Obasanjo Reveals Lawmakers' Fears Over Anti-Corruption Bill

At the public presentation of “Unexplained Wealth in Nigeria: Law, Prosecution and the Recovery of Illicit Assets” in Lagos, Olusegun Obasanjo recounted his experiences in the fight against corruption. He stated that lawmakers expressed fears of imprisonment if they passed his anti-corruption bill, which took 18 months to be enacted.

Obasanjo's commitment to anti-corruption began during his military service and deepened after he became a farmer and collaborated with Peter Eigen, a former World Bank official who founded Transparency International. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Nigeria, based on a model law provided by Transparency International.

He later established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to further combat corruption, which he described as fundamentally incompatible with development, disproportionately affecting the poorest in society.