A Coward’s Revelation? The Hypocrisy in Abdulrasheed Bawa’s Press Release

The recent press release hailing former EFCC Chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa’s new book, The Shadow of Loot & Losses: Uncovering Nigeria’s Petroleum Subsidy Fraud, is as disturbing as it is hypocritical. While the book may parade itself as a “groundbreaking exposé,” many Nigerians are rightly asking: Why now?

Bawa held one of the most powerful positions in the fight against corruption — heading the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from 2021 to 2023. If these shocking revelations were at his fingertips all along — and indeed he claims firsthand involvement in the investigations — why did he not act while in office? Why did he not, with all the might of his office, expose and prosecute the very fraudsters he now writes about?

The truth is, while in office, Bawa had more power to act than he does now. His position gave him access, resources, and state backing to pursue these cases. If he didn’t speak up then, but now finds the courage to write about it in retirement, this amounts to a coward’s revelation. It suggests that he either benefited from the corruption or deliberately closed his eyes to it for reasons known only to him — whether personal gain or fear of political backlash.

Let’s be clear: the Nigerian people are not fools. We have seen this pattern time and again — public officials who stay mute while enjoying the perks of office, only to suddenly become champions of truth once the power and responsibility have been stripped from them. It is a cheap tactic to gain public sympathy, sell books, or rebrand oneself as a “reformer” after leaving the battlefield untouched.

Even more insulting is the expectation that Nigerians should now applaud Bawa for writing what he failed to do as EFCC boss. Wasn’t it his job then to investigate, expose, and prosecute corruption? His office was fully equipped to bring these criminals to justice, yet many of them still walk free.

By releasing this book after the fact, Bawa paints himself as an observer of history, not a shaper of it. He had the opportunity to rewrite the story of corruption in Nigeria with concrete action, but instead chose to now rewrite it as a memoir of missed chances. That’s not leadership — that’s cowardice masked as courage.

In the end, The Shadow of Loot & Losses may be well-written, but it stands as a monument to failure and betrayal of trust. Nigerians don’t need more books about corruption. We need bold action when it matters, not safe confessions after the fact.