“The laws of a nation should reflect their moral beliefs and principles in order for it to be sacrosanct” I opined in my last paper.

An apparently anguished Nigerian suggested that DSP Alaimeyesigha is my friend and that if I were the President what would I do in this ugly scenario? My own quote above has said it all but I will seek the reader’s indulgence to exposit further. For the record, I am no friend of DSP Alaimeyesigha or any other thief for that matter, neither am I a sworn enemy of President Obasanjo (all I ask is for him to provide some real leadership!) my intervention is simply for historical purposes such that in the near future the Nigerian government would not close its doors to any of her citizens regardless of the crime he/she may have committed. It is my opinion that rather than treat the case as an individual affair, the Nigerian government should have insisted to the British that her citizen (in this case DSP Alaimeyesigha) be treated fairly under the British law and also make it clear that the said citizen does not have a safe haven in any part of Nigeria.

The Nigerian government should have provided consular services to him regardless, on one hand, the consulate would provide information to him as to his rights within the British criminal justice system, on the other hand, the consulate will continue to gather information on him as regards his suspected crime vis a vis Nigerian interests. It is a double edge sword that would have proved effective to ensure both the dignity of the average Nigerian and the legal pursuit of justice.

Perhaps if we had adopted this strategy, we may have been able to catch a whiff of his commando style escape and possibly alert the relevant UK authorities. But since the scenario has changed drastically, what needs to happen now is for President Obasanjo to take the battle to these thieving executives if he is indeed sincere.

If I were the President, I will as a matter of urgent national security ask the speaker of the House of Representatives to convene a special joint session of the national assembly. There, I will apologize to the nation for having tarried a little in seeking the expulsion of the despicable immunity clause from the Nigerian constitution, I will state my case very clearly that in view of recent events within the polity, I, ----, in my capacity as the President of the federal republic and the custodian of the constitution do hereby present before this honorable house my bill on the expulsion of the immunity clause and other sundry issues. In a speech not to be more than 50 minutes long, I will seek to arouse their sense of patriotism and urge them not to be delinquent in their duties to the Nigerian people. I will thank the house for its leadership and I will tell them in plain terms that I expect them to do the right thing. Thereafter, I will take the issue to the Nigerian people. I will have my aides organize for me to talk at a think tank or policy institute in Bayelsa state (of course the governor will not be invited deliberately) there also, I will lay out my case to the Bayelsa people, espouse their virtues, praise their genuine heroes and state clearly that they are a valuable part of the Nigerian project and hence deserves a better leadership. I will ask them for their support on the bill pending at the national assembly, in return I will pledge some federal assistance on environmental preservation and increase their UBE funding.

My next stop will be Jos, Plateau state. There, I will repeat the same thing, extol their virtues and ask for their support. Offer them federal aid and ask them to call their representatives for the smooth passage of the bill.

Thereafter, I will land in Anambra, I will embrace Ngige and disown Chris Uba. At the Anambra state stadium, I will declare to Anambrans that in their pursuit towards effective governance, the federal government stands with them. I will ask for their help and pledge federal aid.

I will make the rounds throughout the states, sometimes covering 3 or 4 states a day, a think tank here, a policy institute there etc etc. At the end, I hope to make more allies and put the Nigerian people in the driver seat of the anti corruption campaign.

When I eventually get back to Abuja, I will privately call my deputy to order, I will state to him in very clear terms that as my subordinate he needs to guard his utterance and watch his actions, that this Presidency is one and indivisible under my leadership, that if for whatever reason he is dissatisfied with some of my actions, he can come to me directly without reservations otherwise he is at liberty to resign or be shown the way out.

My first executive council meeting after my marathon will be strictly stock taking, in brief power points, my cabinet will update me on their reform programs, their progress and their short comings. As a rule, the cabinet will always brainstorm vigorously on issues and make attempts to arrive at best practice solutions. The weekly FEC meetings will be discontinued, it will be replaced by a monthly FEC meeting, the national council of states will be dissolved and the meeting with governors will be on a monthly basis. My goal will be towards efficient running of government and the judicious use of time and available funds.

With some careful use of presidential powers and the support of the people, my bill before the national assembly will be passed, I will sign the bill into law even if it was passed at midnight. Thereafter, I will make a speech to the Nigerian people, thanking them for their support and I will continue to implore their patience.

The next day, I will have my attorney general read out the charges against the Dariyes, the Alaimeyesighas and co. My government will not only pursue the big thieves, we will pursue the small ones as well. The justice department will be one of the most important department of my administration. We will give them whatever tools they ask for and strengthen our criminal justice delivery. We will abolish the police affairs ministry and merge it with the justice department. We will provide an atmosphere where state and local governments can participate in their own security by creating their own police and fire departments. We will vigorously push to get assault weapons off our streets and put area boys, armed robbers and other misfits into jail where they belong.

In order for our reforms to have a firm root, education of all our citizens will become our number one priority, we will seek enabling laws to make sure that all kids under the age of 18 are enrolled in school. Hawking or any other commercial activity by kids under 18 during school hours will be prohibited and violators will be made to pay a heavy fine.

At the end, I believe under a new and vibrant judiciary, we will get the Dariyes, the Alaimeyesighas, the Chris Uba et al convicted of their crimes and they will be put in jail where they belong serving their long sentences. We will also pursue anyone and everyone that has a case to answer be it money laundering or any other criminal act.

On our part, we will strive to be above board and act not out of vendetta but towards the enthronement of the rule of law and the betterment of the Nigerian people.

Over all, we will chart a clear path for the nation and follow through with our goals. Our mission will be to bequeath a legacy of service and integrity on this side of the Atlantic.

But unfortunately, I am not the President, President Obasanjo is and this is his headache.

A.Y.Ajia, smith30045@yahoo.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 The Nigerian government should have provided consular services to DSP regardless, and continue to...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 17.02.2008 03:14