The Guardian/

October, National Hypocrisy Month

October is our national birth month. Our 48^th anniversary came around last month, about 30 days ago.

I would like to move the following motion: That October be adopted as National Hypocrisy Month. 

For most of last month, I argued in this column that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) had deliberately sabotaged the statute by which it was created by failing to file the Commission’s annual report. I called for its chairperson, Mrs. Farida Waziri, to be fired. 

Mrs. Waziri did not resign. She was not fired. In fact, she got up to argue that the law be amended to eliminate the immunity being enjoyed by chiefs of state. I agree with Mrs. Waziri on this point; that immunity should never have existed in the first place. 

But it seems to me that she is herself enjoying the privileges of the National Hypocrisy month. Here is the chairperson of the EFCC who has refused to conform with the law that brought her to office by sending the annual report, her first, to the National Assembly. Brushing such an inconvenience aside, she wants even greater authority. Authority without responsibility. Are some outlaws better than other outlaws?

Yes, I know that the EFCC’s Femi Babafemi has claims that not only am I mistaken in demanding the 2008 Report, but that the 2007 Report has been submitted to the National Assembly. I have tried to obtain the report, but failed. I know journalists that have tried to obtain it, including from Mr. Babafemi, and also failed. 

In the spirit of National Hypocrisy month, I do not know of any member of the National Assembly that has asked the EFCC for the report. Not one, even though Mrs. Waziri met with many of them during the month. This is perfectly understandable in the context of National Hypocrisy month. I guess the members of the Assembly would argue that they make the law, which makes them superior to it. They do not have to be outraged even when the law is broken over their heads. 

In the context of the National Hypocrisy Month, it is also understandable that President Umaru Yar’Adua, who last week fired 20 Ministers allegedly for non-performance, finds no contradiction in pretending he has no interest in whether the EFCC meets this statutory requirement or not. 

All of this is particularly interesting when you consider that, during the same month, Mrs. Waziri claimed she could not prosecute 31 former governors because their case files were either “distorted or missing.” She said that our former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has no case to answer because no petitions had been filed against him, a claim we have since proved to be empty. 

She has since taken half a hesitant step back from those statements, but she has not confirmed she is prosecuting anyone. She simply wants the additional authority to prosecute live governors; with those, she has no strings, unlike the former ones, some of whom she is known to have done business with.

At the Federal Ministry of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, the Attorney-General and Minister, with the support of President Yar’Adua, is using federal resources to help James Ibori to avoid justice in England. He is telling the court that some of the evidence that can send the former Delta State governor to jail and deny him his loot is inadmissible because it was obtained from the EFCC without his permission. You would be outraged, if you were a Nigerian who cares about people like Mr. Ibori getting what they truly deserve…unless you considered the matter in the context of National Hypocrisy month. 

In the context of National Hypocrisy month, it is fully understandable that Mr. Yar’Adua and Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo are once again bosom buddies. Yar’Adua needs Obasanjo to consolidate his tenuous hold on power, while Obasanjo needs Yar’Adua to clean up his image at home, and win back some international respectability. Both men, reports say, traced their disagreement not to any principles, but to Baba Gana Kingibe, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Tony Anenih, the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ruling party. Dead men tell no tales.

In October, the State Security Service (SSS), under the direction of the president, returned to its old bad habits, detaining journalists and commentators who do not sing the party song. Among others, they picked up Jonathan Elendu of Elendureports and Emmanuel Emeke Asiwe of Huhuonline, and sent them to detention without being charged. Some operatives said Mr. Elendu was guilty of writing stories for SaharaReporters, the unwavering national crusaders I celebrated in this column on August 1. Mr. Elendu does no work for SaharaReporters.

In October, Mr. Yar’Adua told the United Nations General Assembly: “Nigeria is determined to do everything to ensure the realization of the Millennium Declaration Goals targets.” He spoke in New York while lying in his sick bed in Abuja as Nigerians hoped he would be able to appoint a cabinet.

He said that while Obasanjo waited to be announced winner of the $5 million Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in Africa leadership. Mercifully, that prize went to a respectable and deserving African, Festus Mogae of Botswana, a worthy successor to the inaugural winner, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique.

But of course it is National Hypocrisy Month. If it were not, Mr. Kofi Annan of Ghana ought to be made to explain to Nigerians how his committee arrived at Obasanjo not only on the final list, but as first runner-up. If people thought that Mr. Annan, because he once served as United Nations Secretary-General is a first-rate mind, his performance at this year’s Mo Ibrahim clears that up. And if Africans want the institution to survive, they should investigate the link between Annan and Obasanjo.

Our National Hypocrisy Month should think about the army of Senior Advocates of Nigeria who convey so much concern during the day about what is wrong with Nigeria, but are falling over each other at night for the privilege of “defending” the thieves that looted Nigeria blind. During National Hypocrisy Month as they swim in the mud that cannot be washed off, these lawyers ought to be inducted into the National Hypocrisy Hall of Infamy.

Let us celebrate October. It is our month, the one when we hug Nigeria warmly from the front, and coldly plunge in our knives at the back.

