The Nation Newspaper

Tag: corruption

  • Elections, corruption and terrorism

    The  governorship elections of both Kogi and Bayelsa states have shown the different faces of Nigeria in the way we see and perceive democracy   as well  as our commitment to change and the fight against corruption which  the present admiration has shown it is firmly committed to. The  Kogi election has  shown  that in Nigeria we pay lip service  to the concept of joint candidature and that in real terms we  do not expect  the running mate to succeed  the governorship candidate in case  of any mishap including. In  Bayelsa the spirit of former governor Alamieyesagha looms larger than life even in death over   today’s  elections which APC   expects to win without slighting the image of the  former governor whose  main legacy was the opprobrium of corruption for which inexplicably his people still dote and worship him  even in death.

    With  regard  to the fight against  terrorism it is becoming clear by the day that the former Jonathan  Administration could  not have performed better than it did   on   fighting   Boko  Haram  if its NSA was busy diverting funds meant for  arms to campaigns meant to keep the administration and PDP  in power.  Although  the  opposition could attack   EFCC  or   government  of orchestrating a media trial the  fact  cannot  be easily  dismissed  that a clear case of abuse of power and criminal  diversion  of funds had  been exposed and  blown open  even if we must  respect the law and assume that those involved are innocent until  proven guilty on trial  and in open  court. That these   revelations  are  coming at a time  that China through its President at a China – Africa Summit in Johannesburg  in S Africa promised  a loan of 60 bn  dollars to Africa   is   quite  instructive and should   provide  a good   opportunity   on  the  need  for accountability   and  the use  of public funds   for  the  purposes for which they    are  meant.  Which  really  is the problem of African  leaders   in that  they  divert funds  meant for infrastructure  and development  for their  personal  and unproductive uses  thus fuelling corruption   and  stagnating economic development  on the continent. 35  African  Heads  of  states attended  the summit  and one can expect a scramble amongst them  to have huge  slices  of the Chinese  loans which  have zero interest rates and no strings attached like IMF  or World  Bank loans.  Unfortunately   good  examples  of such     diversions   abound in  the ongoing revelations of  diversion   of  funds    meant to buy arms to unproductive  purposes  while  security   matters   on terrorism  were  unattended to.

    These   were   funds    meant for arms to defeat  terrorism  and secure the lives  and properties of Nigerians especially in the North  East where Boko  Haram is having  a

    field day even as the December deadline that the President gave the defence  forces approaches  ominously.

    On  today’s  topic it is clear  that each  isolated  state election shows the face of Nigeria and the fate of democracy  in that part of the world. Again  it  has been  clearly  demonstrated that   the deceased APC candidate’s   running   mate   was  never meant to become governor as even the party   bypassed him   in choosing  another man for him  to be running  mate  to  for  a second  time.  Which  is like   giving  our election laws  a huge  kick  in the ass. That makes a mockery  of democracy  and the rule of law as well as the tenets of our constitution  even  as we await the verdict  of the rule of  the  Supreme  Court  on the matter.

    In  the case  of  Bayelsa it is clear that corruption  can  not  be an issue in that part of the world where the heroes are  larger than life  picture of a former governor  now dead and a former  president whose NSA  reportedly diverted funds meant  to buy arms to  campaigns and advertising promotions  while  soldiers  lacked  ammunition and equipment to fight Boko  Haram at the war  front and we could  not find our 200  missing Chibok  girls who  got  lost  then,  till  now. Obviously  a prima facie  case of treason  in high places is being established  against leaders of the last administration. Yet they  still  dictate the pace and direction  of elections in both Rivers and Bayelsa especially and no one is saying anything yet about the serious security implications of the charges of corruption and diversion  of funds meant to fight terrorism laid  very  much like a huge dung hill  of  opprobrium  at their door steps.  Really  the fight against  terrorism  and corruption  must have  a clear  message of deterrence, and  a policy to  defeat delay tactics in court as well as moves  to make an ass of the law,  which  are  manifest in  the  Kogi election  debacle on running mate as  well as the indifference of Bayelsa  people  to the opprobrium of corruption in their  election at any level of governance.

    Democracy  thrives  on the rule  of law, transparency, accountability and respect  for constituted authority. It  has  no place  for abuse of office and power which the arms diversion  episode has revealed and  no  well  meaning people  can hope  to improve their welfare or their  lot if they  do not frown on those who  feast them from  looted funds.

