FEATURE ARTICLE

E O EkeSaturday, July 26, 2014
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WE MUST NOW BRING THIS MACABRE TO AN END

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t is common knowledge that Nigerian government is corrupt full of deceitful self-serving unscrupulous individuals, whose aim is to hide the truth and allow them to continue to benefit from corruption. International community have very little respect for the Nigerian government and the people do not have any confidence in it. They deal with her because of oil and the arms it buys from it's arms manufactures, while the people are cowed by the security forces. Time and time again, Nigeria government sets up a committees to investigate allegations only to act to frustrate the uncovering of the truth as soon as there is any evidence that the truth would be unearth. The government constantly interferes in police investigations to scupper it. It instructs the police to arrest citizens and gives succour to those who have been exposed as criminals and involved in corruption. I feel no necessity to recount the cases of Ibori, Aleyemieseigha and Oby Ezekwesili of recent memory.

The national assembly has constituted itself as an independent group from the people, whose loyalty is first to their members. They seem to have no understanding that their loyalty should be first and foremost to the people who elected them and the constitution of Nigeria which they swore to uphold. They rally to protect their corrupt members from the arm of justice. They behave more like a gang of criminals than honourable men and women. They have taken the honour out of honourable. It is rear to find a country with her government full of the worst of her citizens as Nigeria is at this time in her history.

While politics in developed countries attracts the best of people with noblest motives. Nigerian politics is full of the worst of Nigerians in morality, probity, patriotism and with the basest of motives. This is the reality of Nigeria today and one of the most serious causes of our problems. Our problem is not because Igbos, Ibibios, Ijaws Tivs, Yorubas, Hausa. Fulanis, etc., share the same country. It is because some how, the worst of Igbos, Fulanis, Yorubas, Tivs. Ijaws, Effiks, etc., are in power in Nigeria. Without correcting this anomaly and putting the political process in Nigeria on a sound and independent footing to enable it throw up the best of Nigerians as leaders, Nigeria and any country that will come out of it will remain corrupt and unviable.

We cannot continue to have as leaded in Nigeria people who plotted violent coups and shot themselves into power and self serving people anointed by the likes of Obasanjo and Atiku. We need a country where men and women come to power not because they believe that it is the turn of their ethnic group but because the have the characters, qualities, vision and policies that would serve the best interest of all Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity and religious believes.

Another of our problems as a people and nation is the imposition of discretion on the rule of law and due process. This is a very common trait across all strata of our society. This unhelpful habit is often seen by Nigerians as doing good and projected by the perpetrators as evidence that they are doing what they should, when it is a very clear evidence that they do not really understand what the rule of law and due process means.

For example: Recently, the police reported that they have arrested a custom comptroller for gun running. When the head of custom was speaking to the press, he said that he allowed the police to arrest the suspect even though they did not have arrest warrant. He added that it was because he considered the offence very serious. When I read this, it brought back memories of similar action by politicians and leaders in Nigeria. The constant interference of leaders in judicial process, the constant intervention by people in authority in the face of law when people they know are involved.

All these frustrate due process and make it impossible for a culture of the rule of law and due process to take root.

When some policemen illegally arrested some journalists, the then president Olusegun Obasanjo intervened and released them, instead of allowing the journalists to take their case to court and get judgement. This imposition of discretion on the rule of law is possibly one of the reason why in Nigeria, the politician can order the arrest of people.

In real democracies, presidents do not have the power to order arrest of the citizens. Only the police on the basis and strength of their evidence or suspicion can either use existing law or approach the court for permission to arrest an individual either for the purpose of investigation or prosecution. This is how the law is applied.

The problem of Nigeria is the same problem that has made Africa a dark continent that now and then show flicker of light. We cannot continue to blame everything on slavery and the British. Slavery is not the cause of corruption and the Iboris, Aleyemesaighas, and the many corrupt politicians shielded by Jonathan are not British. Nigeria is simply what a people get, when criminals are in power and we need to act to rid the country of criminal leadership not break up and create small criminal paradises for them.

How difficult could it be to establish the facts in a case of graft in which there are both voice and video recording of the evidence? How difficulties will it be to check the dates of the bribe and the time the Name of otedola's company was removed from the committee's report by Lawab. These are all that is required to attempt a prosecution and begin the purge of the system of the criminals that has earned Nigeria the despicable acronym, failed state.

Since his presidency, any time events which requires leadership occurs, the president has not disappointed in the banality if his decision and the amature attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians.

The latest attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan to constituted a committee to verify and reconcile the findings of the technical committee set up by the Federal Ministry of Finance to review all fuel subsidy claims and payments made in 2011 is another example of this charade. The armature attempt to misinform the world on the facts about the Chioki girls is another example.

Setting up Committees have become the way Nigerian government kick important issues it does not want to deal with because of the people involved into the long grass.

Does a government need a committe to do this? What is the function of ministry of finance and auditor general of the federation?

Didn't the government know how much it paid out and who they were paid out to. It is simply that either the federal government is completely ignorant of how to administer a country or the leaders really take Nigerians for fools.

I am running out of words to express my perplexity and bewilderment at the actions, behaviour and logic of the federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigeria has become a soap opera and the world has stopes taking us seriously. It is a tragedy in deed.

Some months ago, Sambo Dasuki, the National Security Adviser said that he knows the members of Boko Haram. Many months later, the group continue to spread terror in the country and no one hears anything from the national security adviser. This is a real joke.

Anybody who thinks that they can raise an army kill thousands of Nigerians to blackmail the federal government, get what they want and engage in peace talk and live happily ever after is joking. Boko Haram has created a gulf in Nigerian society which may never be healed unless Nigerians elects a patriotic and visionary leader who sees the whole of Nigeria as his constituency and not minded to favour his ethnic group and religion in anyway.

Boko Haram is a terrorist group and the duty of the government is to bring them to justice. Those who wish to talk to them should ensure that they include justice for their victims and guarantee that never again will their sponsored resort to this kind of violence, otherwise Nigeria has no future.

This orchestrated talk with Boko Haram is a charade. It a choreographed attempt to make it look like the last NSA was incompetent. The last National security Adviser who was killed in suspicious helicopter crash with the Christian governor of Kaduna State knew who were behind Boko Haram , but was stopped by the government from doing what any normal government should do. Instead, he was removed so that , power would be given to those behide the group and now they are going about saying they want to talk peace while the carnage continues.

Nigeria really makes me sick. While welcoming Dasuki, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State said: "The equation has begun to change in our favour with appointment of Col. Dasuki as National Security Adviser, NSA. Kano will lend its full support to ensure that he succeeds."

I wonder why he had to wait for the equation to move in their favour before offering support. The governor has to explain what equation he means and why he did not offer the same support to the last NSA. If any one is looking for evidence why Boko Haram exists, the person should examine the utterances of some governors of norther states.

"The media is the problem so far. Sensationalism is the order of the day, while trying to translate what I said and in the process the whole message is lost and misconstrued. Be mindful of your responsibilities." Comments like this by the NSA give insight into his thinking. How can the media be the problem when all they are trying to do is report the problem. Mr Dasuki, this is a democracy not a military dictatorship, which you were used to. You cannot bring back decree 4, Get use to it . The media will attempt to hold you accountable. Boko Haram, their sponsors and those who witheld support from the last NSA because the equation is not in their favour are the problem of Nigeria .

Now that you have have said that you have the number of the leader of Boko Haram, will you kindly tell him to stop killing innocent Nigerians and spreading terror and take steps to bring him to justice. The crimes against innocent Nigetians must not go punished and the victims must now be compensated. Without this, Nigeria has no future and sooner than later, the people behind this evil will realise that no religion or ethnic group has monopoly of violence.

Nigerians speak out so that that those who are leading us to disaster will not claim they did not know.

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