Ribadu wins anti-corruption award in Malaysia

Nuhu Ribadu, former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has bagged an outstanding award on anti-corruption.

The award, administered by Rule of Law and Anti-corruption Centre (ROLACC) celebrates corruption fighters, academics and campaigners from around the world.

The award ceremony held on Friday at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre in Malaysia.

Ribadu jointly won the lifetime/outstanding achievement category alongside Leonardo McCarthy,  former South African corruption fighter and ex-World Bank vice-president.

Mahathir Mahamad, Malaysian prime minister, and Tamim Al Thani, emir of Qatar, were present at the ceremony.

The honorees were presented with a plague and certificate each by the two leaders.

Ribadu was nominated for the award by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), a civil society organisation doing pioneering work on whistleblowing policy in Nigeria.

The award, which is in four categories, comes with a cash prize of $250,000.

In his acceptance speech, Ribadu described the award as a tribute to persons around the world working to curb corruption.

He paid tribute to his colleagues at the EFCC, some of whom he said paid the “supreme price” in their line of duty.

He said the award would boost the morale of corruption fighters who would come to realise that their job is not thankless, after all.