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From Grace To Grass: By Alhaji Ismaila Sadik
The recent scandals leading to the down fall of two chieftains of the police and the National Assembly are events for all Nigerians to reflect upon if we are to sail through the hazardous sea of shame and embarrassment now inflicted on the nation, as a result of the insatiable quest for wealth by some people in authority which has become a bane in our polity.
The unpredicted and sudden exit of two highly placed and two cabinet ministers all within days interval, vindicated how vulnerable human beings are to temptations, except those that are righteous and strive to limit their desires and urge in all human endeavours.
The Almighty God in the Holy Quran says in Sura “Tin or the fig” (Chapter 95) verses 4 and 5; In the name of God Most Gracious Most Merciful “we have in deed created man in the best of moulds, then do we abase him ‘To be’ the lowest of the low, except such as believe and do righteous deeds, for they shall have a reward unfailing”.
Man from the cradle to the grave is governed by the divine manifestations, it is for him to decide whether to be guided by divine orders or to be left unguided to decide his own fate, the end result is the judgment which cannot be avoided if temptation should over whelm an unrepentant sinner or culprit.
A repentant person is one who after committing a sin asks for God’s forgiveness and mercy, refrains from committing such or other sins and vows to live a pious life.
Many people have erroneous impression that the day of reckoning is only after death and so any thing is business as usual on earth; the events of today have proved them wrong. Most of us often pray to God to open the gate of fortune for us to acquire wealth, legitimate or otherwise, due to our insatiable desires while pretending to be unaware of our accountability to Almighty God and humanity.
Whatever position one holds, is certainly temporary, one should always expect either to relinquish it with dignity and honour or in shame with ignominy, such is life, my fellow Nigerians, we should reflect on this and adjust.
While addressing the
nation on the
The initial reactions by some Nigerians to Mr. President’s broadcast to the nation were of mixed feelings; while some condemned the broadcast as premature others felt that it was very timely and adequate.
The aids of some of the indicted personalities felt it was a joke and arrogantly dismissed the allegation as mere political gimmick pretending to the nation that the former Senate President was indeed relaxing at home in his village and attending to friends and numerous supporters as usual, in other words ignoring or under minding the magnitude of the allegation.
While some Nigerians developed some insinuations others felt that this exposure was justified to serve as detriment and asked for more stringent actions.
The mockable aspect was the court action instituted by the dismissed Minister of Education for a very vague redress, that the dismissed Minister could not comprehend the terms of his appointment left much to be desired.
Some elders and leaders who should live exemplary life, have failed the nation, if we examine them properly their bad conduct and opulence corrupted the young ones who tried to emulate them innocently. Corruption has become a way of life in this country because it is seemingly accepted as part of our culture.
President Obasanjo is a human being and not a saint, despite his error or errors, alleged or substantiated, now that he has decided to fight the ills in our society and earnestly too, in the spirit of one Nigeria, he deserves a pat on the back and I doff my hat for him.
A new chapter has been opened in our chequerred history, it is the wish and prayer of all the lovers of this country that God Almighty shall direct and assist us in the fight against the scourge of corruption and remove the scourge to enable the masses have a true taste of democracy in an egalitarian society.
It is alleged that President Obasanjo has a hidden agenda but that has nothing to do with fighting corruption, which is a crime just like other crimes punishable by law.
I am of the opinion that the immunity clause in our Constitution has been misconstrued to mean that since those at the top are free to commit crimes, therefore, corruption should not be treated as a crime but as social malice just like prostitution. It is praise worthy that the masses see the war on corruption as a war to reestablish morality, good conscience, accountability, and transparency and above all, respect for law and order in the country.
Gone were the days when the life style of public servants was closely monitored by the security agents and particularly the police investigation into sources of wealth of civil servants and private citizens who lived above their legitimate incomes. Within the period, highly placed public officers were admired and respected by the young officers who aspired greater heights in the service and cultivated good morals, hard-work, honesty and transparency in the performance of official duties.
Corruption reached the limits when those who should be behind bars are given traditional honours simply because they have ill-gotten wealth to celebrate the honours which they least deserved in the society.
By honouring discredited persons with traditional or chieftaincy titles, the dignity of the titles is compromised especially when respected title holders and deserving citizens who are yet to be honoured sit side by side with discredited and notorious criminals.
My suggestion is that for the war on corruption to yield good results no person should be given any traditional title without clearance from the security apparatus.
Secondly no body should be appointed into any political office without proper clearance from the security apparatus in the state and federal as the case may be.
Any information not known before appointment but surfaces after should be investigated with dispatch to enable further clearance or disqualification as the case may be.
It saddens me that what looks like a plot against the fight on corruption and the general decadence in the country, is being spearheaded by a few disgruntled members of the House of Representatives purporting that they are ready to impeach Mr. President; machiavellian plot isn’t it.
For the first time ever, it appears that majority of the masses are completely in support of the on going war on the vices which rubbed the nation the benefit of the enormous wealth the nation had acquired over the years. The avowed determination of the present administration to tackle this problem and without looking back, posses a serious threat to the beneficiaries from the business as usual.
The war on corruption should be intensified to create more awareness that the future of this country is in our hands; the present generation and particularly the righteous elder statesmen must leave a legacy of economic growth, better standard of living, adequate security and a healthy environment for peaceful co-existence among our diverse communities.
ALHAJI ISMAILA SADIKLegal Practitioner & Notary Public, 79, Kaiama Road, Omoda, P. O. Box 3022, Ilorin, Kwara State.
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