Paul Nwabuikwu
11 December 2007
opinion
Lagos — One of the favourite sayings of the late Moshood Abiola was "The bigger the head, the bigger the headache".
If there is anyone who is likely to agree with MKO's maxim - assuming that his current travails permit him the luxury of such ruminations, it is Mike Adenuga, the powerhouse behind Globacom.
Adenuga is blessed with one of the biggest heads in the land. He is a big man - literally and figuratively. His massive frame is an apt symbol for Globacom, the most impressive of his many exploits in business. Globacom is the second national carrier (actually it is effectively the only one since the tottering NITEL is in no position to lead any field). It has grown exponentially since it obtained its licence in 2002, with a subscriber base that currently stands at 15 million. In the GSM sector which dominates the telecommunications industry, MTN is the only operator in front of Globacom. It has overtaken Celtel, an operator which is making a strong comeback after its early years were blighted by so many paternity cases that it's a wonder it didn't end up on some corporate version of the psychiatrist's couch.
Adenuga has been very smart in positioning his company as the most Nigerian of the GSM operators. Globacom has worked hard to cultivate this image, playing up its "son of the soil" image through its advertising and sponsorship initiatives. Adenuga and Globacom will need every bit of the positive qualities usually associated with the Nigerian resilience, creativity and courage in their latest face-off with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and, by extension, the British Home Office. Just a few days after Adenuga arrived Nigeria from a forced exile which lasted several months, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Michael Aondooka announced that the Home Office had contacted his office with a request for permission to interrogate Adenuga over issues that have to do with importation of equipment by Globacom.
Personally, in a country where many big men have nothing to show for their overblown reputations, I am definitely biased in favour of anyone whose exertions have produced genuine jobs and helped to put food on the tables of thousands of families. For good reason, many Nigerians believe that the raid of Adenuga's home by the EFCC in the run up to the governorship and presidential elections of last April had more to do with politics than anything else. But it was public knowledge that Adenuga was in the bad books of the last administration because of his perceived business ties to ex-VP Atiku Abubakar. In the poisoned political atmosphere of the pre-election season, Adenuga was considered an ingrate by the government. The idea that a beneficiary of the generosity of the government, someone whom the administration had "dashed" the licence for the second national carrier could be consorting with Atiku was unthinkable.
Even if this theory was wrong, EFCC's uncharacteristic silence after the raid on Adenuga's house and his subsequent escape into exile only strengthened the perception that Adenuga was a victim of political intrigues that had nothing to do with the rule of law. The logical conclusion was that Adenuga was left alone because the objective of stopping him from boosting Atiku's electoral war chest had been achieved. Small wonder Adenuga is a hero to many Nigerians. To the goodwill which he earned for being the Nigerian David taking on the South African Goliath (MTN) has been added a lot of public sympathy over the troubles that dogged his steps during the just ended Obasanjo government.
However, beyond the natural sympathy that one feels for a beleaguered compatriot who is also one of the pre-eminent wealth creators in the land, the unfriendly invitation from Britain has thrown up the issue of sovereignty. If there are any grounds for believing that Adenuga and Globacom have flouted any laws then by all means he should be made to face the relevant regulations here in Nigeria. Why didn't the British pass the information they have on to Nigerian law enforcement agencies for the purpose of determining if enough grounds exist to consider further investigation and prosecution? Would the British have cooperated if the situation were reversed?
The smell of racism, subtle but unmistakable, is in the air. By requesting Nigeria to grant access to a citizen who only a few days ago was under the protection of Her Majesty's Government, the overriding impression is that Nigeria cannot be trusted to do the right thing in law enforcement. Some Nigerians would retort that the British are right; after all our incompetence in these and other matters is self evident. That may be true, but the answer to that failure should not be to tell other countries that our citizens are fair game, that Nigerians in their country can be summoned at any time for grilling by the security officials of foreign governments. We might as well throw up our hands, renounce our independence and invite other countries to take over because we have not been able to fix NEPA, run our schools or deliver to our people any of the basic services which citizens of other countries take for granted. Ultimately, we cannot improve our institutions by out sourcing the rule of law to other countries.
Not too long ago, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa sent an impassioned letter to the Nigerian national assembly in defence of MTN. International conventions notwithstanding, serious countries continue to define and pursue their national interests and priorities. Americans are subsidising wheat and impoverishing Third World farmers in the process, the Chinese are collaborating with the Sudanese government in spite of the genocide in Dafur and the Russians have told the West to keep its nose out of their elections. Breaches of the law should not be condoned but the spirit behind the Mbeki example is definitely worth looking at.
Nwabuikwu will henceforth write every Wednesday
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