Lagos:   With each passing day, concrete evidence crops up about the lack of resolution in prosecuting with vigour the national war against corruption. This is totally unacceptable. To repeat for the umpteenth time, the cancer of corruption is precisely why Nigeria remains time-warped in under-achievement, disease, poverty and despondency.

The rejection in a cavalier manner by the Federal House of Representatives of the Asset Forfeiture Bill is a clear indication that our legislators pay only lip service to the notion of waging a vigorous no-holds barred assault on corrupt practices, a debilitating cancer that has ravaged our country. No one should have been surprised. This retrogressive attitude is the same one way adopted by a political elite who have refused for over ten years to join over eighty other nations in passing a Freedom of Information Act. The signal that is being sent out is unambiguous; it will continue to be business as usual, and the Nigerian people will bear the opportunity cost of an economy anchored on corrupt practices.

It does not require the intellect of a rocket scientist to know that there is no way a serious war against corruption can be waged without having a law permitting forfeiture of the assets of those involved in criminal activities. Asset forfeiture laws of the type thrown out by the House of Representatives have already been in practice in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Australia and most of the Commonwealth countries. This is in line with a consistent pattern of always being light years behind the rest of the world. For example, although Sweden set the ball rolling by passing a

Freedom of Information Act (FOI) in 1766, centuries later, our own FOI is still predictably languishing in never-never hand.

What the rejected Bill would have done is to seek the forfeiture of assets of persons under investigation over alleged drugs related, economic and financial crimes. What on earth could be wrong with this? It should be a source of bother that the initiative is anchored on a United Nation Convention Initiative against crime which has been used successfully to tame corruption in many countries where it is on the statute book. The implication here is grave. Unwittingly, (it is to be hoped) our legislators have decided to buck the world wide trend and consensus. They have decided not to align with what is now the internationally acceptable modus operandi for fighting corruption.

This is not going to do Nigeria any good. It will now be very difficult to access the array of funds and grants from a myriad of countries and donor agencies with which to re-invigorate the war against corruption. When we realise that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is already hampered by a shortage of funds, we can best appreciate the magnitude of the debilitation. This can, surely, not be what the legislators have in mind. For this reason, it is therefore, with relief that we note that the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotic and Financial Crimes, Rabe Nasir, a Peoples Democratic Party member from Katsina state has publicly stated that the Committee would do everything in its powers not only to bring back the bill, but to ensure its passage into law. This newspaper will hold Mr. Nasir to his words and constantly remind him of his pledge. If he does the necessary, he would have earned himself a place in the pantheon of the good and the great, those who played pivotal roles in moving the country forward.

The rejection of the bill has by sending out the wrong signals done great injury to our country's international standing. It does not edify our legislature that they have not shown the thoroughness required in vetting and ensuring the speedy passage of this most urgently needed of legislations. Every parliamentary procedure must be put into play to ensure the passage of the bill as well that of the equally important Freedom of Information Bill. Frankly, if we are not to continue to wallow in underachievement there is no alternative.

*  Editorial comment in The Daily Independent