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Honour Among Dishonoured By Umar Tanimu Umar
The recent shameful bribery scandal that laid bare the transgression at Nigerian’s legislature in akin to a set up in a fiction novel. It brought back reminiscence of Jeffrey Archer’s Best Seller, Honour Among Thieves. As newer and more shocking revelations and confession continue to unfold on how Honourable Senators and members of the House of Representatives got entangled in the scam what least surprises me is the camaraderie and inane support being shown by most Senators to Adolphus Wabara who, as we all know, came to the Senate following one of the most bizarre truncation of an electoral process ever to be witnessed anywhere in the world. What surprised me the most however, is that Wabara is still a member of the Senate albeit having resigned as president of the upper legislative chamber. After all the revelation he, and many other legislative members, have no business being in the legislature. Their electorates are, if there is due political process in Nigeria, suppose to recall them. But then who voted for Wabara and majority of them in the legislature?
Some years ago we witnessed on the famous NTA Network how Ghana must go full of Nigerian currency was displayed in the Lower House. The money was said to be sent by the Presidency as bribe to members of the House. Now the tables were turned, and the illegal business as practiced in our legislature has came to our knowledge. Certainly the cat has been let out of the bag. As the man at the center of the scandal, the expelled Education Minister Fabian Osuji, told the senate committee or Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition the “welfare package” that translate into N55 million given by his ministry to the Education Committees of the two leg islative chambers (after an initial bid of N100 million by Wabara) is a “common practice of lobbying”. What this means in that the Education Ministry, and indeed all other ministries and parastatals, have to source for millions of Naira in order to lobby for the passage of a bigger chunk of the budgetary allocation for the respective ministries and parastatals. One can be apt to conclude that probably such ministries as that of Agriculture didn’t always comply thus the paltry percentage perennially allocation to the ministry.
During his testimony, at the point of tears, profession Osuji told the Senate Committee how astonished he was that they key actors in the “Lobbying” scam have persistently denied receiving the “welfare package”. Denial of wrongdoing has somehow become the benchmark of our Lawmakers. Not long ago senators Nasiru Mantu and Jonathan Zwingina denied asking for a N54 Million Naira “welfare package” in order to clear Nasir el Rufai to ascent to the post of a minister from the Director – General of the Bureau for Public Empire (BPE). And just as el Rufai swore to the genuineness of his claim, the chairman of the house committee an education, Shehu Matazu, whom I knew as a respected lecturer of education in ABU, continue to lose his dignity by swearing day in day out not to be involved in the scam. No wonder the EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu have to say the obvious fact that our God is most patient. If not, I beli eve many will be made to perish from the face of the earth due to their brazen dishonesty.
Another person surprised by the denials by Matazu Wabara and co is senator Chris Adighile, who confessed in front of the same Senate Committee an Ethnics, Privilege and Public Relations how the N55 million Naira was received and shared with Wabara of course going home with the largest share. Adighile, whom Wabara asked to lie to the EFCC, was dismissed by the ex-Senate President as been used by his (Wabara) political detractors. I wonder how a person like Wabara, who was known as a tax evader and a vote rigger, can have any political detractors. He is indeed his own detractor.
While Adighile showed remorse by been part of the scam with his declaration: “I am shameful that such a thing could happen”, I would like to believe that the Imo state – born Professor Osuji will feel his image has been tarnished and would have had his dignity intact has he refused the ministerial posting and stayed in the university. In the other hand another ex university teacher Shehu Matazu should stop denying what is now incontestable. What this all add up to is that the corruption hammer being dangled on public office holders a welcome development. The draw back of it all is that some people seem to be spared by the hammer.
I reason with our Lawmakers from strongly standing by Wabara. Most of them knows the truth, most of them have been involved, one way or the other, in a similar deal. But in order to guard the honour of their honourable selves they have engage in the denial business. Honour can be in every house and in every type of political gathering whether the members are elected or selected, but the most honourable and most dignified honour is one built on truth, sincerity and the fear of God. The attributes very minimal percentage of Nigerians possess. Bolari Quarters, Gombe
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