WHO IS AFRAID OF RIBADU?
The flip flopping and ‘hiding something under the table’ antics of Michael Aondoakaa, the Attorney General of Justice in Nigeria has started to give the real lovers of that country some concerns, and time is ripe to ask Umaru Yaradua to wake up, and call this man to order. It is the right time for Yaradua to show that his avowed statement of zero tolerance for corruption is not only to be seen, but is being tenaciously followed to every letter.
It will not be an act of impatience if Mister Aondoakaa is quickly shoved out of that position if he is trying to become the devil’s advocate by his own management problem of impatience. His so called fight for the rule of law should not be to the disadvantage of the poor Nigerians whose blood is daily sucked out by the thieving leaders who parade the length and breadth of the corridors of power, all over Nigeria.
It will not be wrong to ask, who are the godfathers of Aondoakaa or who nominated him for that position. If Nigeria’s Intelligence Men and women are very good with background checks as done in some other places, it will not take too long to see whose errands the Minister of Justice is running at the altar of justice. There are many men amongst the expired governors of 1999 till 2007, who can buy anyone to ‘feather their corrupt nest’ with unfathomable assets they have gathered during their watch. There are some big men out there who are still displeased with Ribadu and his commission for daring to change from the usual business of the dirty past years.
The Nigerian Bar Association’s President, a respectable lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba, should be careful at riding the dubitable horse of the current Minister of Justice so that he will not be rubbished. He should tarry a while to see what exactly is behind the smokescreen of law defense that the Minster has been talking about. Mr. President too should not allow himself to be fooled by the fake patriotism of some of the shameless men who financed his, though fraudulent, ride to power, and the time to watch out is now that they are doing all they can, to get rid of the only organization showing the resilience to thwart their treacherous moves to obstruct their recall for appropriate justice.
Sometime in 1984, at the time of the revolutionary reign of Buhari/Idiagbon, the late popular and great lover education, Tai Solarin told a group of students (including this writer) from Ibadan that ‘if a bad man offers you free education, take it and use the education to make things better’. Mr. Umaru Yaradua should not allow any charlatan to hold him to ransom because they sponsored his ride to power, or cheated, to get him into office.
Again, at the takeover of government by Babangida in 1985, the same Tai noted in answers to statements by the new regime that they have freed all the politicians, that his concern was more for food, better living conditions, good road, uninterrupted educational system and other good things of life as present in other places.
Today, in Nigeria, the name Nuhu Ribadu is popular for his boldness in tackling the big obstructions against the good things of life that some good Nigerians have been trying all years to bequeath to the nation of Nigeria. The late Obafemi Awolowo, at his announcement of his progressive cardinal programs in 1979, linked administrative success to the arrest of the scourge of corruption which had been sucking the blood of the nation. No wonder that the corrupt souls in Nigeria did all to stop him from becoming the President of Nigeria.
Most people who have the wherewithal to send corruption out of the surface of Nigeria have either been frustrated or guillotined, or made to face blackmail, and therefore, some have made a permanent withdrawal from the affairs of the nation.
Name most of the former rulers of Nigeria, and see, if there is one who, if probed is free from the enemy known as corruption. To those who still miss it, corruption is the reason why there is no regular supply of electricity in Nigeria after 47 years of independence. It is the cause of why none of all the so called Teaching Hospitals could carry out some major medical feats, it is the problem why our roads are bad and it is the reason why the refineries are not working, the departed president actually went over the line to hand them over to his cohorts.
Tell why the business of generating plants for electricity continues to boom. Ask why there is always shortage of gas for vehicles and ask the common men on the streets why they are hungry. Or why unemployment is a normal occurrence to those occupying government and private offices.
The story was told at Vanguard Newspapers how some powerful Nigerians including some top military men of Yoruba extraction were so crazy to ensure that Awolowo did not rule Nigeria. There was this phobia about the late sage over his ‘stubbornness’ to stop them from going on with their thievery, and also to cover up their dirty acts.
What does it take to get a very functional hospital in each of the geopolitical zones? Obasanjo raised more than 2 billion naira for his hogwash library within few hours. The contributors are Nigerians and someone rightly or otherwise suggested that some of the donors just gave back some of the money made without any sweat from the Nigerian coffers! Why can’t someone in position of authority and leadership organize fundraising for a functional Medical Center of excellence in his or her State or City?
