Philip Ogunmade
17 April 2006
column
Lagos — The seemingly anti-corruption war of President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration received yet another bash last Wednesday, when some members of the House of Representatives allegedly revealed how some third term advocates at the National Assembly, acting the script of the Presidency, offered them the huge sum of $1 million each to support the controversial agenda. For many who saw the anti-corruption war of Obasanjo as his greatest legacy, the allegation sparked off reservations and mixed feelings.
But for many others who believed that the campaign is a mere cinema, the allegation was not unexpected. However, many described the allegation as unfortunate because according to them, the situation will only soil the image of Nigeria further before the international communities, especially in the face of Transparency International (TI) which in the last few years has continued to rate Nigeria as one of the most corrupt countries of the world.
Besides, the scandal is viewed as tragic because a situation where the executive arm of government, which had given the boot to many public officials and intiated the prosecution of others, had to be fingered in a bribery scandal which involved such a huge sum of money from the nation's treasury along with oil blocs, the property of the entire people of Nigeria in a bid achieve a selfish objective of elongating a tenure, calls for deep thinking.
Although last week's allegation was not the first to be made in the House over the third term agenda, bearing in mind that a member of the House, Prof. Sola Adeyeye had alleged last year that some members were being offered N70 million to secure their nod for this agenda, this recent allegation emanated from the Alliance for Democracy (AD) leader in the House, Hon. Wunmi Bewaji whose stance against third term agenda has been hard all the while . Bewaji was that strong voice who prior to the public hearing on the review of the constitution moved a motion urging the Joint Committee on the Review of the Constitution to erase the third term agenda from the proposed amendment in view of the bad blood it had generated in the polity and the looming woes it portended for the entire country.
This allegation however, marked a turning point in the entire third term scenario, because Bewaji, without mincing words and without any fear of equivocation revealed how he and some other antagonists of the agenda were accosted with the offer of $1 million and himself, being an arrow head among the plotters against the agenda, was promised an additional oil bloc once he chose to change his mind.
Giving his revelation, Bewaji said : "They came and told me that they have provided $1 million for each of us opposed to third term, like they provided for those in support. In my case, they said they were going to offer me an oil bloc in addition to $1 million . But I told them that it is not a question of what I'm going to gain. But mine is to ensure that we do not only have peace and stability in the country, but to protect our renascent democracy," Bewaji disclosed.
Continuing, the lawmaker added : "The offer was made by some of my colleagues in the House for the Presidency . It was made in the chamber of the House of Representatives two days ago (Monday last week). "
To buttress the authenticity of Bewaji's allegation, another AD lawmaker in the House also affirmed that indeed, a huge sum had been offered to AD lawmakers who are anti-third advocates just to support this agenda. "Yes," the lawmaker said, "I can confirm that mouth-watering cash offers have been made to us to support the third term agenda," the anonymous lawmaker added.
The lawmakers' allegations raised two different issues of concern. First, it has been viewed as worrisome that in the face of increasing poverty ravaging the land and prevalent hopelessness among the masses, such a huge sum amounting to billions of naira could be offered to individuals in order to boost the personal agrandisement of only one person or a group of persons. Second, as Bewaji revealed in his allegation that "they came and told me that they have provided $1 million for each of us opposed to third term, like they provided for those in support," the eyes of many seemed open to much of the public fund amounting to billions of dollars which have been squandered on the third term proponents to push a third term through, if only Bewaji's allegations are anything to go by. This has led to many recalling the hazard that Nigerians go through day after day, even amid non-existent power supply, a situation which has made generators' dealers successful business persons at the expense of Nigerians' well being as well as their businesses. It is the belief of many that such billions of naira being spent to realize a third term agenda would have gone a long way to improving the living standard of the people of Nigeria if only that money have channeled towards the betterment of the lives of the masses who daily wallow in their abject poverty.
Again, these allegations, to those who believed much in the President's anti-corruption campaign, culminating in his open commendation, being the first ruler to openly commence anti-corruption war especially in the public circles, it is no doubt a major disappointment . How would someone who claimed to have the magic wand to corruption turn out again to perpetrate greater corrupt act? Many ask .
Although, Bewaji's allegation is still subject to doubt because it has not been investigated and proved, many yet believe that from the facts presented in the allegations which authenticated those who made the offers ("my colleagues in the House working for the Presidency") and where it was offered ("it was offered at the chamber of the House of Representatives,)" the lawmaker's allegation looks convincing. A member of the House has on the other hand, been swift to dismiss the allegation, saying it was a fake story.
However, the situation only lent credence to the view of the Economist magazine of the United States, which last week, surveyed the anti-corruption crusade of Obasanjo, describing it as insincere. The publication, with the headline, "Enough is Enough" as re-published in THISDAY of Monday, April 11 saw Obasanjo's anti-corruption crusade as one exercise being exploited by the President to victimise opposition . The magazine alleged that Obasanjo's anti-corruption move only aimed at causing instability in the system which in the end would only facilitate his ploy to change the constitution to achieve his third term mission.
