A pattern do exist among Nigerians. They often injure severely their minds. They do it with impunity like the madman mutilates arts work. It has become obsessive gambling in their hearts. They inspired themselves further with the thing that would destroy whatever they believe: Hypocrisy. That is, they are fraudulent in their thinking. They often profess beliefs and opinions that they do not hold. They have accepted this as a way of life, yet they deny it as each day wax. Nigerians love deceiving themselves. This I have noticed.

I am not convinced that any Nigerian is taking a great part to solving the problems that would forever enslave them. Things would have definitely got better had they stopped winking their existence. I do not know how a people could understand the meaning of their actions through imaginative intellectual play. Should the cub continue to lick the milk from its mother’s breast?

I would start with the most recent display of a pattern that would continue to destroy Nigerians in their quest to becoming a dignified human being. The removal of Nuhu Ribadu as the chairman of EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission). I have chosen this man’s issue as a metaphor. Nuhu Ribadu represents a paradox: build and destroy. This young man has exerted himself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person.

Though Nigerians love deceiving themselves, it is very difficult to fool them all the time, yet you can manipulate their emotions almost all the time. Nigerians knew from the beginning what Ribadu stands for. They knew he was going to fight a cause and at the same time serve an emperor. He did both with a tremendous achievement. There is no way he could have made his name without protecting someone or some people. Nigerians know this single crack yet they expect Ribadu to serve without a facial or body blemish.

Could it have been possible for Ribadu to prosecute Obasanjo’s enemies and at the same time prosecuting Obasanjo himself or family or associates? Ribadu must choose one. He chose what he thought was good for him. Could it have been possible for Ribadu to stay a day longer as the EFCC chairman if his intention was to go after someone who was going to make him famous? I wonder why Ribadu himself should be the focus instead of the EFCC itself.

Ribadu as a paradox of build and destroy must live up to the expectation of his personality. He must protect anyone that serves as a protection against his own enemies like drug dealers, 419 kingpins, official armed robbers and what have you. Could it have been possible for Ribadu to prosecute these Nigerians while fighting the one that provided him with absolute power to deal with them? Nigerians love deceiving themselves in the sense that if they were to be in Ribadu’s shoes, they would have done nothing different.

Instead of shedding elephant or is it crocodile tears over the removal of Ribadu, I think what Nigerians should concentrate on is what has become of the EFCC. Has the office become an institution bigger than Ribadu himself? Has it become an institution to be trusted and be proud of? The fact that Nigerians have chosen to make Ribadu the issue over the office itself, is a testimony that nothing is working yet. As far as I am concerned, it is self-deceit.

I am especially disappointed in people like Gani Fawehinmi, Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana for asking Mike Okiro, the Inspector General of Police, to reconsider his decision. They would do well by fighting the illegitimate administration of Umaru Yar’Adua. The EFCC should not feel dejected over the removal of its boss, for hundreds of Ribadu should have been created along the line. Ribadu has served a cause and, or a person. Ribadu came with Obasanjo, the man he rightly failed to prosecute.

Now what if the next EFCC chairman decided to go after Obasanjo and co whom Ribadu had protected? I don’t expect the one coming to prosecute Yar’Adua but he must go after Obasanjo and his associates. The removal of Ribadu is an opportunity to see how far the office has gone. One thing is clear to me though. Whoever is appointed will definitely serve the interest of Yar’Adua, the man I detest because of the way he was imposed on us.

Yet Nigerians in their self-deceit would abruptly expect Ribadu’s successor to even prosecute Yar’Adua. It doesn’t work like that even though that would be near perfect. The day the incumbent regime allows itself to be prosecuted in Nigeria will have been the beginning of our struggle. Ribadu once warned us when he declared: "When you fight corruption, corruption fights back." The man was simply talking in parable. That was when Nigerians should have seen the handwriting on the wall. Not now.

It is a feat that within a year of his coming as EFCC chairman, the commission was able to recover some 200 million dollars from suspects of advance fee fraud known as 419; One billion naira from syndicates in the federal Inland Revenue Service; and arrested more than 200 suspects, forty of whom were prosecuted, according to the Vanguard newspaper. Ribadu should not be forgotten for this single achievement.

On the other hand, I believe Ribadu has dented his image by lobbying to stay as the EFCC chairman. If the report that he was trailing Yar’Adua here and there is correct, then I posit here that the man is not serious at all. Why does he need to influence Yar’Adua’s legislation in this regard? It portends how much skeleton he must have kept in his cupboard. There is even a report that he had removed all evidence to prosecute Obasanjo. What kind of a crusader would do that, especially when Obasanjo is no more the emperor.