    Surely  the two elections in Kogi  and Bayelsa have thrown up serious concerns on our practice  of democracy which must  be fine tuned in the overall interest  of the larger Nigerian society  and community.

    We  need  to take our rules on elections more seriously, just as we also  need  to fine tune  our approach  to fighting terrorism. This really  is urgent if we  are  to make  Boko  Haram  a thing of the past in the shortest  possible time. It  was disheartening to read in the media that  Boko  Haram attacked  the hometown of the Army  Chief bearing his name and killed people before separating married women and girls  and making off  with  the damsels. This was painful and the army leadership  in the vicinity must  take full  responsibility for an avoidable lapse. They  should  have protected their boss’ village with greater care to avoid embarrassment to the army and themselves and  to avoid giving  unnecessary psychological  boost  to terrorists  in such  circumstances. Matters  were  not helped by the report that villagers said they warned the army of the presence of Boko  Haram  in the vicinity but the soldiers  reportedly  came to another village and shot into the air and went away till Boko  Haram came to kill  and carry off  innocent  maidens from  the village. The army  must wipe out Boko  Haram but  it must  protect its leaders too and not expose them to unnecessary   dangers and embarrassment such as that  which happened at the army chief’s  village this week.  Once  again  long live the Federal  Republic  of  Nigeria.

  • Adamawa commissioner jailed 10 years for corruption

    A prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Adamawa State and former Commissioner for Finance and Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, Chief John Babani Elias, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour over a corruption case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) yesterday in Yola.

    Justice Bilkisu Bello Aliyu in a judgment delivered at the Federal High Court, Yola, in the case instituted by EFCC on behalf of the Federal Government against Mohammed Inuwa Bassi, John Babani Elias and Al-Akim Investment Nig. Ltd, a company promoted by the latter, listed as the 1st and 2nd defendant, acquitted Inuwa Bassi and sentenced John Babani Elias to ten years imprisonment.

    Chief Elias, a prominent sponsor of the PDP, who has since been taken to the Jimeta Prison to serve his sentence, appeared to be high spirits before the Judge Hajiya Bilkisu Bello Aliyu read the verdict.

    The EFCC which secured the conviction in one of the landmark cases of graft involving a political bigwig in the state did so after it amended the charges against the accused to three counts of graft contrary to section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Case of corruption  Section 1 (2) (b) of the same Act.

    The judge in her ruling on count 3 which nailed John Babani, before sentencing him to 10 years without fine, found the accused and his company, Al-Akim Investment Nig. Ltd. guilty of defrauding the Adamawa State government of N31, 500,000 vide his company which he used to divert the said monies meant for the Local Government joint project.

    Although, the court found Elias guilty of conspiracy to cause the payment of N21, 000,000 vide Habib Bank Nig. Ltd, it, however, discharged and acquitted Inuwa Bassi of the said count.

    In addition to the sentences running concurrently, John Elias Babani is to return N51, 000,000 to the Adamawa State Government joint account while his company (Al-Akim) shall pay the fine of N5, 000,000 and be wound up immediately.

    But counsel to John Elias, Andrew Malgwi, of Rickey Tarfa Chambers, said his client would appeal the judgment because it was not comfortable with some aspect of the ruling.

  • Don urges young surveyors to shun corruption

    An Emeritus Professor of the department of Surveying and Geomatics, Rivers State University of Science and Technology(RSUST), Dagogo Jaja Fubara, has urged young surveyors to shun all forms of corrupt practices.

    Fubara spoke at the maiden national delegate training conference organised by Young Surveyors Network (YSN), for its members in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital,  tagged “Harvest of Ideas.”

    He noted that the profession was crucial and had been at the forefront of national development, especially in the areas of land as well as space and tracking of pipeline.

    He stressed the need for young surveyors to expand their knowledge for better service delivery.

    “I encourage them to read beyond the level of first degree which gives them naira and kobo, in other to be able to contribute to these areas earlier stated.

    “We need adherence to discipline and education to work according to World set standard of practice without compromising either quality of service or in honesty especially now that the Federal Government is taking the issue of the fight against corruption seriously.”

    The national coordinator of the group, Aro-Lambo Yusuf Agbola,  outlined the areas surveyors were needed for national development. He urged the government to create enabling opportunities for them to practise their trade.

