It baffles me when I log unto
social media and see gory images/videos of a haggard-looking man being lynched
by an irate mob for stealing a handbag from a random passer-by. A handbag with
contents like an expired Identity Card from a nameless company, a paltry sum of
N1,850, an outdated Tecno Android phone with an ATM card that has an account
balance of maybe N6,330. 35.
The vicious mob would be rejoicing as people
excitedly donate car tyres and the expensive fuel to burn the suspect like he
is the major problem of Nigeria.
Jungle justice is rife in Lagos, Benue, Abia,
Port Harcourt, Delta and other states especially in ghettos where people are
disconsolate with life probably due to scathing economic hardship. These set of
people seize any available measure to expel their frustration and depression.
Even at the event of a false alarm, hundreds could gather in the speed of
flight like it’s a religious crusade or political rally. Fuel which has suddenly
become gold generously surfaces in abundance to orchestrate a barbaric act.
The pick pockets, petty
robbers and kidnappers are seen as menace to the Nigerian society. They are
treated like outcasts and plagues. The general public viciously condemns these
culprits by publicly shaming, maiming or killing them to serve as a deterrent
to other would-be criminals. This crude and uncultivated behaviour borne out of
lack of faith in the judiciary is a perfect example of seeking short term remedies
for long-term drawbacks.
As long as people like the
former governor of Delta State, James Onanefe Ibori - a convicted criminal, are
celebrated like Jesus Christ during his triumphant entry into Jerusalem; there
will be no good governance in Nigeria. The Delta political juggernaut amassed
his wealth from being a picaro. He consolidated his stay on the top of the
ladder by eating and drinking away the future of his impoverished people and selfishly
storing the left-over of their hopes in his numerous private bank accounts.
Ibori has successfully robbed Peter to pay Paul just like the popular Ponzi
Scheme - Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox. He has deprived a large number of people of
the dividends of democracy and also touched the lives of a few to stay relevant
in the society.
For running a myriad of
offshore companies, the United Kingdom courts in 2007 froze Ibori’s
questionable assets worth £17 million ($35 million). He was also accused of
bribing the erstwhile chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
Malam Nuhu Ribadu with a gargantuan sum of $15 million as at 2007. The funds
were reportedly deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria to serve as exhibit.
In April 2010, about three
months after the take-over of government by former President Goodluck Jonathan,
a new allegation that he embezzled N40 billion ($266 million) was pressed
against Ibori. On 12 July 2010 the Governor of the CBN, Malam Sanusi Lamido
revealed that Ibori had used Delta State as collateral for N40 billion loan
when he was governor.
On 27 February 2012, accused
of stealing US$250 million from the Nigerian public purse, Ibori pleaded guilty
to ten counts of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud at Southwark Crown
Court, London.
Recently, a suspended
lawmaker and whistleblower, Abdulmunin Jibrin alleged that Ibori donated
$600,000 to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara in 2015
to pursue the heated speakership race against Femi Gbajabiamila. Several other
public office holders in Nigeria have also been reported to have benefited from
the ‘Ibori Bank’ in pursuing their obnoxious ambitions.
Imagine the developmental
effects of these mind-boggling funds if judiciously used to develop Delta State
where militancy, robbery, oil bunkering and kidnapping have become the dream
jobs of all youth due to the current realities in the oil-rich state.
Picture the level of
progression in the state if the funds were invested in empowering the youths
with quality artisanal trainings, soft loans for entrepreneurs, construction of
standard schools, and quality healthcare for the masses, good roads in rural
areas to boost the local economy and give the rugged people a sense of
belonging.
Ibori successfully used his
ill-gotten wealth in putting square pegs in round holes in the Nigerian political
sphere. A vivid example is the failure of his lawmaker daughter, Eriatake Ibori
(Ethiope West constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly) to read a
public speech during a valedictory/tribute session for the late Olorogun Felix
Ovuodoroye Ibru, the first civilian governor of Delta State. This irritated her
audience and she was humiliated off the stage.
Ibori has also groomed people
of questionable characters as political leaders and the resultant effect is the
continued desperate rape of public funds at different levels of government. It’s
appalling that the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Monday
Igbuya, People’s Democratic Party stalwart, Chief Ighoyota Amori among others
like Senator Peter Nwaoboshi on an emergency note hurriedly left Nigeria for
the United Kingdom to celebrate the release of Ibori from jail. Nwaoboshi
sensationally declared that Ibori facilitated the emergence of Senator Bukola
Saraki as Senate President and the alleged ‘Chief Budget Padder’ – Hon. Yakubu
Dogara as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Nwaoboshi, in a video widely
circulated on social media, said Ibori made governors, ostensibly incumbent
Ifeanyi Okowa, senators (himself as one), made his daughter, Eriatake Ibori a
state lawmaker among others despite being restricted behind bars. Even
most able-bodied men with unlimited freedom in Nigeria wouldn’t boast of this
political feat. What a great man!
