Of Odili

Of Odili, Nnamani, EFCC, 2000and Whatever (Bitter Tale)

Prince Charles Dickson

Jos, Plateau Nigeria

I have vowed that my ink would not dry until Almighty Allah helps Obasanjo to shame his enemies by vacating office in 2000 and whatever. Also my ink would flow as long as we continue to have insensitive leaders and celebrate crooks. While to some siddon look analysts on the third term have decided to keep quiet and also look at it as mere hypothesis and what not, from all I know I have deduced what I call the most possible angles.

Those angles include that Obasanjo would certainly leave come 2000 and whatever; however he is being haunted by the fear of a successor… The possibilities are his successor will spoil his good works or the successor will expose his ‘dirty’ works. Then the ultimate fear, the Ngiges of this world has taught him sometimes a godfather can fail, it is not always like the Adedibu way, besides if Nnamani can crush Nwobodo, certainly in this age when the convention now seems to be children de-fathering their parents, anything is possible. It is frightening for the Owu chief.

Two, Obj would get an extension, like a compromise of two years, but, how it will happen, let us not worry, let us just be happy like the singer put it. This is Nigeria, on many occasions wine has been turned into water and still sold as spirits.

Three, we are on the verge of the making of His Eminence, lord temporary and permanent, Olowu Of Owu, President of the Police Republic of Nigeria for life. Did I hear someone say Allah forbid, these days there are few things Allah has decided to let be and I have the thinking that Nigeria is one of such because we have refused to acknowledge Him as the sole controller of our destinies.

Four, the President might successfully manipulate one last term, or a new six-year term…then there is also what I call the endless possibilities. The President may just sleep one night and not…or he can walk the rope of elder statesmanship by declaring tomorrow “I have come, seen, conquered and I leave posterity to judge, bye-bye Nigerians, I leave for my farms my birds have missed me flu or no flu”.

All these though are diversionary but to the extent, I would have not bothered if not the recent comments of Peter Odili and Chimaroke Nnamani of both Rivers and Enugu States.

Both men are Governors, yes hardworking Governors and that depends on what we define as hardworking and what they are working hard at, are they leaving their States better than they met like a Governor colleague has done up North here. Both men are exclusive members of the club of EFCC’s unt ouchable Governors. That is Governors that have stolen but cannot be investigated, arrested, and convicted. EFCC never visits their States except for Seminars and paper presentation where other people are accused..

That list includes but is not exclusive to Abdulahi Adamu, Donald Duke, The Edo/Delta brothers, Lucky and Ibori, Fayose, Georgy Akume, Mu’azu, Goje Sam Egwu, Obong Attah. Their class of membership varies; it depends on their immediate state of value and availability to the Presidential cause at any given period.

But let me dwell on Peter Odili and Nnamani. For Peter I have closely monitored and investigated this man right from his days of humble beginnings as a Doctor (docky oloye) when he boothed to his hospital till today that he owns a private clinic with state of arts, state of science and state of commercial hospital. From when like every Nigerian we all conversed on the fuel line, to now that he has a refinery that he has continued to deny ownership of. Why lie about my sweat, why own a property you can not proudly sat you own.

How can I forget the accounts, foreign, domiciliary and otherwise, which would account ordinarily for the entire neighbouring nation’s yearly budget? Let us leave matter public stealing is no longer new nor is it news, they all do it, it is only a question of who is caught and then amongst themselves whole stole more. But wait, how about the oil bunkering and arms dealing which has become lucrative business through which more money is made by making provision for special monies to combat the same crime being sponsored by government. The periodic disappearance of political opponents tortures and threats.

This is one man with his fellow journeyman in Enugu the other day resorted to singing the hymn titled “power must shift to the South”. However like Fela once sang suddenly, suddenly everything scatter, now na the third term burn-burn na im dey sweet dem pass.

Nnamani the ebeano exponent knowing fully well that we know whose arms have been twisted… quickly added “my support is not for fear of EFCC”. Who ask you and that is how EFCC entered this matter. It is one thing to sponsor all the State indigene in other States of the federation with f ree rides in December, build the Medical College of the State University and put gigantic structures here and there. For which we are never spared breathing space on national television with you to God be the glory slogan.

Sadly one wished that, you stopped there or continued the good work, but each of the many contracts that have been done to deliver these services smells of rat poison. The professing lecturing scholastic posturing governor we know to well how you do not even write any of those your lecture which in itself is academic fraud. Off course that is no crime, you are busy calculating the figures accruable to that CitiBank account of yours which you have refused to close since. Fani-Kayode does not read newspapers, he Personal Assistant does, it is possible that one too gets the summary from another PA.

What is in it for these two men who until yesterday were pivotal to the 2000and whatever geometry at least to the benefit to their Southsouth and Southeast kinsmen? Good, Nnamani had always know he never could be President but he has always tried to remain relevant to be a running, walking or jogging mate to whoever and however it emerges in 2000and whatever. For Odili, he has tried to learn to know where the pendulum will swing and his support tells us a lot about what 2000and whatever will look like if care is not taken.

I will wind up this diatribe with a poser to the EFFC; because not many see the role it has and is playing in the shape 2000and whatever will take. The EFCC has done a lot, this I say with a lot of grudge because I believe it could have done better. An opinion poll on its own WebPages agrees with me that generality of Nigerians believe it does not cut the image of an unbiased umpire in its crime pursuit. At the last count there has been several hundreds of petition of the misappropriation of government funds in both Rivers and Enugu not just the Plateau State share formula. I am aware of some very authentic ones among the petitions, not just noise, but the EFCC has turned a blind eye it cannot offend the man who pays the piper despite all the noise of no one is above the law. Nigerians know those that are above the law.

For radio EFCC, we know which frequency to get news from. It is always a coincidence that somehow when you fallout with Mr. President it is always into the net of the EFCC and when you are not in th e good books of Aso Rock a mention of EFCC can change the tide, all could be well again or go awfully wrong ask Alams of Tafa Balogun.

Our transparency war is an ostrich game and it is sad. That is why know corrupt officials are walking the streets making very irritating comments like the third term support for the present maladministration. If the EFCC is found wanting tomorrow and in some established cases I believe they have been who hunts and what haunts them, a confused National Assembly, Con men Governors or d ocile Nigerians. It is good to hear Ribadu accuse everything and talk tough, what about if he is accused. Who investigates activities of the EFCC, after 2000and whatever who will probe the probes of EFCC, what will happen when all really goes wrong. Will the Odilis of this world be free men to say we were misquoted? Will it still be God be the glory for the Ebeano chief, what will this government say about all those hidden stealing arrangements which EFCC have no permit to check or have been asked to look the other way?

We have lost the moral fibre of our society, that is why Peter Odili and Chimaroke Nnamani cannot read the writing on the wall and feel the pulse of their own people and generality of Nigerians by saying come 2007, we will have a free and fair election and we shall hand over to democratically elected leader of integrity. That is acceptable to the majority of Nigerians irrespective of where he comes from. That leader can probe, should probe us, we are ready, we have nothing to hide. Till then we can only wait on Almighty Allah who never sleeps to expose them one after the other.