    Agbola added that the train-the-trainers programme with the theme: “dynamic synergy of young professionals towards national development”, was aimed at better equipping young surveyors with today’s reality. He drew the attention of the government to the need to create the enabling environment for them to contribute their quota to the development of the country.

    He said: “Nigeria, like many other developing countries of the world, is faced with several challenges, such as, security, shelter, food security health, transportation, poor education infrastructure amongst others. It is important to note that all these are occurrences in in a place, therefore the surveyor on land expert is always needed to remedy any of this, whether on land, water of space.

    “It is rather disheartening to note that only a few less than 3,000 surveyors are on ground to render assistance to the country if called upon and this number includes both the old and young surveyors. In order to be relevant to national development, NYS Nigeria realised that acquiring the requisite skills by young Surveyors is the way forward; especially those needed for today’s interventions and those for future growth.

    “The need for developing and spreading skills among the young irrespective of their professional status is the instruments for moving the country forward since the older ones have the wisdom and the younger ones the vigour.

    “There is the problem of how to manage urbanisation, flood and desertification and surveyors have the tools to mitigate the problems.

    “We are not happy that after graduating as a surveyor, for lack of incorporation by the government, lack of job opportunities to practise what we study in the university, most of us end up in other sectors.

    “We are also drawing the attention of governments to the desires of young surveyors. Young surveyors in Nigeria want to be given their rightful place in the quest for national development.”

    The National Secretary of the group, Ajie U. Emmanuel, said synergy with other related profession was crucial for surveyors to achieve their desired goals.

  • ‘If corruption thrives, Nigeria has no future’

    ‘If corruption thrives, Nigeria has no future’

    Second Republic Lagos State Deputy Governor Rafiu Jafojo will clock 80 on Friday. He spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU and ENITAN SERIKI on his political career, his unfulfilled dreams and the crisis in Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation.

    Congratulations on the occasion of youth 80th birthday. Do you feel fulfilled at 80?

    I thank God for sparing my life. I feel comfortable. It is not easy to be 80. To be honest with you, I am okay. But, I do not feel fulfilled entirely. I would have wanted some other things to happen, which fit into my expectation. There are some things I have not been able to achieve. To start with, I have been agitating for the emancipation of the Aworis. The second is the Lagos State issue. I am not happy with the situation of Lagos. Our leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, should ensure that more Lagosians are given opportunities to paddle the canoe of Lagos. At 80, I have done what Napoleon could not do. I have turned back the Duke of Wellington.

    How did you meet the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, your leader?

    I was in England and he saw me. He was happy that I am an Awori. I was young. I worked for the party, the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). Everybody loved me and I loved them. That made Chief Awolowo to have confidence in me. I became very close to Papa in England. When I returned home, I became his cherished son and he became my father. I wanted to go to the House of Assembly from Agege Constituency. But, I was selected as Alhaji Lateef Jakande’s running mate. I learnt a lot from Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Some people were surprised that I had become close to the great man. When I returned to Nigeria, Papa looked for me. He wanted an Awori son to be the deputy governor of Lagos State. Alhaji Jakande had his mind on an Ijebu man. But, Papa Awolowo said no. He said: Go to Awori. There is a boy there called Rafiu. Go and call him for me.  That was how I became the deputy governor. I was not chosen by anybody, but by Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    What were other things Chief Awolowo told you?

    It is a long story. Chief Awolowo invited me to Apapa. He discussed with me for one hour and thirty minutes. It was inside the first room on the left. I requested for his advice because the office of deputy governor in a presidential system was new. How should I go about it? He said God will lead me alright. Indeed, God has been leading me alright. Papa Awolowo said I should be honest, transparent and avoid anything that will tarnish my reputation.  He said I should not take bribe, I should not assist people to get contract. He advised me to shun corruption. I asked: how do I get something from government? How do I make money? How do I cater for my children who are still young? He replied that I will get something from government by trying to be honest, if I believe in God and if I am honest. I followed his instructions. At the end of the day, I became a senior member of the UPN. It was like when Jesus was speaking to his disciples. There was no going back.

    How were you able to cope with the office of the deputy governor, which was largely perceived as a spare tyre?

    I had home training. I was properly brought up by good parents. If you have home training, you have everything. You have to maintain your home training. I was guided by home training. I was very focused. I did not allow anything to distract my attention. And things were going on very well with me.

