Ribadu, Charge Obasanjo and the Fraudulent State Governors with Obstruction of Justice

By

Usman Yerima

usmanyerima_mantu@yahoo.com

I commend EFCC Chairman, Ribadu, for the tasking jobhe's done since assuming office as commission chairman against financial crimes. It is apparent that he faces monumental challenges in the effective discharge of his duties, but even then, he has proven to be a very efficient and result oriented administrator...this is performance that Nigerians haven't seen in decades. I am concerned for him however because whenever this dedicated man puts together a case with the intent of going after some undesirable and crooked elements in our government, that farmer from Otta intervenes and impedes the wheel of justice from taking its due course.

Last week, chairman Ribadu briefed the senate on the extent of corruption in the state governments. His report indicted practically all the governors. Less than one day, Obasanjo reacted to the report and made a feeble attempt to downplay the magnitude and seriousness of the problem as reported by chairman Ribadu.

This isn't the first time Obasanjo has directly interjected himself into a process that really shouldn't concern him. In America, he would have been charged with obstruction of justice (which is a very serious crime) and then impeached. When former Minister of Finance, Okonju-Iweala, tried to reform the nation's finances and position the economy on the right path towards visible recovery, Obasanjo came in and impeded that progress by unceremoniously removing her from the finance ministry and as head of the economic team and re-assigning her to a very irrelevant office given what field her background and experience is in. Why? Why give away the goose that lays the golden egg? For Obasanjo that was the height of irresponsibility and a clear indication that this man is actually THE PROBLEM of Nigeria. This noble and dedicated woman committed herself to serving Nigeria, and to her credit was able to negotiate debt forgiveness, and debt reduction. This is a feat her predecessors could never come close to accomplishing. This tell you something about her skills, connections, international standing, and her leadership. Rather than embrace her as a legend and allow her to continue with her good work, the Otta farmer replaced her.

But let's not stop there. When Okonju-Iweala humbly took up her new position at the Ministry of External Affairs, within just a few days, she uncovered several cans of worms. The ministry was practically non functional. It was deficient, and of course, corruption loomed there also. Basic office equipments in the Ministry were non functional or non existent, funds could not be accounted for, and everything was a total mess. She then reported her findings to the Nigerian people via the media as a responsible public servant should do, after all, she was actually serving the people. Guess what? Baba Iyabo jumped right in to downplay Iweala's revelation about the situation she uncovered at the External Affairs Ministry.

Baba Iyabo further defended the previous Minister of External Affairs who apparent should have been held responsible for the mess he left behind. Then there was the case of that $4.9 million dollars that could never be clearly accounted for. Obasanjo just swept that under the rug and dismissed it as a forgone issue which his administration was aware of already. Such stupid and moronic explanation insults the intelligence of Nigerians.

If his administration was aware of the $4.9 million overpayment error to a foreign firm, and had dealt with it as he claimed, how come Okonju Iweala that was the Minister for Finance at the time not aware of any such transaction? Why was she alarmed when she uncovered 'accounting error'. How possible is that? Wouldn't she have known about it? The main reason why Nigeria and by extension Africa will go nowhere and make no improvement whatsoever, is because distinguished and brilliant people like Okoju Iweala, Ribadu, El Rufai, and co, are made to serve in the cabinets of semi literate caricatures like the Obasanjo's, Buharis, IBBs, Abachas, and Abdul-salaams of our nation. What kind of progress can be accomplished from that type of set up. Why on earth should smart people with proven track record in leadership serve under and take directives from total dummies? Imagine a blind person leading someone with perfect sight.

That entire setup needs to change immediately if Nigeria is to survive and become a progressive society. We cannot keep having empty barrels and half educated militicians make decisions for our future. It does not work, has not worked, and will never work. Isn't that obvious by now? It offends me terribly when the name IBB is even brought up in discussions surrounding leadership in Nigeria. That creature should be the least garbage that Nigerians should be thinking or worrying about, yet like a pestering roach, we are still talking about him. That in itself is a tragedy.

I wrote in a previous article that Obasanjo is a total disaster to Nigeria. How is it that when we eventually find a few sincere and qualified people that put themselves on the line to serve the country honorably, as Ribadu is trying to do, and as Okonju-Iweala did, Obasanjo constantly interferes in the discharge of their duties? Why not allow them to perform their jobs to the full extent without restrictions and interference? Apparently, he is covering his ass.

I hope Chairman Ribadu stays the course, but remain vigilant because the minute Obasanjo begins to critic a staff or someone that he appointed into a key office, and that individual is diligently doing his/her job right, it soon becomes a problem for Obasanjo, and that individual is removed thereafter.

