Former minister of foreign affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi at the trans­formation seminar organized by the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Lagos West diocese has said he had his reservation about democracy. Akinyemi who spoke on the topic, Moral and ethics, said he does not agree that the worst civilian government is better than the best military government noting that the issue is neither here nor there.

According to him, it is not about the system of government but about the people in government. Akinyemi who was responding to a question on what kind of system that is suitable for the country said, Nigeria had witnessed both the good and bad side of military and civilian regimes. "We have had bad military government and we have had bad civilian government. So, it will be wrong to say that the worse civilian regime is better than the best military regime. I have my reservation about that."

Commenting on the involvement of retired generals in politics, Akinyemi said he had personally told former president Ibrahim Babangida not to contest in the presidential race. "I have told him. I really don't know what he wants. Our leaders should learn to stay in the background. I do not support a former head of state coming back again. They can deplore their energy to doing other things."

Speaking on corruption he said, "Corruption has eaten deep into every facet of our lives. The judiciary, the church and even the when the need arises. He also criticise the encroachment on the rights of people in name of crusade and prayers. He said there was a need for the total transformation of the church adding that the church should be under the law. He called on Ribadu to go after the church so that we can have a sane society. In the government environment, he noted that people lack the moral value to step down from government when they have failed in offices. "

With the way things are going on, Nigeria is being run down." We have immunity system that grants immunity to officers when they commit offence. We have taken morality and ethics out of our laws.

He also called on him to throw his searchlight on non-governmental organization. "What we are having now is that many Nigerians are taking advantage of the non-governmental. organisations to defraud foreign donors. Ribadu should begin to look into these NGOs."

Akinyemi also called for the abolition of the immunity clause in the constitution. "There is no justification for it. The legal and judicial system should be reformed. The minister for justice knew it was wrong for him to take up appointment while holding an elective position but he disobeyed the law and took up then appointment. This is part of the corruption we are talking about.