    How did you meet your beautiful wife?

    I met her when she was a nurse. She was doing her nursing training in Lagos. She was a trainee in that school. When she completed her course, she was there. All of a sudden, I decided to withdraw her from the work. She was a qualified nurse. But, I did not allow her to continue the work. I was very jealous. I didn’t want any doctor to snatch my wife.

    You have been a progressive politician for a long time. But, at a time, you went to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and later returned to the progressive fold. How do you compare the two divides?

    It is not comparable.  The PDP is not a party. I only went there to hide my face. I went there because of my friend, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. I went there to hide my face. The PDP is not a political party. Forget about the PDP. They are not there.

    What is the solution to the lingering Afenifere crisis?

    The resolution of the Afenifere crisis cannot be achieved. There is no solution in sight. People can organise themselves in one way or the other. But, Afenifere is gone. There is no more Afenifere. I am saying this categorically: there is no Afenifere again. Afenifere is gone forever.

    What is your position on the agitation for special status for Lagos State?

    I am for the agitation. This is what we want for Lagos. It is achievable. I hope our leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will be able to achieve it for us. Lagos shoulders enormous national and continental responsibilities. There is pressure on the infrastructure here. It is a mini-Nigeria. Lagos needs special funding.

    What is your advice to Governor Akinwumi Ambode?

    He should thread carefully. Whenever he is going to the front like this, he should try to look back. He should do the right thing always.

    What is your advice to President Muhammadu Buhari?

    Buhari is not my friend. He has offended me. He was the person who asked them to search Chief Awolowo’s house after the coup. I have not forgiven him. I cannot forgive him, until the day he comes out and apologise. They went and search Chief Awolowo’s house for nothing.

    What is your advice to young politicians?

    They should not be in a hurry. They should shun corruption. If corruption thrives, Nigeria has no future.

  • NOA seeks joint effort against corruption

    At Ebonyi State, in continuation of its nationwide transparency and accountability campaign, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has stressed the need for value reorientation and to stamp out corruption in the country.

    At the Staff Development Centre Abakaliki, Director General of NOA, Mr Mike Omeri said Nigerians must  promote values and root out vice in the land.

    Participants at the event were drawn from the academia, civil service, traditional and faith-based organisations.

    Mr Omeri said fighting corruption is a collective responsibility and urged all public officials to reject corrupt practices in order to achieve national development.

    He said: ”Corruption has been repeatedly emphasised to be the bane of our national Development. This is a social vice that has greatly impeded our developmental process and security; and it is contributing immensely to our socio and economic backwardness, hence the need for all Nigerian citizen to have an attitudinal change and shun corruption in all ramification and also to make conscious efforts to compliment the present administration’s initiative in this regard.”

    Represented by the Director Political and Civic Education of the Agency, Mrs Ngozi Ekeoba, Mr Omeri identified corruption as a threat to national unity and called on Public servants to lead the fight against the menace.

    The Director, National Orientation Agency in the State, Dr Emma Abba explained that the change agenda of President Buhari had placed a huge responsibility on the Agency and called on all field officers to rise up to the challenge.

    In paper presentation, a Lecturer in the Department of Public Administration, Ebonyi State University, Dr. Onwe S. Onwe identified lack of patriotism as the major cause of corruption in Nigeria.

    He said: “The war against corruption in Nigeria started long ago. Several millitary and civilian governments promised to fight it and indeed tried by setting up different anti corruption agencies, but the end seems to be far. It is hypothesized that the environment of any society provides the necessary institution or platform for corruption to thrive or not”.

  • Corruption caused Nigeria’s woes – Varsity dons

    Corruption caused Nigeria’s woes – Varsity dons

    Nigeria’s current travails are attributable to corruption and African time mentality, Vice Chancellor of the Kwara state University (KWASU), Malete, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah and President, Nigeria Association of Mathematical Physics (NAMP), Prof. Garba Babaji have said.

    Prof Na’Allah lamented that it was shameful that Nigeria, despite its enormous human cum natural resources is incapable of paying its workers’ salaries.

    He spoke this in Malete at the 26th annual colloquium and congress of NAMP which was hosted by KWASU.

    The vice chancellor charged academics to collaborate with industries through their researched works in finding solutions to Nigeria’s problems.

