Simon Kolawole
12 August 2007
column
Lagos — I must have said it a thousand times, on this page, that I was a fan of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, until he began to show his true colour. When he took over the leadership of this country in 1999, he cut the picture of someone who had seen it all in life, someone who would rather die than compromise the sound principles of leadership. He spoke eloquently about how he was going to fight corruption, how he was going to put the country back on track. He pulled a lot of stunts. He set up a panel to probe failed contracts. He revoked some oil blocks allocated to certain people in questionable circumstances. I, like many other Nigerians who had been thirsty for good governance, was in a hurry to celebrate him. Today, I look back in regret, wondering how the man managed to fool many of us so easily. He got us so cheap. I re-read, with shame, some of the articles I wrote in 1998 and 1999 about Obasanjo. I feel mugged.
This has shaped my attitude to the new president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. So far, he has taken steps that I think are very commendable, but I will look very well before I leap this time around. For one, I like the way the refinery issue was resolved. It was very clear to all that something was not just right with the way some national assets were disposed off by Obasanjo, who was still signing documents at the exit gate of Aso Rock on his way back to Ota. For all you care, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mr. Femi Otedola could still get those refineries back, but then that must be through a process that nobody will be able to fault within the boundary of reason. I also agree with some of the decisions Yar'Adua has taken concerning the Niger Delta crisis. He seems to have realised that there must be a multi-dimensional approach, rather than the one-way, military bombardment policy of Obasanjo.
But I have learnt my lessons: we have seen all these nice initial steps before. Eight years of Obasanjo should be an eternal guide for us on the damage oil blocks and selfish politicking can do to the mind of a man. I have long concluded that there is something inside Aso Rock that turns saints to sinners. It's like even the men with the best intentions begin to deteriorate the moment they cross the border between the real world of Nigeria and the imperial enclave of Aso Rock. I have no scientific evidence to prove my argument, but I have observed over the years that this is the case. Does it mean, then, nobody should cross over to Aso Rock? I don't think so. I only think those who cross over should proceed with caution. Focus. Focus. Focus. They must keep their eyes on the ball, not on the petrodollars.
The president has taken two decisions in the last one week that are quite significant. One made me sad, the other made me glad. The one that made me sad was the decision to take away prosecutorial powers from the EFCC, ICPC and the Code of Conduct Tribunal. I know somebody will say: "No, the powers were not taken away; the Attorney-General was only trying to assume his constitutional powers". Believe that and you would believe I am the Queen of England. Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, my learned colleague (he would prefer I use the word "learned friend" but I would rather drop "learned" altogether!), put a lie to all this in his column last Friday.
This is how: when a DPO takes a suspect to court, when the Customs service takes a smuggler to court, when the NDLEA takes a drug trafficker to court-they are all acting on behalf of, and in the name of, the AG. So how come it is only the prosecutorial powers of the EFCC et al that the AG is interested in assuming? Why not the powers of others too? If the EFCC commits the blunder of prosecuting a suspect without including the AG's name, is it not a simple administrative matter that can be resolved?Of course, the motive of the transfer of prosecutorial power is very clear. The target is the EFCC. Adding ICPC and Code of Conduct Tribunal to the list is just a cover-up. Why EFCC? Because come September 2007, another set of governors are to be charged to court by the commission. These governors are not Orji Kalu or Jolly Nyame; they are the "big boys", the seemingly "untouchables". That is why the AG wants to assume his constitutional powers all of a sudden in order to "check the excesses of the EFCC"-as he threatened on assuming office. I am all for anything that will check the excesses and recklessness of the EFCC, but if you are careful enough, you would notice that these excesses are at the level of investigation, not prosecution. EFCC's idea of storming offices and residences as if going to war is completely unacceptable. EFCC's resort to lawlessness by detaining suspects endlessly without trial is unacceptable. The arrest and detention of lawmakers to force them to impeach governors is completely unacceptable. These are excesses. But "prosecutorial" excesses? What excesses?
This is exactly the game: by deciding what case to prosecute and the one not to prosecute, the AG wants to use it as an instrument of protection for whoever he so chooses-and we all know the particular former governor or governors in question. So the EFCC can do all the investigations in the world and compile all the evidence but will have to wait for the AG to decide which one to prosecute. I may not be very intelligent, but I have enough presence of mind to know that this is all a political game.The new thinking now is that EFCC should handle old cases while the AG should handle new cases. That is a very clever way of protecting the "big boys". So, we are back to the same issue: why EFCC and other anti-graft agencies? Shouldn't the AG also take over all fresh cases being handled by the Police, Customs, NDLEA, Federal Inland Revenue Service, and Road Safety Corps? We can read through all this. It is all politics. All the talk about assuming "prosecutorial powers" is a clever way of protecting some individuals who have grown bigger than the state. They are bigger than our laws. They are bigger than the anti-corruption war. They are bigger than Nigeria. For me, if Yar'Adua had not reversed this decision (it was a reversal, no matter how nicely the AG tried to put it), it would have been the biggest PR disaster for his government so far.
