Search This Blog

Saturday 12 September 2015

Power, corruption and anxieties by DAYO SOBOWALE

I start today  on the premise  or saying that power  corrupts and absolute power  corrupts absolutely. To  dilate on this matter I will  look at the life and times of three personalities  in the news recently  and the high expectations and anxieties hanging  on their actions and inactions given their offices and ambitions in their  environment. The first  is our  President Muhammadu  Buhari, his fight against  corruption  and the  public fury over the fact that most  of the appointments he has announced so far  have been lopsided in favor of  the Northern  part  of the nation.
The  second  personality is  Donald  Trump, American  real estate  billionaire  and for now the   leading  candidate of the Republican  Party  for the 2016 presidential  elections in the US. The  third  is the EFCC  Chairman  Lamorde who is being tried for diversion  of seized money by Nigeria’s  Senate  whose leader  and his wife are good  customers  of the EFCC 
on allegations of corruption.
The  three gentlemen  are very  powerful  individuals and attention is being drawn to  their use  and misuse  of power  by their  actions or  inactions in the last  few days.  Let  me say  clearly  here that  in any democracy such as Nigeria, the largest  black  nation in the  world, and the US  the   leading global  champion  of democracy, the  quest  for equal  opportunities  and  protection  for  all  citizens, fairness  and justice should be the yard stick  to  measure  human progress  and development. It  is in the light  of these values  that I shall   look  at  the relationship of these  three leaders with  the use  of power  or the quest  for it in their  various  stations in life.
Starting with  our President  I  think he  should  expect  the brouhaha that the announcement    of   appointments has generated  in the nation especially  the South West. This is because  it was in the Southwest  that the egg that hatched a famous presidential 2015  elections  victory  was  hatched  and there is  no need to mention any name. For  now the people  of the Southwest  are  stunned  and in  a quandary.  It  is not as if they  are the only  people in the South  of  Nigeria. But  the last  election results showed  clearly that the  South East  and South  South did  not vote for the new  president.  So expectations are not high there on appointments as in the  South  west  where there is  palpable  grief  and disappointment  on the domination of the North  on the appointments so far. Which  simply  means that the  President should do   a rethink  and redress the imbalance  in the next list  of presidential  appointments. That  is the only way  to prevent the South East  from celebrating what they  see as the emasculation  of the Southwest by the  North and that really will  be  their  way of making merry  with the embarrassment  of the South west which  is what the present  lopsidedness in announced appointments is all about.
Undoubtedly  the President is experienced enough  as a former  Head of State  and  Commander In  Chief to know that  those  who have sour  grapes  over  his election  are  going to make mischief out of the appointments as they are and revive the fear of the Born To Rule  syndrome associated with  a once dominant North  in our recent political  history. Surely  that must be in the past now and the president’s  subsequent  appointments must reflect Nigeria’s  federal character.  A  redress in the geopolitical   in balance of the present  appointments is needed  urgently to reflect  equity  and justice and reward those  in the President’s  political  camp  who put their lives  on the line to secure  his election and  give  him the huge powers now at his disposal.
With  regard to Donald  Trump his quest  for the presidency  of the US  was treated  with levity  and contempt before obviously because of  his controversial public  image and  outspokenness. Now most  Americans as  well as their political  leaders are laughing  with the other end of  their  mouths as Donald Trump is slowly  but  surely emerging as the popular choice  among Republican Party  members  and most ordinary Americans. Trump  is handling the campaigns masterfully  and is oratorically  sounder than the rest  of the Republican Party  candidates  and I am  not  too  sure that  he will  not   beat  the  famous Bush  name. Just  like  Barak  Obama emerged from the blues  a few years  back to beat Hilary Clinton and clinch the Democratic  Party  ticket before  going on to become the first   elected  black US president in history.
Donald  Trump is  lucky he is  contesting  in the US where he is assured  that people  will respect  his immense wealth and know  that he  will  not use his good  offices when  elected  to loot the public  wealth and common wealth. Which  really  is a common  nagging problem in Nigeria when quite  rich people  go  on to  loot  the state treasury on getting  elected  to public  office. A situation that has made  really  honest and wealthy  Nigerians  to stay away  from politics  so  that their  clean money will  not be dirtied  by stolen public  money which some have made indistinguishable  from hard  earned money by their greed  and avarice.
Lastly  the travails and trials  of  Nigeria’s Anti  Corruption Czar  Lamorde  is to be expected. The  saying is quite true here  that  those  who  live in glass  houses should  not throw stones. Lamorde  should  learn two  things  on the use and misuse  of power on this senate trial. The  first is that media  trial  of suspects and the destruction of reputation  of  suspects before  going to  court is not only unfair, it is unjust  and undemocratic. That  is what the allegation against him has done with his reputation and he has virtually  no sympathizers  as this has  been the modus operation of the EFCC  since its inception  and under his leadership. The  second is that  some crooks  are  bold and shameless  enough  to claim  what they stole  as their  own and are  ready  to  contest the amount in question. A former  governor of Kano State once said he left a  certain  amount in government house  far higher than what the police said  they  found  and that is the same thing happening to the EFCC  boss nowadays.
Undoubtedly  I  do  not  see Lamorde  getting  away  with the allegations against him at a trial  in a senate which has many of its members on trial by the EFCC  in the media. In  a way  its payback  time for the EFCC  boss  and I do not envy him the grilling  and harsh  questioning awaiting him. I  pray  all  the same that   he  gets  justice in our senate. Otherwise  I  take  consolation in the statement that what is good for the goose  is  sauce  for the gander. Again, long live the Federal  Republic of Nigeria.
Ref: http://thenationonlineng.net/power-corruption-and-anxieties/

No comments:

Post a Comment

Popular

The Press Lodge Archive