    He said: “Academics work with government to move the society forward; question is; what are the results of those meetings that we have had with government? In Nigeria, no extra-ordinary things happen. As academics, we must understand that our responsibility is to make life better. It is a shame that a nation as rich as Nigeria cannot pay its workers’ salaries. We are the largest in Africa. Human resource alone is very huge.

    “The country cannot pay its workers’ salaries because we have almost totally been swallowed up by corruption. We have failed to tap the 24 hours information technology to move the nation forward.

    “I challenge all of us here to use our theories to collaborate with industries to move this nation forward. The responsibility of engaging in research and development rests squarely on the shoulders of academics.”

    Also speaking, Prof Babaji said: “The way forward is what individuals can do to make life better for all Nigerians. As mathematicians and physicists, we must make sacrifices for the nation. We must bear in mind that Nigeria can only be positively changed by Nigerians, therefore, we must individually and collectively utilize our resources in executing useful work. Mathematically, the most important factor that determines the output of any transformation is the operator. We Nigerians are the operators for the much needed positive transformation of our country.”

  • Corrupt Customs officials will be jailed – Comptroller

    Corrupt Customs officials will be jailed – Comptroller

    The Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), has warned officers and men of the service to desist from corrupt practices, saying anyone found culpable will be dismissed and jailed.

    Ali gave the warning in Calabar while addressing officers and men of the Customs Service on the need to be of good conduct and show professionalism while carrying out their duties.

    He said his administration has zero tolerance for corruption, hence the need for officers and men of the Service to shun all corrupt practices.

    His words, “I want to make it clear to all of you that I have zero tolerance for indiscipline and corruption. I will dismiss and jail any officer found guilty.

    “Indiscipline will no longer have a place in the Nigeria Customs Service. We must have officers and men with impeccable characters to promote the image of the service.

    “Anyone caught falsifying any document or compromising with fake imported goods will also be dismissed and jailed.

    “We have resolved that anyone caught in an unprofessional conduct, no matter the circumstances, will be dismissed and jailed for the offence.”

    According to him, the dismissal and incarceration will send a strong message to others and this would do well to reform the service.

    “I am determined to undertake reforms and reconstruct the service to collect more revenue into the coffers of the Federal Government.

    “We have been seen as the most indisciplined paramilitary organization because we have refused to obey the laws that govern us.

    “Paramilitary is all about discipline and we must operate on that basis. We must also work in line with the law establishing the service’’, he said.

    He assured officers and men that the NCS would reward hard working officers.

     

    On welfare, Ali assured the officers that arrangements were ongoing for the provision of suitable accommodation for them.

    “We are aware of the challenges of accommodation in your command. We will try our best to provide a better accommodation for you all,” he said.

  • Lalong to lawyers: tackle corruption

    Lalong to lawyers: tackle corruption

    Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has urged lawyers to contribute to the fight against corruption.

    The governor, who vowed to improve the quality of life of Plateau people through a transparent administration, made the remarks while declaring open the 2015 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Law week and Justice Dauda Azaki Memorial Lecture at Crest Hotel, Jos, with the theme: Law, Corruption and National Development.

      The topic was timely, Lalong said, as it keyed into the change mantra anchored on using the instrumentality of the rule of law to check corruption in public and private life.

    “I have said it repeatedly that the Plateau State Government will continue to support every laudable programme that will enhance good governance and by extension catalyse the delivery of the dividends of democracy to our people.

    “You will no doubt agree with me, that as we strengthen the law, and fight corruption with the instrument of the law, our development as a nation is guaranteed. It is in this, that I find a charge for you as ministers in the temple of justice,” he said.

    Lalong added that Justice Azaki lived a life of sacrifice and service to humanity.

    He said: “I am excited by the feeling that, year in – year out, we have used the character of courage, commitment, incorruptibility and the fear of God in the life of this Icon, to encourage the judiciary and legal practitioners to live by their oaths of service and call.

    “I challenge society to evolve a mechanism for acknowledging good works when somebody is alive, as Berton Bralley says, ‘now is the time to slip it to him for he cannot read his tombstone, when he is dead’.

    He continued: “As we celebrate the life and times of this legal titan and jurist, who was courageous and fearless in the dispensation of justice and contributed in no small measure to the growth of the judiciary in Plateau State, I urge all to emulate his virtues of truth, equity and justice which brought dignity to the Bench and Bar.”