No, Ribadu shouldn’t have tried to protect Obasanjo after the latter had left the office. Perhaps the EFCC chairman does not want to betray his allegiance to a godfather. Talking about Ribadu, perhaps only God can be objective in the analysis of his actions as the EFCC chairman. Therefore Ribadu must neither be reviled nor praised excessively which in itself a pass mark. He must not be made to suffer in vain otherwise his successor might be confused as to what is expected of him or her. That is why I’d love to sit on the fence which is a deceit in itself.

I ask, who is going to truly fight corruption? Who is going to fight corruption without tilt? Who is she, as Nigerians continue to deceive themselves in the new year 2008, and even beyond?

2008 copyright                          mysmallvoice@yahoo.com

Robot  # 1 | 02.01.2008 11:13

var sbtitle1314=encodeURIComponent(Nuhu Ribadu...Read the full article.

NWANZA  # 2 | 02.01.2008 13:37

nstead of shedding elephant or is it crocodile tears over the removal of Ribadu, I think what Nigerians should concentrate on is what has become of the EFCC. Has the office become an institution bigger than Ribadu himself? Has it become an institution to be trusted and be proud of? The fact that Nigerians have chosen to make Ribadu the issue over the office itself, is a testimony that nothing is working yet. As far as I am concerned, it is self-deceit. I am especially disappointed in people like Gani Fawehinmi, Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana for asking Mike Okiro, the Inspector General of Police, to reconsider his decision. They would do well by fighting the illegitimate administration of Umaru Yar’Adua. The EFCC should not feel dejected over the removal of its boss, for hundreds of Ribadu should have been created along the line. Ribadu has served a cause and, or a person. Ribadu came with Obasanjo, the man he rightly failed to prosecute. Now what if the next EFCC chairman decided to go after Obasanjo and co whom Ribadu had protected? I don’t expect the one coming to prosecute Yar’Adua but he must go after Obasanjo and his associates. The removal of Ribadu is an opportunity to see how far the office has gone. One thing is clear to me though. Whoever is appointed will definitely serve the interest of Yar’Adua, the man I detest because of the way he was imposed on us . This is the summary of what we have been talking about since last week! Ribadu for Obasanjo, and XYZ for Yar'Adua!! Hypocrisy rules the day!!! DO NOT PUT YOUR TRUST IN HUMANS, LOOK FOR THE SIGNS FROM GOD, YOUR SAVIOR.

aguabata  # 3 | 02.01.2008 14:22

Nuhu should recieve all the praise we can give, but we should also know that his faults or weaknesses are fundamental, I believe Yaradua could have corrected or even tried to sell his ideologies to him but their seems to be a loyalty problem. Why didn't Nuhu do Yaradua's bidding? Did he suddenly embrace the idea of independence the senate offered during Obasanjo's regime?We all know the NIPPS course is all politics we may have to wait for a while till we know what really happened.

truthsayer33  # 4 | 02.01.2008 17:44

I will know Nigeria is serious about anti-corruption when it starts paying for the anti-corruption agency, instead of expecting the West to fund it.

Profegee  # 5 | 03.01.2008 01:12

There's no boubt in the fact that Ribadu gave good leadership to EFCC, a situation that has made him household name. However, it must be remembered that a tree does not make a forest, and hence any success attributable to Ribadu was made possible by the entire officers of the commission. My fear for Nigerians is that the moment we have someone who can do justice to matters of curruption in our nation without fear or favour, Ribadu will soon be forgotten. I wish Ribadu could be asked "the major regret he had working as the anti-corruption czar under Obasanjo", and I wouldn't be surprised his response wouldn't be different from our speculations. Nigerians will always be Nigerians, but let whoever is mandated to carry out assignment do it faithfully and committedly because of posterity.

NWANZA  # 6 | 03.01.2008 05:29

=Profegee;4294977127>There's no boubt in the fact that Ribadu gave good leadership to EFCC, a situation that has made him household name. However, it must be remembered that a tree does not make a forest, and hence any success attributable to Ribadu was made possible by the entire officers of the commission. My fear for Nigerians is that the moment we have someone who can do justice to matters of curruption in our nation without fear or favour, Ribadu will soon be forgotten. I wish Ribadu could be asked "the major regret he had working as the anti-corruption czar under Obasanjo", and I wouldn't be surprised his response wouldn't be different from our speculations. Nigerians will always be Nigerians, but let whoever is mandated to carry out assignment do it faithfully and committedly because of posterity. It is true that credit for the success at EFCC should go to all those young men & women who work daily, trying hard to sanitize our society of this dreaded disease called corruption. Ribadu will not be forgotten in the history of Nigeria as the one who almost did it. He talked the talk, but did not walk the walk of equity, fairness, and justice. He leaned in a particular position that drew the disdain of many. Nigeria need a true change as you mentioned, change that is not compromised by circumstances around us, but born out of love to save the country.