Omololu Ogunmade
30 November 2008
analysis
Lagos — The persistent attacks on the personality of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, appear to be driving the much celebrated anti-graft battle to its wits end. Omololu Ogunmade writes on the conclusion drawn from the development by concerned individuals
If the Nigeria Police carries through its threat to commence the trial of the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu on Thursday as reported, there are fears that the development will go a long way to reveal the depth of the battle against the anti-graft war.
Ribadu has battled several physical and psychological conflicts in the last one year. His story has been described as a sheer case of dramatic irony, bearing in mind that in the days of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the President, Ribadu was portrayed as an accomplished hero. His dread when he held sway as EFCC boss, gave serving public officers nightmares. Because of the wild wars waged by the EFCC, the then sitting governors and other public officers had to think twice before dipping their hands into the treasury.
Even thoughts of the EFCC sent jitters across corporate organizations. In the annals of anti-corruption battle in Nigeria, Ribadu became the first man to defy the hitherto functioning slogan in Nigeria: "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than the other."
Before the advent of the Ribadu-led EFCC, many believed that Eric Blair, whose pen name is George Orwell, might have had Nigeria in mind when he carved the slogan: "All animals are equal, but some are more equal that the other," in his satirical novel: Animal Farm, to describe the situation in the Soviet Republic at the time.
However, in the days of Ribadu, this famous slogan failed. Ribadu dared to bring both the low and the mighty to book. It was the first time that sitting governors nursed fears of prosecution. Although Ribadu also came under severe criticisms from those who believed that he employed the principle of selective justice in discharging his duty, yet all agreed that none of the persons he brought to book could be absolved from allegations of corruption.
But the advent of President Umaru Yar'Adua changed the course of EFCC. In fact, Ribadu's trial began after arresting a former governor. No sooner had he taken this action, than he was removed as EFCC boss and sent on compulsory study leave at the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Plateau State, despite the public outcry against it.
While he was just trying to integrate himself into his new academic environment, the Police Service Commission announced his demotion from the rank of an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) to that of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). Since then, all has certainly not been well with Ribadu.
The situation took a dramatic turn recently when Ribadu headed for a court of competent jurisdiction to contest his demotion. Hearing was still being awaited when Ribadu suffered another major attack during the convocation ceremony of the NIPSS penultimate Saturday. Ribadu and his family were reportedly humiliated when security forces dragged him and his family out of the graduation hall and thereafter whisked him away to an undisclosed destination. Ribadu was denied graduation that Saturday. But after the public outcry which accompanied the development, the Federal Government denied involvement in the saga and consequently ordered the institution to issue Ribadu and his colleague, Alex Briggs (who was also denied graduation over alleged camera theft outside the country) their deserved certificate.
However, this denial of the Federal Government had been viewed as an after thought. This is moreso that reports said at the weekend that NPSS Acting Director, James Okpadiran had prior to the event, announced that both Ribadu and Briggs would duly graduate, having successfully completed their studies. But reports added that the aftermath denial of the duo from participating in the exercise, was the fallout of a message from Abuja by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Micheal Aondoakaa that Ribadu should not be allowed to graduate. This has been denied by Aondoakaa. But watchers argued that the act was too obvious to be denied.
To this end, the Action Congress (AC) described the aborted graduation at NIPSS as "a disgraceful show of brute force by those behind it," but noted that the incident was also "a classical case of poetic justice for Ribadu."
AC through its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, condemned the denial by the Presidency, saying it showed "lack of character by the Yar'Adua administration," which he said "is always quick to backtrack once an action backfires."
The party added that "it is worse for the Presidency to deny knowledge of such a high-profile embarrassment," explaining that it only confirmed "the general belief that the government of President Yar'Adua is on auto drive with no one in charge."
AC added that: "The Presidency may deny all it can that it did not know anything about the crude way that Ribadu was bundled out of the graduation ceremony, but the truth is that those behind it felt they could do it because the government's so-called rule of law mantra is just a cliché meant to give the administration a semblance of governance."
The AC however went to scold Ribadu, saying, "having said that, we make bold to add that Ribadu, in his hey days as the head of the EFCC, would probably have done something worse than that. This is a man who used the police to drag former Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun on the ground like a stray dog, even when he was still a suspect in a case of fraud preferred against him. After all, as a lawyer, Ribadu should have known that an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty!"
But human rights activist, Mr. Bamidele Aturu vented his anger on the Federal Government much more, saying the treatment meted out to Ribadu "depicts lack of respect for decorum and due process."
According to Aturu, Ribadu's bitter experience at the moment, reveals the commitment of the Federal Government to punish him for daring to bring certain so-called powerful people to book in his days as EFCC boss. He described the hostility against Ribadu as condemnable and alleged that there are "mafians" in power. He called on well meaning Nigerians to rise against the trend, saying the "dubious lesson" of Ribadu's experience "is that it is just not possible to fight the cabal and if you do so, they will come after you," adding: "So at the root of all this is the question of who owns this country, the citizens or the axis of corruption. People who ought to bury their heads perpetually in shame are the ones now instigating the psychological war to intimidate us. The only way to repossess our humanity and citizenship is to do everything possible to resist them and the time is certainly now," Aturu said.
Further, the legal practitioner said: "There is no doubt any longer, if ever there was, that some persons in the administration are bent on punishing Ribadu for his modest achievements at the EFCC. Those he exposed and who have now bought their ways back to power and imposed their proxies at several levels are showing us the precise colour of vendetta. But the question is, should we the citizens whose resources were the subject of the rapacious venality of these corrupt people fold our hands and do nothing in the circumstance? I sincerely think not.
"We must find the courage to condemn this despicable act of brigandage committed before our very eyes. Only those who have no respect for the people whom they claim elected them can perpetrate this sort of infamy! Without any doubt, the gestapo-like manner in which the latest act against Ribadu was executed, reveals the existence of a mafia right in the corridors of power. It is our duty to rid our system, or better still the system of the mafia," Aturu kicked.
But the denial of the Federal Government is still generating mixed reactions. While many insist that it was the perpetuation of the norm of the Presidency to always back out of any move once it backfires, like the AC said, the Presidency said it had ordered investigation into the entire saga. But former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Professor Pat Utomi described the action of the Presidency as commendable.
"It is pleasing that the Presidency has issued a statement dissociating itself from what happened in Kuru not just because this is exactly what I called on them to do hours before their statement, but also because leadership has the obligation to set a moral tone for the country.
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