    The governor said his administration is committed to enhancing the justice delivery system.

    By some stroke of providence, Lalong declared, the activities of government in the last one month have revolved around justice delivery.

    He said: “We have as a government, not only addressed partly, the issue of infrastructural challenge in the judiciary, but have gone further with the swearing-in of three new High Court Judges, proved our unflinching commitment to improving the lot of the judiciary.

    “Furthermore, we will do all within our means to complete the High Court Complex under construction

    Lalong continued: “As a practitioner in the temple of justice, I am very conversant with the role of the Judiciary in enhancing the practice of democracy.

    “Law as the fulcrum upon which democratic principles and practices are accentuated, requires a functional judiciary that gives interpretation to the law and justly dispenses justice according to the interpretation of that same law.”

    “We, therefore, will support and strengthen the pursuit of justice across the Bar and Bench.”

    He added: “I will not conclude without acknowledging the contributions of the Nigerian Bar Association Jos branch, to the promotion of peaceful coexistence in the state. Since my assumption of office, I have enjoyed tremendous support from the NBA in the state, and wish to place on record our deep appreciation of this partnership.

    “I urge you not to relent in rendering all the necessary cooperation to our government as we work hard to bring development to the citizenry.”

  • Buhari fights corruption with nostalgia

    Buhari fights corruption with nostalgia

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari is considerably besotted with nostalgia. Whenever he speaks with the Nigerian community in the diaspora anytime he travels, he is even more voluble and revelatory. During a visit to South Africa a month after he assumed office, he bemoaned the inevitable limitations age would place on his performance as a 72-year-old president. “I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor,” he grumbled, perhaps to the exasperation of his aides and media managers. “Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.” President Buhari was governor of the then North Eastern State when he was a 33-year-old military officer. Now he is president at 72. Last week in Iran, again speaking with the Nigerian community, the president regretted that democratic strictures, especially the rule of law, limited the swiftness with which he would have loved to tackle corruption.

    President Buhari must learn to move on. He must strenuously begin to resist comparing the present with the past, particularly his past, if his present and his presidency are not to be stymied by policy and bureaucratic distortions and anachronisms. The extent to which he can escape his past will, however, be connected with how effectively his handlers and critics can coax him to reassess his extempore speeches and break down and remould his ossified worldview. It is indeed an urgent task for him.

    Proof that he needs to move on to the present is contained nowhere else than in his last interaction with the Nigerian community in Iran. His audiences in Iran and South Africa were reportedly  animated by his presence, and might have been inured to the inconsistencies and inappropriateness of his personal comparisons. But for those who had the luxury of analysing his references and even psychoanalysing the hidden meanings of his messages days after he had delivered them, they would be flummoxed  by the dangerous import of his views, not to say the suggestive messianism that sometimes crept into them.

    In Iran, according to his media aide, Garba Shehu, the president had told his fretting and questioning audience that the need to comply with the due process of the law was responsible for the delay in prosecuting looters. That statement sounded apologetic. But complying with due process should be routine, one of the ennobling essences of democracy and modernisation. It should not be an issue for discussion or reference, let alone be a subject of emotive distress. By suggesting that due process delayed prosecution, the president came across as stigmatising that aspect of the law as an inconvenience, a hindrance in fact. Yet, due process helps to check prosecutorial excesses, tame judicial exhibitionism, and curb the general predilection for lynching and mob tyranny.

    It appears President Buhari is inherently impatient, and for a man who sets great store by his famed slowness and meticulousness since he assumed office in May, he is paradoxically unaccustomed to the beatifying deliberateness of the millstones of justice grinding slowly and grinding fine. In 1984, he had baffled Nigerians by railroading three drug traffickers to the gallows, one or two of whom suffered the corollary of the then Gen Buhari’s application of retroactive justice. The world was astounded, and Nigerians were shocked. Decades later, during his presidential campaign in 2015, the electorate graciously overlooked the misapplication of justice in 1984 and voted for him. The president didn’t see any reason to be contrite, and it seems that even if he had been punished by the electorate’s withheld  votes, he still wouldn’t be penitent. All he said to questions asked on his peremptory application of military justice was that he accepted responsibility.

