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Less than two years ago, a Minister of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria attempted to walk a Vice President of the country
out from a Federal Executive Council meeting. His reason was that the then Vice
president had been purportedly indicted by an Administrative Panel of Inquiry,
which investigated him over the running of the funds of the Petroleum
Technology Development Fund (PTDF). He pontificated that he (as an
incorruptible citizen) could not bear the pain of sitting in the same meeting
with an indicted Vice President. This fragrant breach of protocol was
unfortunately played down by the then President who saw it as a mark of loyalty
on the part of the rude minister. That Minister was yesterday arrested by the
EFCC over ongoing investigations in the multi-billion Aviation Intervention
Fund scam. That minister is Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.
His arrest together with his predecessor in the
Aviation Ministry, Professor Borishade, has swollen up the number of identified
corrupt ministers of the past regime by two. This has opened up not only the
lid on the true character of these ministers but also about the system that
threw them up as ministers. I was one of the voices that cried out when
Borishade was recycled from the Aviation ministry to that of Education after a
disastrous tenure that saw three plane crashes occurring in quick succession.
Fani-Kayode was drafted to take over from him not necessarily out of merit but
as a form of compensation for his rabid tongue against his master’s opponents.
Considering that fact that these two ministers
were so indispensable to their employer, it is reasonable to suggest that their
actions in office were a reflection of the mood of the government of the day.
With all the gory revelations of sleaze perpetrated in the ministry under their
control, one would further suggest that these corrupt practices were sanctioned
by their employer, hence the failure of the EFCC then to sanction them. They
could therefore go about parading themselves as saints while their employer’s
enemies were hounded and demonised through shoddily convened panels of inquiry
equipped with predetermined conclusions and recommendations as terms of
reference. Hypocrisy was thus the unwritten code-of-conduct or guiding
philosophy of that regime.
The contradicting testimonies of the two
ex-ministers before the Senate committee has established a prima facie that at
least one of them is lying (or lied) under oath. There is also a possibility
that both could be lying but what can be safely ruled out here is the
possibility that both are telling the truth. The question then is who among the
two is culpable? EFCC must get to the root of it and have the guilty convicted.
I am particularly dazed by the near comical
dimension Fani-Kayode’s testimony swerved when he introduced the witchcraft
theory to explain the frequent plane crashes witnessed under Borishade. He
stated categorically that some blood-sucking witches or cultists in the
ministry were responsible for the crashes. In order words, the rotten
infrastructure, poor communication and navigation facilities, dilapidated
runways, inadequately maintained aircrafts, had nothing to do with the plane
crashes. Therefore it was even a waste of money to conceive the safe tower project
for which billions were allocated. Just how far should mediocrity go? A whole
Minister of Aviation could not look beyond his superstitions to identify the
immediate and remote problems that bedevilled the ministry he was called upon
to supervise. Shame!
Don’t get me wrong. The devil truly exits and
blood-sucking demons and cultists do exist as well but what Fani-Kayode needs
to explain is why the demons or cultists prefer the blood of plane crash
victims. And what did he do during his tenure to exorcise the ministry of these
cultists? Could we then suggest the inclusion of ‘Basic Demonology’ as a
compulsory course in our educational curriculum in order to prepare our future
leaders with the necessary esoteric skills to enable them function as Ministers
if called upon to serve in the future? Imagine how difficult it could have been
for Fani-Kayode to function as a Minister without a working knowledge of
witchcraft. Just imagine!
But what could we expect from a man whose mentor also
once went to consult the elders (oracle) in his village in search for a
solution to pipeline vandalization in the Niger Delta, which was causing
perennial fuel scarcity nationwide? Nigerians are so vulnerable to religion
that our ruling class has learnt to exploit our gullibility to hide their
incompetence. They take the issues away from the physical domain and place them
in the supernatural realm, thus rendering
them untouchable, inexplicable and ultimately intractable. When they rig
themselves into power, they attribute it to ‘an act of God’. If they lose, it’s
an act of the devil through their political enemies, usually termed detractors.
I understand the senate has condemned the arrest
of the suspects in their chambers. I can understand their fears; with several
of them having skeletons to hide in their cupboards (Ask Senator Nuhu Aliu for
details), they probably fear that one day the EFCC may defy their immunity in
the chambers and arrest them also since the new EFCC boss has promised to step
on ‘big toes’. The Senate needs to understand that the National Assembly offers
immunity to the lawmakers only. This does not extend to non-senators who may
find themselves in the chambers for one reason or the other. Suppose an armed
robber runs into the Senate chambers to seek cover from arrest, will the Senate
not hand him over to the Police?
The language used by the Senate President to
upbraid the EFCC was rather unbecoming of a number three citizen. Mark referred
to EFCC as ‘these people’. Listening to him one would think the Senate was
invaded by some aliens from Mars. And what are his reasons? He talked about
morality rather than law or constitutional provisions. Mark is less worried
about the law or the constitution. He is not bothered about the fight against
corruption. We now know who the real enemies of anti corruption are. Hitherto
we have been served a cocktail of lies and smear propaganda against the
President and his AGF, accusing them of scuttling the anti-graft war. We know
better now. With Farida in the saddle, nemesis is finally coming close to the
real enemies of Nigeria, some of them, sitting cosily in high places including
the chambers of the National Assembly.
It is obvious that the new EFCC under Waziri has
some highly placed antagonists in the Senate. These antagonists stage-managed
the controversy over her appointment and have now taken the battle to a new
dimension. The strategy is to find fault with her actions and by so doing,
create public suspicion against the EFCC under her. This subtle approach to discredit
Waziri is tantamount to witchcraft if Fani-Kayode’s superstitions have broader
applications.
The senate should be seen as not only supporting
the war against corruption but should be playing active role as partners in the
war. Therefore the condemnation of the EFCC over the arrest of the two
ex-ministers is an unnecessary distraction and uncalled for.
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Authors 
Posted by Robot| 04.07.2008 16:50