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….Says Anti-Graft War Must Not Punish Innocent Workers
ABUJA — Fresh questions have emerged over the controversial freezing of the Osun State Government’s salary account as a prominent constitutional advocate and delegate to the 2014 National Conference, Chief Mrs. Ifeyinwa Arafat Ezenwa, has challenged the legality and humanitarian implications of the action, urging the Federal Government and key constitutional institutions to intervene without delay.
Ezenwa, who serves as Chairman of the Advocacy Committee on New Constitution, South East, warned that any action preventing the payment of salaries to legitimate public servants undermines both the constitutional guarantee of the rule of law and the principles of natural justice, regardless of the allegations prompting the investigation.
Her intervention comes amid growing public concern over reports that the freezing of the account has disrupted salary payments to thousands of workers, raising questions about whether anti-corruption enforcement is being balanced with the constitutional rights and welfare of innocent citizens.
In a strongly worded statement made available to journalists, Chief Mrs Ezenwa maintained that while Nigeria’s campaign against corruption deserves unwavering support, enforcement actions must target alleged offenders rather than inflict collateral hardship on workers who have no connection with the alleged financial misconduct under investigation.
“The people who suffer are not the governor, commissioners or members of the political elite,” she said.
“The victims are teachers trying to pay their children’s school fees, nurses reporting for duty, pensioners struggling to purchase medication, and civil servants striving to provide for their families.”
She argued that freezing a salary account without adequate safeguards for innocent beneficiaries effectively shifts the burden of alleged official misconduct onto ordinary Nigerians whose livelihoods depend entirely on monthly wages.
According to her, the Constitution guarantees the rule of law, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission derives its investigative and enforcement powers from the EFCC (Establishment) Act. Those powers, she stressed, must always be exercised within the framework of due process and judicial oversight.
“If there is evidence of wrongdoing, investigate those responsible. Prosecute them. Recover stolen public funds through due process. But thousands of hardworking workers should not be denied their salaries because of allegations against a few,” she stated.
The constitutional advocate called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Assembly, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the National Human Rights Commission to urgently review any action that has prevented a state government from paying legitimate workers.
She specifically appealed for an immediate reassessment of any order freezing a state’s salary account, urging that where innocent workers are being deprived of their lawful earnings, access should be restored within 24 hours while lawful investigations continue against those suspected of financial crimes.
Legal observers say the controversy has reignited debate over the extent to which anti-corruption agencies can deploy asset-freezing powers without adversely affecting constitutional rights, labour welfare and the delivery of essential public services.
Analysts note that while the fight against corruption remains one of Nigeria’s foremost national priorities, actions capable of disrupting salary payments to teachers, healthcare workers, pensioners and other civil servants raise broader governance and human rights concerns that demand careful judicial scrutiny.
For Ezenwa, the challenge is not whether corruption should be fought, but how it should be fought.
“The war against corruption must continue,” she declared.
“But the war against corruption must never become a war against workers.”
She warned that a nation which deprives teachers, doctors, nurses, pensioners and civil servants of their legitimate earnings in the pursuit of justice risks eroding public confidence in both its anti-corruption institutions and the justice system itself.
Her intervention is expected to intensify calls for clearer legal safeguards that enable anti-graft agencies to investigate and recover illicit assets without paralysing essential government functions or inflicting avoidable hardship on innocent public servants.
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