    It is impossible to return to that freewheeling era when the head of state’s word was law. Things might have been done quicker and, as they used to say in those days, with immediate effect and automatic alacrity. But comparatively, things were not done better. By their brusqueness, the military bastardised the civil service, destabilised the polity and assaulted the people’s freedoms and liberties, and generally ended up weakening institutions and distorting and rending the fabric of civilised society. Had Nigerian heads of state been capable of the reflection and contrition necessary to properly evaluate the past, it is unlikely they would romanticise their fast but often destructive pace of doing things. The past may be the present’s rearview mirror, and may even be necessary for progress, but President Buhari sometimes gives the impression the past teaches far better lessons and signposts the future much more acutely than the present.

    He regards his period as a military governor at the age of 33 as a time of great ebullition, a time of unlimited possibilities, when he was not constrained by age, fear and perhaps the pathologies of age. Conversely, he sees his advanced 72 years of age as a natural and irresistible constraint. It took his spokesman, Femi Adesina, to begin philosophising on the values and blessings of old age, rephrasing the president’s message and redacting his sentences to fit idiomatically into a newer and more ingenious interpretation of age and wisdom, and their symbiotic relationship. Mr Adesina made sense; but what he said had nothing to do with the original message of the president. President Buhari was simple and direct. He wished he had the energy and vibrancy of the past, and could apply both to the present and his presidency. He said nothing about the wisdom that comes with age, nor of the patience and control that frequently ennobles advanced years. His mind wandered along only one tract, of energy and zealotry, a tract that opens a disturbing window into his suspiciously narrow worldview.

    Rather than seem to mourn the constraining properties of due process and rule of law in his battle against corruption, rather than make his regular and depressing references to the past, it is time President Buhari looked optimistically to the future. Many commentators have suggested he should set out the rubrics of Buharinomics. Great. But more importantly, it is time we began to hear from him his original ideas of the modern society, of modern Nigeria in particular, and of how the law scrupulously applied, without abridgement of any sort, can be deployed to build a stable, just and equitable society. His economic team can help him build Buharinomics; but they cannot help him conceive an original and intuitive philosophy of a modern Nigerian society, better than any in Africa, and one of the best in the world.

    But perhaps this column is investing President Buhari with a transcendental assignment far superior to anything he is ever capable of conceiving. Perhaps all he wants is just to arrest corruption or minimise it, knock insecurity into a cocked hat, get the economy on an even keel, and vacate office not as the failure his humiliating overthrow in 1985 presupposed, but as a fairly successful returnee and elected president who had served one term or two. Whatever his ambitions are, modest or vaulting, his constant and instinctive resort to the past will continue to hamstring his presidency, constrain his already limited elbow room, and widen the gap between his aspirations and capabilities. It is time President Buhari put a stop to rule by nostalgia.

  • The politics of succession, betrayal and corruption

    The  death of the APC candidate in the last Kogi  State governorship elections that INEC declared inconclusive  has opened a Pandora  box on the politics of succession in Nigeria which has taxed immensely the spirit  and letter  of our constitution and is already  making a mockery  of our rule of law. It  is definitely as controversial and debatable  in terms  of global  politics as  the accusation that Russian President Vladmir  Putin levied  this  week  on Turkey for shooting down  a Russian bomber which Turkey said violated its air space and for which the Turkish president said he was not ready  for any apology. However  this diplomatic  argument  on  air space  use  in the fight  against  terrorism by both nations claiming to fight terrorism and ISIS surely  glows in honesty and clarity when  compared with the   reported  claim by the Senate President that he was representing the President at the funeral in Ikenne of Mama HID the wife of Immortal Awo this  last week. Just as the President himself was said to  have breezed in by helicopter  at  the event  to  show that he is representing himself to  pay honour to the better half  of the  Immortal  Leader  and  idol of the Yorubas.

    The  three events I have mentioned and the personalities involved provide  good  food  for thought  first  on constitutionalism and the rule of law;  next  on the  use of diplomacy  and security coalitions and arrangements in fighting terrorism in a world that the terrorists have  made borderless and are using suicide bombing and surprise as the main weapons of war against governments still relying on regular defence institutions and organisations to curtail such new faces of terrorism; and  thirdly they show that   the  war on  corruption in Nigeria in which an APC government has won the election on an anti  corruption  and change slogan cannot be won until the APC puts  its house, indeed its upper chambers of leadership in order first  and foremost  in the interest  of the Nigerian nation.