Niger Delta billionaire,
Ayirimi Emami also took to the streets alongside his ilk to celebrate the
freedom of the ex-convict probably to demonstrate the importance of criminals
to the Nigerian society where everything goes.
A teeming crowd were also
paid to celebrate Ibori's homecoming in Oghara and other Urhobo communities in
the Delta to kill the shame of being an ex-convict. The next move will be to
pay some skilled journalists to help launder the image of Ibori in national
newspapers and present him as the missing piece President Muhammadu Buhari
needs to actualize the All Progressives Congress agenda of change. This
incongruity even further paints the hypocritical nature of Nigerians naturally
wired towards double-standards in all spheres of life.
There is no significant
difference between Ibori and the petty miscreants being lynched by their fellow
despondent misfits. Ibori only stole big. Yes! It’s good to steal big in
Nigeria. After heartlessly ravaging the treasury like it’s your inheritance,
simply share your loot among your kinsmen and sponsor the elections of other
popular politicians. Sink a borehole in your Local Government Area, share some
foodstuffs among the less-privileged people during festive seasons, fix a major
road and publicize the action. It’s not yet over, go to the traditional rulers
and give them their cut because you will need them to ‘tribalize’ your
prosecution when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC knocks at
your door.
Stroll to the Church or
mosque and drop 'something' called the prophet offering for your spiritual
leader and watch him give you that fake and money-induced prophecy of a
colourful future. Make sure you have massive funds reserved for lawyers who
will be defending you in court. These lawyers will in turn link you with the
presiding judge on a subterranean note for a black market judgement.
The way high profile
corruption cases are being handled in the country forces one to believe the
constitution was only designed to curtail the excesses of the poor alone and
not the rich. The jury is very swift to sentence a local chicken or phone thief
to prison within a space of three months of hearing the case while the case of N4.7 billion fraud against a former governor
of Oyo State, Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja has been lingering for almost 9 years.
Sambo Dasuki's trial is still dragging and Patience Jonathan is enjoying
massive support from ethnic groups, unscrupulous civil societies, advocacy
groups and other protesters embarrassingly disturbing the streets with placards
over a paid-service of N2,000 or even at a lower price.
Yes, Nigerians in their
typical nature will say; Is it your money? Is he the only thief in Nigeria?
What about the late Sani Abacha and others that robbed the country blind during
the military regime? Are you not aware of the fact that the former President
Olusegun Obasanjo left prison in 1998 with barely N25,000 and he is
unofficially one of the richest men in Nigeria today? There will always be a
moral justification for his thievery as Ibori's monumental looting holds the
ace in the Niger Delta region alongside the late governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye
Alamieyeseigha who was honoured with a moment of perfect silence at the hallowed
Senate on his demise. Our gallant soldiers constantly dying in the battle
against Boko Haram in the face of lack of water, food, quality weapons and
other necessities never went close to such recognition and yet, they bleed
defending our territorial integrity against demons created by the political
class.
The celebration of Ibori's
freedom from jail also reminds of the case of People's Democratic Party
chieftain, Olabode George who hit the 'red carpet' after his brief spell behind
iron bars. Hamza Al-Mustapha also toed that line as he always elevated to the
status of a king overnight for political reasons.
In utmost sincerity,
President Muhammadu Buhari can't cleanse Nigeria of corruption. The quest for
political power and influence has afflicted Buhari with corruption and corrupt
elements that are now his closest allies. Tagging Buhari's name to the fight
against abuse of public office is an illusion Nigerians need to recover from.
The best fight against corruption should be a collective war. Nigerians need a
change of perception. Anybody spending above his means should be 'quarantined'
like an Ebola Virus Disease patient.
We need to sacrifice out
present cheap gains for a brighter future. We should frown at big thieves the
same way we attack the petty ones.
We should bear at the back of
our minds that the nefarious actions of the ‘civil robbers’ using their pens to
tamper with the commonwealth will give birth to the miscreants on the street.
When there is scarcity of
food in the ecosystem, the food chain is altered for survival. The fingerlings
become easy prey to the big fishes and it goes on and on.
For Nigeria to move forward,
Ibori should be publicly condemned and made to literally parade the streets in
sack clothes and ashes as a sign of remorse. He should make a public apology to
the Deltans for abusing their trust and scarce resources. Yes, he is not the
only one convicted of corruption, but since there is much media attention on
his case; it will make an exemplary example to the general public.
We are Nigerians, we are
people of integrity, we are not corrupt, we are responsible and cultured people
and most importantly, we don't celebrate thieves.
Stealing will never be a part
of our culture regardless of the height it is being perpetrated.
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