Said the magazine : "Just as Mr. Yoweri Museveni did in Uganda, Mr. Obasanjo is beginning to crackdown on the opposition - in his case it seems, by using the government's vaunted anti-corruption drive to knock opposition leaders out of contention . Worse, many now suspect that Mr. Obasanjo is formenting instability so that having got the constitution changed, he can then pose as strong man in next year's presidential election, securing his third term as saviour of a disintegrating country . For the would- be dictators, this is the oldest ruse in the book."
Whereas, the expected trend in the system was for the Presidency to counter the views of the foreign magazine about Obasanjo and his government by providing a conscious corruption-free atmosphere, these bribery allegations have not only gone further to affirm the perceived ingenuity dotting the anti -corruption crusade, they have also gone further to confirm the position of The Economist, a situation viewed as not too good for Obasanjo, the President of the largest black African country who on his own volition initiated the anti-graft war with a pledge to cleanse the system of pervading corruption and convince the whole world that the African is not totally corrupt.
Obasanjo-s anti-corruption war became much more popular early last year, when he dismissed the then Minister of Education, Prof. Fabian Osuji and ensured the resignation of the former Senate President, Chief Adolphous Wabara from his exalted office over the N55 million bribe scandal allegedly collected from Osuji by Wabara during the budget preparation at the National Assembly. Obasanjo, in fury, made a broadcast to the country, in expression of his displeasure over the situation. Today's experiences as brought forward by The Economist and Bewaji's allegations which have not been denied by the Presidency, spark off double thoughts.
At any rate, several commentaries in the media have shown how some personalities in the government of Obasanjo and others who support the third term agenda of the President have remained sacred cows in the the President's anti-corruption drive. Little wonder then, why the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu whose reputation has been mired in disrepute since the inception of this tenure over one corruption allegation or the other from the time of the screening of ministerial nominees in 2003 till date, has always been innocent of all the charges against him.
Establishing this fact last year was the governor of Abia State, Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, who in his open letter to the President alleged that the President was himself corrupt and hence lacked any credibility whatsoever to initiate any anti-corruption war.
Said Kalu : "It sems you (the President) have deliberately turned eyes against the atrocities perpetrated by your officials because there is incontrovertible evidence at my disposal that you are afraid to prosecute them for fear of turning the table against yourself . I do not see why you should preach openly against corruption, but deep inside you, you have a different attitude to it," Kalu said adding : "the high handed draconian and commando-like operations of the ( Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) EFCC and (Independent Corrupt Practices Commission) ICPC so far have negated all our democracy stands for. They do not hide their bias, neither do they function within the ambits of the laws setting them up," Kalu alleged.
Apparently dismissing the anti-graft war as a mere masquerade dance, Kalu was annoyed that whereas, the President claimed to be fighting corruption, the highest level of corruption takes place in Aso Rock. And if Bewaji's allegation is anything to go by, coupled with the do or die spirit that the pro-third term lawmakers have put into the pursuit, the entire scenario looks worrisome to many. Kalu alleged further : "In any case, the most presposterous and incredulous aspect of your anti-corruption campaign is that while the media is awash with stories on the activities of EFCC nad ICPC, corruption is taking place in many federal establishments, Aso Rock inclusive," he said.
Responding to Kalu's allegation, former Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Advanced Party (NAP) and political activist, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite said it was disheartening for the President who parades himself as the author of corrupt free society to be found wanting under his own crusade. This, Braithwaite said was extremely provocative. "It is extremely worrying and thought provoking that the President, the Originator, the Apostle and Chief Instigator of the anti-corruption initiative in this dispensation, is now being accused of personifying and edifying the very vices he is fighting . Coming from the office of a governor of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a member of the National Council of State, and a high ranking member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), the allegations cannot be wished away and must be thorougly investigated."
Braithwaite was of the belief that the EFCC and ICPC would never faithfully investigate the huge allegations against the President, because he set them up and pay them as as well. Hence, he advocated for the establishment of independent comission of enquiry headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to investigate those allegations.
Braithwaite's counsel still seems relevant in view of the current situation. Why Bewaji's allegations need be thorougly investigated, with a view to finding the truth, there is no gain saying that Braithwaite's demand for an independent commission of inquiry to carry out this investigation without any fear or favour, might be a right request.
In all, the view of the foreign commentary in the Economist magazine, about corruption which reverberated only few days after the expression, might again justify the words of Ayi Kwei Armah, the famous Ghanaian novelist, that indeed, the beautiful ones, that is, the fearless sweepers of corruption, are not yet born.
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