    Let  me now treat the three events serially  to tailor  my conclusions on their composite nature as the subject of discussion today. I start    with the death of the APC candidate in the last Kogi  State elections,  the clamor for constitutional  interpretation and  the  scramble  for succession.  My  view is that the whole exercise  has been made extravagant by the excessive  predilection of our local  TV stations to call on any lawyer and more  so a SAN  to  comment on any matter concerning the constitution because  such people are lawyers and the result has been  revealing in that it has been dismal and uninformed. Students of political science and their lecturers have a better grasp of such  matters even more than the SANs  for the simple reason that they study the nature, growth and spirit of national constitutions and know why certain concepts exist in the constitution. Whereas lawyers mostly  look at the constitution when they have such briefs or their clients have an interest. That explains why there have been as many  different opinions on the succession issue in Kogi as the number of lawyers or SANs  interviewed. That  is surely is not right.

    The truth is that the concept of running mate provides for the sort of situation that  cropped up on the death of the APC candidate last week. There  is no provision for single candidature in our constitution for governorship election and Kogi  cannot be an exception.  Thankfully his running mate has  finally  found his voice   above  the din and cacophony of confusion  and has announced that he is the one to run to conclude the hitherto inconclusive elections in which  the APC  candidate died. Before that there  was  the bizarre suggestion that the son of the deceased candidate should take over as if it was an hereditary issue and that certainly makes a mockery  of the rule of law. Indeed  not recognizing the running mate immediately as the constitutional and natural successor shows  our disregard for  constitutionalism  and the rule  of law and explains why running mates have  been wrongly labeled spare tyres. The Kogi  election should show clearly that when governor has  a  running mate that running mate should succeed  him in case of any mishap  including death. That is constitutionalism and nothing else and that is what we should  promote and champion as a nation especially at  this  point in time in the spirit  of our revered constitution and  democracy.

    Given  the scuffle between the presidents of Russia and Turkey  over the shooting down of the Russian plane one  could say this was bound to happen sooner than  later given the proximity of Turkey  to Syria and the hostility between both sides. Like  a revolution as Mao noted, fighting terrorism  cannot  be a tea party and  when nations with borders deploy the most sophisticated  war planes against each other in borderless fights  against  terrorists who are moving targets, people  are bound to get killed as and indeed accidents must  and do  happen . What  I cannot  understand is the stab in the back  charge by the Russian president against the Turkish president who was unrepentant on CNN on the shoot down.  I  doubt  if Russia  can do more than whine and threaten, of course in vain, because of the simple fact  that Turkey,  as a member of NATO is automatically covered by the clause in  the NATO  defence pact which says that any attack on any  member  is an automatic attack  on NATO. Is  Russia ready to square up  to NATO  on this Turkish  shoot down  issue?. I doubt  and for now both  sides should let sleeping dogs lie while they look for ways of  eliminating ISIS urgently  as  they  profess   instead of shooting themselves in the air.

    Let  me now round up  with the icing on the cake in today’s  analysis which  is the reported representation of the president at the famous funeral in Ikenne this week. On the face of it if the president was not available at an occasion he could be represented by the Senate President who represents an  independent  arm of government in our presidential  system based on separation of powers. But  that is if the Vice President is not present at  the occasion as he is the natural representative of the president in his absence. But  then the Vice  President of Nigeria  the  illustrious son of  Ikenne,  Professor  Yemi  Osinbajo  was present at Ikenne   his  home town, both in his personal capacity as his wife is a granddaughter of the deceased, and official capacity as the Vice  President of Nigeria.  So  who was the Senate President reported to be saying he was representing?

    Yet  the Senate  President has an on going battery of cases on his false declaration  of assets trial at the CCT which  has reached the Supreme Court. In  defending himself he has said loud and clear in the submissions of his lawyers  at  different courts  that his trial was political and was because he is Senate President, a  post  that it  is an open secret that both the president and his party did not like the way he bamboozled them, to get into. In addition anti corruption agencies and the Police IG are reported to have warned him not to politicise  his trial at the CCT. That declaration of representation by  the  Senate  President reminded me of a US Secretary  of State who  just  said that he was in charge after former President  Ronald  Reagan was shot  and wounded some time. When that former Secretary of State wanted to be president later the Americans never took him seriously because they believed he did not know  the constitution enough  as the US Vice President is in charge in case anything untowards happens to the incumbent US president.  Again long live the Federal  Republic  of Nigeria.