Is this the country Of Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu?
By
Carl Umunna

 
“IT IS CRIMINAL TO BE LAWFUL I N A LAWLESS SOCIETY” Franz Fannon.
 
As I ponder on recent socio-econo-political developments at home and abroad, I repeatedly asked myself which way forward for Nigeria. In United Kingdom - or specifically, Downing Street, the powers that be in the latter do not care about Nigeria as long as the British Shell BP oil transaction flows uninterrupted into United Kingdom and elsewhere. Whether Governor DSP of Bayelsa State escaped or otherwise is not really a major British problem; To the Britons, Nigeria means nothing beside its oil. If there is any contrary view, what in the world will our judicial system or institution needs to wait for a foreign country like Britain to administer and adjudicate our own laws for us? For me, this is complete irresponsibility and aberrational to state the obvious. However, at the end of the day, claimers and disclaimers of this whole episode we agree that it has done much damage to the image of Britain, and have effectively done more to expose the failings of the British Homeland Security Department where billions of pounds have been pumped into in the name of national security and war against terrorism. What a shame. Shame on the British and Nigeria intelligence apparatuses, they both failed extraordinarily by not dictating DSP as he moved around treacherously, obviously.
 
Back in Nigeria, I do not know whether to cry or laugh seeing people dancing in the street. I say it is ignorance. I see the embarrassment of Governor DSP Alamieyeseigha, has brought on himself, the Ijaws and on Nigerians in general. What a weep. This man lack class, has no shame, but has shamed our fellow country men and women, great, young and small, and old people. Peoples’ resources, DSP has a-washed and starched out into foreign treasuries even before he was caught at Heathrow International Airport in for money laundry saga. A well publicized bail this criminal jumped it, disguised self shamelessly like a lady and returned home to govern again. Only in Nigeria.
 
My question therefore is, is this all happening in a country that we found respectable names like: Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Eze Gburugburu - the people’s General – he must be thinking of many things right now; is this happening in country of the “Bird”, Professor Wole Sonyinka, Nigerian renowned freedom fighter, a world scholar of high repute – he must be embarrassed for sure; is this happening in a country of Professor Chinua Achebe, author, “No Longer at Ease, Things Fall Apart” World renowned scholar of high repute – he must be in pain at this time; is this happening in a country of Aminu Kano, a great progressive, a c ivil right activist of blessed memory; is this all happening in a country of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of blessed memory, Zik of Africa, a great Pan Africanist, whose Oniyi Heaven home was recently burnt down to ashes no explanations given and those responsible are busy doing their blame game – Zik is probably turning in his grave right now; is this the country of Baba Tunde Idiagbon, of blessed memory, the people’s General – frowning at ills in the land; is this the country of Isaac Adaka Boro of blessed memory; is this the country of Philip Effiong, people’s General who took charge when things were no longer at ease; is this the country of Cornel Abubakar Omar, a patriot, a defender of truth; is this the country of Chukwuma Kaduna Nzogwu of blessed memory, a purist - strategist, we love and remember you; is this the country of these great men and women of our great country. We remember each of you by your names because we see and appreciate your countless contributions to the nation a nd we are proud of your efforts, proud of you because we love each of you very much for what you stand and stood for. All omission of names is purely those of the author and I take full responsibility. The list is endless my brothers, sisters and strangers.
 
There is no doubt in my mind that each of you, and each of these patriotic men and women are probably in pain and shamed by this latest development, development of a criminal who jumped bail in London and returned home shamelessly to a staged cheers. What has gone wrong with our country and our people? Time will tell because at the end of the day we will not give up on Nigeria and Nigerians in its current challenges and constraints it now face.
 
What is it with Nigeria and Nigerians that, things are going down-south every passing day? What is it! Must it get worst before it gets better? I want to appeal and provoke the conscience of all great Ijaws and great Nigerians to reject this revisionist called DSP and save us the embarrassment for at least one day. I appeal to all Nigerians to reject these criminal[s] and save us this national shame of this magnitude for a moment. What is it with us Nigerians that we celebrate criminals rather than stone these fraudsters were possible, stone them for good; what is it with our people that we celebrate and dignify mediocrity rather than celebrate virtue, professionalism and hard-work and ethics.
 
It has been said that “Evil triumph in our society because good men do nothing” Edmond Burke.
 