One of Obasanjo's empty campaign promises before being 'elected' was to fight corruption. That is like fighting himself because he is just as corrupt as the previous leaders before him. He is just an extension of a bad omen. His entire camp and party (Poverty Distribution Party) is one humongous corrupt enterprise. This is the same Obasanjo that revealed in the media while lashing out at the PDP leadership at the time, that he was aware of the fraud surrounding Anambra State elections. He admitted to being aware that the election was rigged, but as Chief law enforcement officer of the nation, he did nothing. How can such a man lead anyone? In Obasanjo's on-going feud with his estranged VP, Atiku, we have witnessed allegations and counter allegations from both sides. The way I see it, Atiku is corrupt as hell, but I believe his allegations against Obasanjo are very credible. Normally, he would have kept his mouth shut and it would have been business as usual. However, because Baba Iyabo decided to make him a scapegoat, Atiku felt compelled to just expose all of Obasanjo's dirty secrets as well. There is no way everything Atiku has said is made up. This is why they both MUST GO. They are dysfunctional crooks. Because Obasanjo's government was corrupt from the very beginning, he signed into law a useless piece of legislation that protects elected officials from prosecution when found to be in violation of official misconduct. What responsible government does that? How can Obasanjo promise to fight corruption yet approves a constitutional clause that makes fighting corruption in government practically impossible? Where is the logic in that? No serious country on this planet has such fraudulent immunity clause in its constitution. That is a joke, and clear license for public officials to loot to their satisfaction without consequence. What has been the end result of such immunity clause? The results are blatantly obvious. Such immunity has produced men like former Governor Alamasie, plateau State Governor, Zamfara State Governor, Sanni Yerima, and quite frankly, all the governors in the country have hidden behind immunity and looted their people dry.

One cannot ask any of these governors to point to one accomplishment in office in almost 8 years of their disservice to their people. Some of their so called accomplishments are laughable and embarrassing. There was the case of Gongola state governor who invited Obasanjo to attend the commissioning of one bore hole project in his state. Can you imagine that? In this day and age, digging bore hole is an accomplishment to some people. Wao! There is also that Governor Duke (I will do a piece on him very soon) who misuses the millions of dollars in allocation money that could have gone to solve the real needs of his state. Cross River state records the highest cases of HIV aids infection in the nation, instead some crazy idea enters Duke's head, and he pumps ridiculous money into an amusement park project that makes little economic sense given all other factors in the State and Nigeria as a whole.

There is also the case of the Niger-Delta issue. The popular claim by OBJ's government is that the FG does infact allocate huge sums of money to the region, but that their leaders are the ones siphoning the money. Duhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Again, if the administration knows very well that once allocated money reaches the state accounts in that region, that the money simply disappears into individual off shore accounts, why keep allocating federal money to the same recipients knowing what the outcome will be? That is just like trying to fetch water with a basket and when that doesn't work, for obvious reasons, you blame the basket for not retaining water, and then turn around and defend your effort, and then commend yourself with a pat on your back for at least trying. Strange isn't it? Nothing makes sense in that country. Governors are given the green light to loot state treasury without any consequence. It gets so bad that some of them actually get arrested abroad and thrown in jail temporarily. Upon release on bond, they jump bail and return to Nigeria with every intention of assuming their regular duties in the state house as Governor as if nothing ever happened. How shameful can it get? Then we wonder why Nigerians are treated with scorn and disrespect at foreign embassies and at entry ports of foreign courtiers. Finally chairman Ribadu has compiled an extensive case against these looting fraudsters in preparation to indict them, and guess who the governors have approached for intervention? Obasanjo!!!!! I have never seen anywhere in the World where a defaulting public officer runs to the president for protection when under investigation and possible indictment for financial crimes. If this was America, the white house would immediately distance itself from any republican governor, senator, or congressman that is reported to be involved in any scandal. In Nigeria, the opposite is what happens. The Presidency comes to the aid of scandalous officials.

These vagabonds that we call state governors refuse to be accountable. They abuse their authority, dishonor their offices, loot public treasury, but are reluctant to face the consequences after depriving the people whom they swore to serve. That should never happen. They should be indicted, and sentenced to jail accordingly so we can begin the process of cleaning up our political and economic system and image.

One of the confusing things about this lame duck Obasanjo government in their war with Atiku is how they've suddenly found a way of trying corrupt public officers despite the immunity clause in effect. According to them, VP Atiku can be tried for corruption by the code of conduct bureau. So how come all the known corrupt public officials that hide behind immunity have not been tried by this code of conduct bureau? What a joke!