The stance of Muhammadu Buhari administration on prosecution of those who have looted Nigeria’s treasury lean is crystal clear. If there is anything Nigerians believe Buhari owes them, it is to bring sanity to the nation’s political space and redefine our value system that is fast depreciating.
There is panic in the land; those who have participated in wicked deflation of nation’s treasury are going through hard time. The Nigerian masses on their path eagerly await announcement of jail terms of their oppressors, possibly know jail numbers and who is sleeping where among the nation’s major prisons; who goes in first is the question the masses are asking and when.
The country is witnessing a dimension of stretch tug of war between the masses and advocates for soft stance on probing of past administration of Goodluck Jonathan, with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claiming whitch-hunt allegation on the path of those who have been nabbed for alleged corruption and looting., though the PP is unable to come up with a singular defence that those alleged are innocent. What an irony?
Truly, what does Buhari owe us as a people? What direction do we intend to channel our cause after a new administration has been ushered-in? When are we planning to take off and join the committee of nations who are advancing frontiers for growth and development in the 21st century reality?
All the above may not produce immediate answers with Abubakar Abdussalami National Peace Committee (NPC) junketing around Aso Rock to persuade President Muhammadu Buhari to thread softly on probing of loots. Again, the masses have been asking “what was the mandate of NPC and time-line” as an intervention group. While insinuations were going that the latest visit of the committee to Aso Rock was to beg Buhari on behalf of former President Jonathan to save his (Jonathan) face from embarrassment that may emanate if the probing continues, a position swiftly denied by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto and member of National Peace Committee, Hassan Kukah, it is unfortunate and revealing while Kukah on interview immediately after the meeting stated that former President Jonathan saved the nation from chaos and crisis and should be left to go even he had stolen all the money in the world.
The position of Kukah has since left many questions unanswered as to the place of value in our system.
Logically, the role of the Peace Committee was to proffer soft landing for Goodluck Jonthan when it was obvious that the tide of masses’ decision prior to last general elections was in favour of Buhari and the reality that Jonathan was not willing to leave power if he lost. That intervention role was largely to the benefit of Jonathan to concede defeat and leave office without further overheating the polity. Since then, the committee was proud of their achievement for having broker the peace, a good one indeed, but swiftly resuscitating at the instance of President Buhari’s anti-graft crusade.
For change promise made by Buhari to be fulfilled, Mr President must do the needful to renew confidence of the people in leadership in Nigeria. If Buhari wanted to let go, the mind boggling figures realised to be missing is so whooping that generations to come will never forgive Buhari for allowing the commonwealth of the people carted away when he had all the opportunities to help people recover their money back.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) according to Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole withheld N3.8 trillion out of N8.1 trillion from crude oil sale from 2012 to 2015. A Minister of Goodluck Jonathan made away with whooping $6 billion, an amount that is sufficient to alleviate poverty in a number of States in the country. The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)is yet to account for N183 billion while $13 billion dividend from the nation’s Liquefied Natural Gas is also missing just to mention a few. The situation becomes so terrible that former President Jonathan said he was hearing most of the revelations on corruption for the first time.
The peace brokered by the National Peace Committee was a fine gesture but the truth is any pressure on Muhammadu Buhari to prevent him from doing the needful now is more injurious to the nation than the Peace Committee’s initial efforts and success, and is totally unacceptable. Anyway, the hard stance of Buhari on anti-graft is an interesting movement Nigerians are happy with. Going by international cooperation agenda before the current government, the whole world is even waiting to assess seriousness of Buhari’s administration by its postures on fight against corruption and aggressive looting.
As Nigerians await who goes in there first, I mean jail, Nigeria will be taken back 30 years again and change will become a scarce commodity we cannot access in another one century if the chance we have with Buhari to make the change slips off. We must define what we want to do with our destiny as a nation. Without fear or favour, we must summon the courage to breed a society that is fair to all and owned by all.According to renown African-American writer and statesman Frederick Douglas, “where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organised conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe”
Are we ready for real change? Of course not everyone is meant to be ready for it and those who are opposed to change will mop up all reasons and strategies to scuttle the change agenda. It is good to note that the crusade is not selective and has even since been taken down to the civil service sector where no one goes scot free with nation’s treasury without any check.
Point blank, what the nation needs now is vibral legislative process for ensuring blockage against corruption. The National Assembly should begin to enact Laws that will make stealing unattractive in the country. We must devise mechanism for making looting difficult rather than relying on judicial system for probing corrupt officials, a process that is only an aftermath. We need antidotes against graft and it is important for the National Assembly to devise proactive measures that will place the legislature on same page with the executive on fight against corruption; for now, that is yet to suffice even though the nation waits patiently.
In most developed democratic nations, the people rely on the legislature first to check excesses in government. The lawmakers have mandates to speak peoples’ mind and protect popular interest of the people. The NASS should constantly call for private member bill to address actual needs of the people. Even as elected legislature, one cannot be so sure he is representing real voice of the people by his own thinking and assumptions alone. The leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives should mandate federal lawmakers to constantly fall back and conduct public hearing with their people in order to ensure they are actually speaking right for the masses.
As the revolution train moves, it is a good thing for our country that everybody is beginning to possess a share of ownership of Nigeria as a sovereign nation. Buhari/Osinbajo’s approach to judicial system with inauguration of special anti-corruption judicial committee of credible persons is very laudable. Many other reforms on-going are strategic and driven by best approach that suits our current situation.
If Kukah and his committee, for fear of unknown, says the Buhari administration should soften stance on helping Nigerians live better lives by recovering looted funds, we must rise to prevent any suggestion capable of drilling hole in the anti-corruption boat being paddled by this administration and the community of change, APC.
When next I air my personal opinion on this very topical issue of serious concern, maybe answer to the heading of this write up might have been found; yes, that is about knowing who goes in there first. The people are winning!
Olulade is a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Epe Constituency II