When will Nigeria and Nigerians cleanse itself from shame and corruption and embrace virtue and righteousness. This man, DSP, makes me sick down to my stomach. This man is a sick man of the highest order. Go away with him please for God’s sack and save us domestic and international shame for one day. Umaru Dikko stole billions and returned and we embraced him; Ibrahim Bdamasi Babangida stole billions of dollars and people are celebrating him and lining up to usher him in for a return to Aso-Rock; Abacha stole billions until nature called him, and gatekeepers among our people were actually telling him to remain in power that he was their messiah that will save Nigeria. He was indeed preparing to change his Khaki to Agbada to run Nigeria aground; Abubukar stole billions and our people are celebrating him, celebrating these fraudulent individuals across the land. What is it! When wi ll all these sycophants and their sycophancies end? If there is no law and order then there is no body to blame. No wonder Franz Fannon said, “it is criminal to be lawful in a lawless society.”
 
Millions of Nigerians live in foreign lands not because they want to or love to. Many of us do not want to remain in foreign countries under any circumstances for one day. We are here because we have no better place called home to return to. We are here suffering and smiling because our land has been vandalized and left in ruins by thieves and vagabonds; we are here because we wanted to study and quickly return home and participate and build our own country to better it for good rather than bettering other people’s lands, better it for posterity, yes we wanted to complete whatever we were doing and return home to participate in nation-building like other countries; we are entrapped here because of lack of security in the enterprise called Nigeria; we are here because our country have been hijacked by a group of crooks and criminals for too long a time. We are here because of many disappearances, torture, and secret killings. Not safe. We are here because we have no where to turn to. We are completely entrapped in foreign land no matter how many billions or thousands of dollars each of us have in the savings, it still do not add up or change our circumstances in these uncharted territories. Home will always remain home, home will always be better no matter what.
 
If you ask any Nigerian in America, Europe or any other land if they want to come home, they will tell you they want to come home. It do not matter how successful they are or might have become career-wise, educationally, economically and otherwise, they will tell you point blank, that they want to go ho me. There is no replacement for your place of origins, place of birth. There is no alternative to it, there is nothing like your own home and village.
 
What can we do today to better our country so that we can come home, that would allow us this opportunity; that would allow those who are qualified to take up leadership positions, take up responsibility at the national, states and local government levels to direct Nigeria? Nigeria has qualified individuals, men and women who can provide guidance and assistance in other to turn her toward a better perspective without hypocrisy. Enough of this lip service about patriotism while stealing our people blind, emptying our national, states, and local government treasuries for themselves and their families; enough is enough. I am sick and tired of seeing this enterprise go down so quickly, it is going down too fast for my likening or to any body’s likening. It is time to call her to order and stop this bleeding.
 
NANS, Nigerian Students have disappeared in the thin air. They have been corrupted I was told. Be that as it may, that is provoking topic for another time. But if you are at home and you are a student leader on the high school, tertiary institutions and much more - be it known to you this day that your compromising silence and trade-offs speaks volume, indeed your future and my future are tied together – it is important to say that essentially we will, either survive together or we will all sink together. Wherever you are, we need a change of heart, a new way of thinking for a better and effective change in our country to occur. Time is running out pretty much. Remember that we are agents of change and must step up and resis ts this massive impunity of grossness in high places.
It is my hope and my petition to God Almighty that these criminals and others like them who have stolen from our coffers for too long a time, face justice soon for prosecutions through due process of the law. They should be apprehended and prosecuted and jailed where necessary to set send a message and set the records straight for all those tittering toward that direction to think twice for example. Yes, actions like this will by application serve as a deterrent to others who intend to get-in to empty our treasuries. A message which says there are consequences for frauds. The earlier we set up mechanisms in this line to address these challenges the better. It is a race against time. Enough of this shameful behaviors – I appeal to EFCC to move quickly within and around the laws and powers given her in the constitutional territory to carryout their responsibilities s diligently. If this is done, it will evidently save us further embarrassment. Stopping and stamping-out these criminals is a local and national responsibility that needs be done speedily to avoid further institutional shame, criminalization of the Nigeria-state devoid of scapegoaticization of the enterprise and restoration of accountability, peace, law and order within Nigerian frontiers is a must do.