The concern of this writer is that in some decent cultures, it is easy to know what Mr. A did before he could donate 230 million naira to a sitting President’s selfish venture. Or what Mr. B. has done in his life to be able to give 100 million naira in a public donation. In a taxation conscious society, the phase to start will be how much tax has these people paid? The Internal revenue system in Nigeria should be made more efficient to know if a big donor of 3oo million has been paying the right taxes or evading such. We know for fact that most big men in Nigeria do not pay taxes. One could still remember the 1979 situation in which one of the famous faces in the presidential election was found to be owing arrears of taxes!
The reverse is the case in Nigeria where corruption is a glamour and the highest chieftaincy titles go to the rich, never mind if he stole public money or crippled many human limbs to make the money.
Now, if the new President is really sincere about zero tolerance for corruption, he needs to ask the Attorney General for Justice to back off from obstructing the good job Nuhu Ribadu has been doing. This should be immediate. The EFCC and its chairman too should drop the toga of arrogance or law breaking as allowed by Obasanjo. It is a new dawn!
Nigerians know better than to be handed the garbage that the Mr. Aondoakaa is using to delay the pursuit of wolves in sheep clothing. Who are the big men hiding behind the Justice Minister to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes commission?
One of the few good things that can be counted in favor of the apostle of ‘do or die’ politics, is the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and some autonomy which was enjoyed by the Commission throughout the maverick president’s time.
There is no doubting the great success of the EFCC under Nuhu Ribadu and it has become impossible for any future regime to erase the pioneering activities or even the EFCC from history. The EFCC has gained a lot of commendations for Nigeria in the comity of nations, and the present stage of the country’s good standing in the eyes of the world is easily attributed to the great recoveries that the Commission under Ribadu has made.
The President of Nigeria, Umaru Ribadu will need to be very careful and very considerate of some mumbo jumbo steps that some of his advisers may be pushing down his throats. It has been reported that the current Attorney General defended some of his clients in court cases against the Commission before being made a Justice minister. He will need to differentiate between national or personal interests. It is also important for the new administration to ensure that the ‘troublers’ of Nigeria by way of stealing, are not only brought to book but stopped from having any further say in the affairs of the country.
Importantly, all the references to strict obedience to the rule of law should not delay the interests of Nigerians. Most Nigerians believe that the Nuhu Ribadu led Commission is in a better position of trust to deal with thieves and robbers in government than the political Attorney General.
Furthermore, several queries are being posed as to who are the godfathers behind these attempts to bring down the EFCC? The foot-dragging on the prosecution of obvious thieves of public purse in the years between 1999 till 2007, has a lot to do with the Attorney General, who seems to be the devil’s advocate here.
Nigerians want the rule of law to be followed, this will be better than in the last eight years of laws of ‘Baba’, but the Attorney General should not hide under this to thrash the good job that Nuhu Ribadu has been doing.
Some of the blames should also go to the EFCC and Ribadu who allowed the erstwhile regime to mess up its good reputation when some selective prosecution and cherry picking of culprits were done in the recent past. The way to amend the situation is to open the secrets of the past administration, from ‘baba’ himself to every other main player in the profligacy of the era.
By the way, what happened to the story about a former Southeastern governor who requested for permission to travel outside Nigeria to be with his wife in a US hospital with a brain tumor? What is the reason and or what are the behind the scene acts which made the Ministry of Justice Department to rush to hijack the Kalu court matter from the EFCC lawyer? Is the EFCC in another ministry or an arm of the Justice Department? Who pays the lawyers working for the EFCC?
The recommendation that the government should separate the Justice Office from that of the Attorney general is beginning to make valid reason. There is problem for the country when the occupant of the position of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice becomes too political, but the situation gets worse when he does not get the trust of the people. Remember that after much useless struggles, the Attorney General of Justice in the United States, Alberto Gonzales had to announce his resignation as he has lost the general trust of the people from all parties. When is enough going to be enough for Michael Aondoakaa in his unpopular and seeming battle against the people trusted EFCC?
Mr. President needs to make his own name but not by ‘throwing away the baby’s bath water along with the baby’. Everyone knows that the past regime under Obasanjo is about the most lawless civilian in the history of Nigeria, and the former President being a believer in the law of the jungle, however the current regime should know that Nigerians will not be fooled to allow men and women whose eight years in power is a lampoon of stealing with both hands, to supplant the good efforts of the anti graft body.
Great thanks to the eminent jurist, retired Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, the Chairman of the ICPC for cutting the Justice minister to size and the ball is now in the courts of the self acclaimed servant leader to show that he is not a zombie in the palms of Michael Aondoakaa.
The popular Yoruba adage says that "the gourd will tell not just the type of rope to be used for it but where on the tree to put it” . The whole world is watching and the struggle will definitely continue for the poor people of Nigeria.
John Ayodele,
bishopbode@hotmail.com
USA .