Mustapha Akanbi
Encyclopedia
Muhammad Mustapha Adebayo Akanbi is a lawyer and retired judge who headed the Nigeria
n Independent Corrupt Practices Commission
between 2000 and 2005.
, Ghana
, to Muslim
parents from Ilorin
in Nigeria
. After completing secondary school he worked as an executive officer in the Ghana Civil Service. He was also active as a trade unionist. Moving to Nigeria, he worked in the School Broadcasting Department of the Ministry of Education.
, Zaria
, followed by legal studies in the United Kingdom. He was called to the English Bar in 1963, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in January 1964. He joined the Ministry of Justice and became a Senior State Counsel in 1968. In 1969 he set up in private practice in Kano
. In 1974 he was appointed a judge of the Federal Revenue Court, and in January 1977 he was elevated to the Court of Appeal Bench. In 1992 he was made President of the Nigerian Court of Appeal, a position he held until retiring in 1999.
His son is also a successful lawyer, becoming Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association
, Ilorin Branch.
(ICPC). Four years later, the ICPC had failed to make any significant convictions. Akanbi publicly questioned why the government had set up the ICPC and appointed competent people to run it "only to frustrate it from performing by starving it of funds". He said that another issue was that the law forbade it from investigating corrupt practices dating before the creation of the ICPC.
In March 2004, Justice Mustapha Akanbi urged parliamentarians to ratify the United Nations and the African Union Conventions Against Corruption, which would greatly assist the struggle against corruption.
As of July 2005, the ICPC had charged 85 people but had only secured two corruption-related convictions. Commenting on this record, Akbani said he suspected that some judges had been paid off to toss out cases.
In September 2005 Akanbe said "Corruption has been described as a cankerworm, a malaise that has afflicted our nation and done havoc to our corporate existence". He attributed the problem to lack of will by past military leaders to fight corruption, inconsistency in government policies, and reluctance by law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute "sacred cows".
.
He joined the board of the Justice and Law Enforcement Reformation Organization, a non-profit organization that aims to eradicate corruption and poverty from the perspective of the Judiciary and Law Enforcement agencies.
In 2006, Akbani established the Mustapha Akanbi Foundation in Ilorin, Kwara State
, dedicated to strengthening civil society groups, governmental agencies and private business concerns and helping them imbibe a culture of transparency and accountability.
In August 2009 he called on Nigerian Muslims to shun the ideas of the Boko Haram
sect, which teaches that non-Islamic education is a sin. He said that both Western and Islamic education were germane to the development of mankind.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n Independent Corrupt Practices Commission
Independent Corrupt Practices Commission
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission , is a Nigerian agency that was inaugurated on the 29th of September 2000 following the recommendation of President Olusegun Obasanjo...
between 2000 and 2005.
Early years
Muhammad Mustapha Adebayo Akanbi was born on 11 September 1932 at AccraAccra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, to Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
parents from Ilorin
Ilorin
Ilorin is one of the largest cities in Nigeria and is the capital of Kwara State. As of 2007 it had a population of 847,582.-History:Ilorin was founded by the Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, in 1450...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. After completing secondary school he worked as an executive officer in the Ghana Civil Service. He was also active as a trade unionist. Moving to Nigeria, he worked in the School Broadcasting Department of the Ministry of Education.
Lawyer and judge
Mustapha Akanbi obtained a scholarship to study law at the Institute of Administration, now Ahmadu Bello UniversityAhmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University is the largest university in Nigeria and second largest in Africa, second only to Cairo University, Egypt. It is situated in Zaria. It was founded on October 4, 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria....
, Zaria
Zaria
Zaria may refer to:*Zaria, a city in Kaduna State, Nigeria*Zaria , or Zoria, the Slavic goddess of beauty*Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, a member of the Dutch royal family...
, followed by legal studies in the United Kingdom. He was called to the English Bar in 1963, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in January 1964. He joined the Ministry of Justice and became a Senior State Counsel in 1968. In 1969 he set up in private practice in Kano
Kano
Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
. In 1974 he was appointed a judge of the Federal Revenue Court, and in January 1977 he was elevated to the Court of Appeal Bench. In 1992 he was made President of the Nigerian Court of Appeal, a position he held until retiring in 1999.
His son is also a successful lawyer, becoming Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association
Nigerian Bar Association
The Nigerian Bar Association is the umbrella body of all lawyers admitted to practice law in Nigeria.Any lawyer who satisfies the members of the Body of Benchers that they have good character and proficiency in the Bar Final Examination from the Nigerian Law School is automatically admitted.The...
, Ilorin Branch.
Independent Corrupt Practices Commission
In 2000 President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Akbani as Chairman of the newly established Independent Corrupt Practices CommissionIndependent Corrupt Practices Commission
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission , is a Nigerian agency that was inaugurated on the 29th of September 2000 following the recommendation of President Olusegun Obasanjo...
(ICPC). Four years later, the ICPC had failed to make any significant convictions. Akanbi publicly questioned why the government had set up the ICPC and appointed competent people to run it "only to frustrate it from performing by starving it of funds". He said that another issue was that the law forbade it from investigating corrupt practices dating before the creation of the ICPC.
In March 2004, Justice Mustapha Akanbi urged parliamentarians to ratify the United Nations and the African Union Conventions Against Corruption, which would greatly assist the struggle against corruption.
As of July 2005, the ICPC had charged 85 people but had only secured two corruption-related convictions. Commenting on this record, Akbani said he suspected that some judges had been paid off to toss out cases.
In September 2005 Akanbe said "Corruption has been described as a cankerworm, a malaise that has afflicted our nation and done havoc to our corporate existence". He attributed the problem to lack of will by past military leaders to fight corruption, inconsistency in government policies, and reluctance by law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute "sacred cows".
In retirement
Akbani retired in 2005 on completion of the first term of office, and was succeeded by Emmanuel AyoolaEmmanuel Ayoola
Emmanuel Olayinka Ayoola is a Nigerian lawyer and judge who became Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission in 2005. He is also a judge of the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.-Early years:...
.
He joined the board of the Justice and Law Enforcement Reformation Organization, a non-profit organization that aims to eradicate corruption and poverty from the perspective of the Judiciary and Law Enforcement agencies.
In 2006, Akbani established the Mustapha Akanbi Foundation in Ilorin, Kwara State
Kwara State
Kwara State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Ilorin. The primary ethnic group of Kwara State is Yoruba, with significant Nupe, Bariba and Fulani minorities.- History :...
, dedicated to strengthening civil society groups, governmental agencies and private business concerns and helping them imbibe a culture of transparency and accountability.
In August 2009 he called on Nigerian Muslims to shun the ideas of the Boko Haram
Boko Haram
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command...
sect, which teaches that non-Islamic education is a sin. He said that both Western and Islamic education were germane to the development of mankind.