• sonala.olumhense@gmail.com

Robot  # 1 | 02.11.2008 07:14

://www.nigerialinks.com/images/stories/hypocrisy.The Guardian/ October, National Hypocrisy Month October is our national birth month.Our 48th anniversary came around last month, about 30 days ago. I would like to move the following motion: That October be adopted as National Hypocrisy Month. For most of last month, I argued in this column that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) had deliberately sabotaged the statute by which it was created by failing to file the Commission’s annual report.I called for its chairperson, Mrs. Farida Waziri, to be fired. Mrs. Waziri did not resign.She was not fired.In fact, she got up to argue that the law be amended to eliminate the immunity being enjoyed by chiefs of state.I agree with Mrs. Waziri on this poin...Read the full article.

Igboamaeze  # 2 | 02.11.2008 14:41

Here is the chairperson of the EFCC who has refused to conform with the law that brought her to office by sending the annual report, her first, to the National Assembly SO, Which National Assembly are u refering to? The den of profiteers, election riggers, area boys and street kids in Abuja or any other one that I do not know of? How on earth do u think that such an unholy assembly of dishonorable men and women can do justice to a serious report from EFCC (I can bet that neither the EFCC of yore nor the EFCC of now is capable of preparing any serious report)? My brother what we are practising in Nigeria is ROGUOCRACY: Government of Rogues, by Rogues, for Rogues. Until we address the very fundamental causes of this rogue mentality, anyone pretending to be fighting corruption is just pretending. But of course it is National Hypocrisy Month. If it were not, Mr. Kofi Annan of Ghana ought to be made to explain to Nigerians how his committee arrived at Obasanjo not only on the final list, but as first runner-up. If people thought that Mr. Annan, because he once served as United Nations Secretary-General is a first-rate mind, his performance at this year’s Mo Ibrahim clears that up. And if Africans want the institution to survive, they should investigate the link between Annan and Obasanjo. Are u this naive? Na today u sabi say that any good person/thing that comes in contact with Nigeria gets contaminated? Do u believe the latest Transperancy International rating that denied Nigeria it's well deserved gold medal in world corruption contest? Don't you read all those flaterring World Bank/IMF reports on Nigeria and her "steady" economic progress, even when u and I can tell that the reality is anything but progressive? Bros, pls change topic.

M. Akosa  # 3 | 02.11.2008 16:25

I think what Sonala Olumhense is pathetically trying to do here is make sense out of nonsense. Oga Sonala, You no better now. Just as Igboamaze on the ground over there in Nigeria can testify to you that no amount of measures, initiative or effort and claims made by those people for ridding Nigeria of corruption is making sense at all. It is just like running around in a vicious circle with fools believing in those twisted games. My brother don't take it too personal or too serious.

Igboamaeze  # 4 | 02.11.2008 17:17

MEMO I came accross this post by akuluouno in response to an earlier article by SO on EFCC titled: Let me run the EFCC (2), and in my opinon it is the best and most sensible response so far to this EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, Farida Waziri distraction cum obsession by SO & Co: Dear SO, As I have said before, your problem will be getting the backing of the General that is supposed to lead the war. Mark u this is a war in which he and his lieutenant Gens are involved. So except you want to be Dele Giwaed:evil::evil:, just avoid accepting the job if offered. M.D Yusuf is supposed to head a large committee on police reform. The same man took over the chairmanship of the NLNGC after Okigbo and was implicated in the TSKJ fraud involving the LNG Bonny whose dubious fifith train or so was commission recently. In Nigeria it is not Cogito ergo sum, it is Corruptio ergo sum. I cannot wait for my opportunity and if you efcc me, I will delgiwa you:twisted::twisted::twisted: We are all corruptmen and women minus opportunity.:D:D:D ...akuluouno How come that every supposedly man/woman of integrity that joins government ends up being more corrupt than those before him? Even the most respected/revered Bola Ige - may his soul rest in peace - was not spared (do you still remember the controversy over the fixing of NEPA funds with a bank?). What is the guarantee that if SO is made the head of EFCC he will not end up like Ribadu, FW, M.D. Yusuf and co? Do u still remember that Akin Osuntokun was a fiery columnist at the Guardian? Where are Eziuche Ubani, Segun Adeniyi, Abdul Oroh, and all those "reputable" men and women of not too long ago. Obj once said that in Nigeria, every successive govt ends up being more rapacious than the one before it in reference to IBB's era. Abacha proved him right. Abdulsalami proved him right. Obj/Atiku PROVED him conclussively right. The real question is: how did water find its way into the heart of the coconut?

akuluouno  # 5 | 03.11.2008 04:45

Dear SO, Igboama, In that quote I was trying to capture the fact that corruption is an attitude of the mind. There are also certain systemic challenges in Nigeria that aid and abett it. Let it not be that we did not try to fight corruption but the fighter must have courage akin to an uncle of mine, whom during a high society wedding had the audacity to raise his hands to object to the wedding of a couple, when the priest demanded for such an opinion in partial fullfillment of wedding formalities:D I will tell you why nobody especially in public office would be convicted on the grounds of corruption and grand embezzlement of public funds. Because that would set a dangerous benchmark. Legal minds will pour over the judgment and would gladly cite it in future cases. This would lead to a class suicide especailly of this class of public office holders. Afterall corruption in Nigeria follows the same pattern. Either you dip hands in govrnment purse and steal it blind or you award one white elephant grandoise project and connive with the foreign contractors to salt public funds away. EFCC does not need to invent the wheel in the fight against corruption. An unfettered, independent, patriotic agency would have its men stationed around all the state governors and public office holders, monitor expenses on huge public projects and ensure that public officers living above their means are brought to book. It is not an easy task in Nigeria 2008.:twisted: