A couple of months ago I attended a lecture delivered by an astute scholar and expert on Gulf States, Professor George Joffe in Oxford on the future of Gulf States and their economies amidst America’s growing interests. The most important thing I took away was the story of UAE’s (Dubai) success, which, adopting the Hong Kong strategy of investment in property in addition to tourism, has been transformed into a modern economy that even Westerners envy. Mind you, of these countries Dubai has the least oil wealth. All through the lecture I kept asking myself why we have missed it all in Nigeria and why we are so devoid of visionary and patriotic leaders and even the complimentary followers to joggle our sleeping leaders to action. I am raising this issue because time and again we have had some Nigerians talking of our leaders’ patriotism and the zeal to transform Nigeria. Curiously, they have failed woefully after nearly 50 years of independence in one of the most endowed parts of the world. Instead, we have seen them metamorphosing from little known impoverished politicians to super-rich rogues who still can’t control their kleptomaniac hands. Take the case of Ibori, for instance, or even Dariye. I find it painfully curious that these same men, who have even been indicted by the police in the UK, are still being seen as saints. And activists are dissipating so much energy, wasting precious time advancing arguments in support of this. Ibori’s case, I was told by an old acquaintance and currently a PDP chieftain, is central to the removal of Ribadu. Not because anyone cares to ensure he, Ibori, does not remain in jail, but because there are too many oxen to be gored if the case is logically concluded, including Obasanjo, Yar’Adua himself, many former PDP and ANPP governors etc. The issue is, according to my source, in addition to what Ibori’s allegedly diverted from Delta’s fund, many of those governors were bullied into contributing to the Yar’Adua/Jonathan campaign fund. In some Northern states ANPP governors were said have been forcibly made to decamp to PDP overnight. Or, at the very least, they were compelled to sign an undertaking to deliver their states. In the end PDP won the elections long before votes were cast. What I am driving at here is that those governors were bullied, using the EFCC, simply because their cupboards were filled with skeletons, the advantage of which Obasanjo and PDP took.
I agree with those who argue that Ribadu is, himself, not a saint. But I also do no think he made no impact as EFCC chairman. At least there were instances when corrupt politicians were genuinely brought to book and many others were deterred. At a point, clearly, he acted as Obasanjo’s lap dog in that those dealt with were either adversaries or erring henchmen. Yet we can’t simply sweep his achievements under the carpet.
There’s no better time for Malam Nuhu Ribadu to prove his sincerity in tackling crippling corruption in Nigeria than now - a time when grounds on which Obasanjo, his family members and loyalists could be probed and possibly prosecuted are emerging.
By sacking him to shield Yar’Adua’s sponsors and their sponsors (past military and political leaders who looted our treasury) the president or whoever is responsible for this act is mortgaging our collective interests as Nigerians.
Like the robbery that was coldly perpetuated in the name of elections in April last year, this is tantamount to another war declaration, which, if we fail to respond to, would lead to more spiteful provocations. If the man who stole tubers of yam, to eat and survive, is prosecuted and put in jail, it’s a complete travesty of justice to let corrupt public officers walk the streets as free men, smiling happily to the bank.
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