Irinyenikan Emmanuel
29 December 2008
column
A LOT of people have written or said one or two things about the former EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu. Some of these comments are full of wisdom and very philosophical. However, some are mere display of half wits at best. Half wits because they have been written or said just to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
When the EFCC was set up by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, everybody thought it was yet another charade by the government to deceive the people of this country, as we had experienced in the past with such terms as probity, accountability, etc. But this was different.
When Ribadu began to deal with the real enemies of this country; many of us were shocked to the marrows. The case of Anajemba (one of the greatest frauds in world history) readily comes to mind here. Several millions of dollars were given to Ribadu so that the case could be buried, but he vehemently rejected this. The rest of the story we all know.
The case of Tafa Balogun, the former Inspector General of Police, is still fresh in our memories. Those who claimed that Ribadu was only after the perceived enemies of Obasanjo are parochially-minded because Tafa Balogun was one of Obasanjo's boys "to the core".
Have we forgotten the cases of Ibori, Alamieyesiagha, Fayose, etc and the invitation given to some governors who, under normal circumstances, in the Nigeria context, were hitherto untouchables?
To cut a long story short, Nigeria had already begun that great march to eradicate corruption until the enemies of progress struck and made sure that this crusade was brought to a stop. What a shame!
In fact, to aggravate matters, this powerful cabal has been sending their errand boys to the press through the writing of caustic and damaging articles against Ribadu with a view to justifying their plots.
For example, in the Vanguard of Friday, December 12, 2008, one Cornelius Ojo wrote a piece titled: Nuhu Ribadu: Things Fall Apart. In this article, many unsubstantiated accusations were levelled against the former EFCC Chairman.
Honestly speaking, I was reading the article at the initial stage with a consummate relish, enthrallment and refreshing exhilaration, but the second part of the piece clearly unveiled that the writer is a mere stooge of the corrupt leaders of this country.
All the "sins" which Ribadu was accused of by this writer were merely his imagination. May be I should touch few of them at this juncture. For example, Ribadu was condemned for not arresting Andy Uba for bribing lawmakers to support the Third Term bid. This is laughable enough. It shows that the writer does not even know the role and functions of the EFCC and the procedure which the body must follow before an arrest can be made.
If it was true that Andy Uba was bribing the lawmakers, why didn't anybody come out at that time to inform the EFCC that Uba stole government fund? Put in another way, can the writer tell the public that Uba stole government fund to do what he was accused of? If he is the genuine owner of his money, he has the right to spend it the way he likes. Ribadu has no business questioning him.
The writer was also annoyed because, according to him, Ribadu had, several times, accused the Judiciary of being corrupt. Haba! Do we need any Ribadu to tell us in this country that we have had frivolous judgements in the past?
Not only the above, the former EFCC Chairman was accused of having a house worth N250m bought for him by his in-law. The questions are: Who valued this house and came out with this amount and; is it a crime for Ribadu to own a house in Nigeria?
What of the house which the writer claimed that Ribadu has in Dubai? For God's sake, we should not allow sentiment to over-ride our sense of reasoning. Ribadu never agreed that he has a house in Dubai as a gift as against what the writer claimed in his article.
What Ribadu told Nigerians when he was interviewed is that he has no house outside Nigeria and if his accusers do not want to believe him, they should go ahead and show the public this house and confisticate it. What else! Since then, nobody has come out. All we hear is rumour. Why must we mis-inform the people just because this young man was ready to repair his battered fatherland?
Where this writer displayed his highest level of ignorance was on the issue of Transcorp. He should go and investigate properly and read again the interview granted the press by the Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The response, which Ribadu gave when he was questioned on the issue is still fresh.
He told Nigerians that Obasanjo did not personally buy shares in Transcorp but the management of one of his companies decided to buy these shares and when Obasanjo later knew the type of people involved in this Transcorp business, he immediately instructed the management of his company to stop the idea.
Even then, if Obasanjo, as the President, decided to buy shares in any company, does the constitution frown at that? Why calling for Ribadu's head because of this? Nobody is exonerating Obasanjo here, but for someone to begin to call Ribadu a corrupt person is not only callous but also a misnomer.
On the area of disobedience to Police authorities and the Police Service commission, which the writer said was enough reason to hang Ribadu, I must say it is very unfortunate. We must not forget what that philosopher, Martin Luther, said: "There are two types of laws: just and unjust laws. One has the moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws because an unjust law is no law at all.
Any individual who breaks a law that his conscience tells him is unjust is really expressing the highest respect for law". The Police authorities in the country have not shown any sense of just in Ribadu's case and should not expect any obedience from him.
Without circumlocution, all other vitriolitic attacks on Ribadu in the write-up were conjectural and, in fact, mendacious. They were put forward ostensibly to murder him because he was a thorn in their flesh during his fight against corruption in this country. Not only this, the case files of these corrupt governors, which Ribadu is still keeping with him or probably at Scotland Yard, are making them uncomfortable. Of course, the President is helpless because these governors were once his colleagues. Too bad!
Honestly speaking, it is high time we sat down in this country and think. Why do we derive so much pleasure in pulling down promising leaders? When Prof. Dora Akunyili (NAFDAC) started her crusade against fake drugs in this country, that was how these people came together in order to destroy her. They even went as far as making attempts on her life. But God was on her side and, at the same time, her immediate constituency - the health sector- was solidly behind her.
The Police, which is the constituency of Ribadu, could not support him because the young man was at war with their twin brother- corruption.
Whether we like it or not, Ribadu has been able to carve a golden niche for himself in this country and the whole world knows. Nigerians know their true leaders- the Fawehinmis, the Ribadus, the Balarabes, the Idiagbons, the Keyamos, the Ogbugbuajas, and not the rogues we have around now.
We need the likes of Ribadu in this society where our so-called leaders have forced all of us, because of corruption, to continue to live a false lifestyle. We need a Ribadu in this vain society, a society where morons are barons, a society where thieves are chiefs, a society where corrupt practices of its leaders have forced promising citizens to travel abroad and wash toilets in order to survive, a society where the monkey is working and the baboon is eating and a society where "Quislings", Pierre Lavals and Judas Iscariots are the decision makers.
As for the last prayer of Mr. Cornelius in his article that a camel will pass through the eye of a needle than for Ribadu to overcome his Mount Everest-like problem, I would say, it is a clear display of personal frustration on the part of this writer.
Let me state unequivocally that Ribadu has no problem. It is this country that has problems and people like Cornelius should join hands with the likes of Ribadu to move this nation forward. We cannot sing the Lord's song in a strange land. The truth will never fall apart.
Mr. Emmanuel,, a public affairs commentator, writes from Lagos.
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