TheCable

BY ADEDAYO OSHO

It is not my intention to attack personalities or any institution. Rather, I am inspired to write this as a result of defence made by some Nigerians that Bukola Saraki, who doubles as Senate President and Chairman of the 8th National Assembly, should be immune from arrest or non-appearance in court over ‘false declaration of assets’ – a 13-count charge preferred against him by Code of Conduct Bureau.

It is informative to note that partisan educated folks and sympathisers across divides have since rallied behind him, but chief among his lately-found supporters are purportedly-paid groups like NANS, the country’s students association (now infiltrated by akara comrades), religious leaders, say, Imams loyal to him in his home state, Ilorin; and civil society organisations, many of them rented crowds in guise of human right movements. Perhaps, these groups are ‘likely’ to flood the street of Abuja on the slated day for the former Kwara state governor’s arrest. It is a shame that 21st-century citizens could still defend indefensible politicians.

Immediately upon ascendancy as Senate’s number one, I indicated in a June article that Nigerians shouldn’t be amazed by impeachment plot in the nearest year. Career politicians, unrepentant power chasers and those whom Gani Fawehinmi called “political hustlers dancing around the corridor of power” could travel any length in manifestation of self-ambition. I warned that Saraki, being a former presidential aspirant, would still be eyeing Aso Villa. To achieve such goal, he could rally the move to impeach Buhari. I cited the recent impeachment of then-Madagascan President Hery Rajaonarimampianina by 121 out of the 151 members of parliament on May 26, 2015 to substantiate my argument.

Although circumstances which induced perceived witch-hunt against the Afonja warrior may partly be traced to his defiance to party’s decision over who becomes what in the current administration, the pendulum has lately swung to the ethical debate about why men of questionable character should occupy sensitive political offices. It is unfortunate that Saraki’s record in the book of victims of then-bankrupt Trade Bank and Societe Generalle Bank will forever be red. Austin Jay Jay Okocha, the legendary Nigerian footballer whose $10 million dollar went down the drain in the watchful eyes of a bank headed by Saraki, would never forget his ordeal at a time he was captain of the country’s national team. Indeed, evil lives, but the power of God will overcome any day.

Egypt, since the years of King Pharaoh, and Ethiopia from the day Emperor Haile Sellasie 1 was crowned, has never relented in defending Africans in forums organised by the “international community”- a term Noam Chomsky says is “regularly used in a technical sense to describe the United States joined by some allies and clients”. It is pertinent to note that Egypt is currently looking East to save its Gulf brothers; the Arab world’s most populous nation is currently enmeshed in a joint alliance with Saudi Arabia to retake Yemen from the hands of Houthi rebels.

Nigeria, being Black world’s most populous nation, must be cognisant that the rest of African cousins look up to her. Nothing stops us from seizing this opportunity to lay an example of how true democracy should be run to the continent. Africa has had enough of corrupt looters. It is a pity that about 85% of the continent’s wealth is confined to a small urban middle class.

Now is the time to prove if we are truly in the promised change era. Let the fight against corruption begin from top to below.

Adedayo Osho holds a combined bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Education from University of Ado-Ekiti