrassed at the frequent mention of Nigeria at different international fora as being synonymous with corruption. So on becoming president, he was fired by the zeal to identify and punish all those responsible for bringing shame to the country through corruption. So, in a way, the war against corruption was his life.

And he made sure that all corrupt individuals in and outside the country got the message while he was in office.  His immediate successor, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua saw reason to continue the war where Obasanjo stopped. Same applies to the current president, Goodluck Jonathan.

They both retained the EFCC and ICPC in prosecuting the war, a clear indication that Obasanjo meant well for the country when he set up these two anti-graft agencies.

Even out of office, Obasanjo has found it difficult shedding his anti-corruption stance. That is why he had during the recent conference of the International Labour Organisation, ILO, decried the lack of political will to fight corruption since he left office in 2007.

Given the fact that he believes in calling a spade a spade where issues bordering on national interest is concerned, his statement in this regard should have been welcomed as a wake up call by all, including the present leadership. But preferring not to accept it in good faith, it has been a barrage of unfair criticism by those obviously hired to do so.

But that is where the difference between him and his traducers lies. While he acts and speaks, sometimes bluntly, out of patriotic motives, those busy condemning him in the media only betray the fact that they are acting from selfish considerations. The good thing is that their sponsored and ill-motivated ranting cannot change the fact that Obasanjo remains one of Nigeria’s most respected statesmen and Nigeria’s most credible voice globally.

Mr. BERTRAND UWALAKA, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.