Which now brings me to the gladdening aspect of the saga: Yar'Adua was man enough to see his mistake. He reversed it. I doff my hat for him! In Nigeria , our rulers make mistakes and refuse to reverse themselves because they think people will see them as weaklings. That was the greatest failing of Obasanjo. He made so many mistakes concerning the power sector and the refineries, but so that he would not be regarded as a weakling, he refused to reverse himself. He kept saying there is "no going back". You cannot run a country on mega egos. Nobody knows it all. If at any time you realise your mistake, correct yourself. If you want to travel to Ghana and you find yourself on the bus to Cameroon , the sanest thing for you to do is to disembark and take the right bus. But if you say "there is no going back" because of your ego, then I wish you all the best.
Yar'Adua calls himself the "servant leader". He is beginning to earn the title. The servant leader listens not just to his own voice but also to the voice of others. The servant leader is simple without being simplistic. The servant leader stamps his authority where he should and soft-pedals at the appropriate time.
He cannot be reversing himself all the time, yes. But he cannot claim to be right all the time either.I want to say this again: Yar'Adua has NOTHING to lose by doing the right things. He has everything to gain. He should never repeat Obasanjo's errors. He should put the interest of Nigeria far and above selfish politicking. Nigeria first, please.
Right of Reply
How Dirty Should Politics Be?
By Anyim Pius Anyim
I read your column on the back page of THISDAY Newspaper of August 5, 2007 and I thought you deserve a reply. I decided to write this reply for the following reasons: One, I am the only former Senate President in the race for the PDP Chairmanship. Two, your approach is deceitful and is intended to mislead the public. Three, you have betrayed many people's confidence in your logic and reasoning. Four, you have abused the ethics of your profession and if you are not called to order, you will destroy your career. Five, you have sneaked into this matter like a green snake and if you are not exposed you will build on it. Six, I know your motive: it is to distract me and I need to let you know that you have no capacity to do so.I carefully read your article and would call the attention of the reading public to the following fallacies in your knowledge, logic and reasoning: One, you claim that you are not familiar with Egwu's case.
How come you become so interested and familiar with the defences of a matter you are not familiar with?Two, you claim that Dr Egwu's EFCC story was because he was favoured for the National Chairmanship of PDP, may I ask you: (a.) did you ever read in THISDAY newspaper report about the EFCC Chairman's address to the Senate on the Governors (now Former Governors) being investigated by EFCC? (b.) The recent THISDAY Newspaper report on those yet having cases with EFCC? (c.) Have you ever heard that EFCC charged or is preparing to charge some people to court? (d.) Have you ever heard that some people were arrested by EFCC? (e.) In paragraph 5 of your article, you wrote "three, did EFCC investigate Egwu or not? Obviously, the answer is yes. I read the reports in the newspaper". Thank goodness you ever read it in the newspapers. May I ask you who was behind the one you read? And when you read it was it because of PDP Chairmanship or what has changed between the time you read it and now?
(f.) In addition to what you admitted, did you also read long before the PDP Chairmanship, the THISDAY report on some people charged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal? (g.) There is a report on page 5 of Leadership Newspaper of Friday, August 3, 2007 , which said that a group of people petitioned a former Governor from the North. Could you tell the public who is behind the petition?In case you do not know me well, it may be necessary for you to make enquiries. At least you would remember that I am a former Senate President. You have defamed my character in a most unethical manner with a view to cause public disaffection towards me.
I also know that your other aim is to distract me from pursuing my democratic rights and moreso to cause disaffection between me and Dr Sam Egwu.Mr Kolawole, the likes of you constitute the greatest threat to democracy. I will not be deterred in pursuing my democratic rights because of mischievous abuse of your office as a columnist. For avoidance of doubt, I am not interested in Dr Egwu exercising his legitimate democratic right to stand for any election neither will his exercise of this right affect my own equally democratic right to stand for any election. If your intention is to create disaffection between me and Dr Egwu, you may have embarked on a fruitless enterprise because I will not allow that to happen.
- Anyim, former Senate President, writes from Abuja
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