FRIDAY DISCOURSE WITH DR. ALIYU TILDEWow, N54 Million Bribery Scandal! While we were yet to forget the Anambra crisis in which an attempt was
made by some political thugs to forcefully impeach a governor, another
entertainment came our way. We gladly received it last Tuesday. For me
it was a week full of anxiety. The same day El-Rufai was making his
revelations, I decided, for the first time in forty-two years, to watch
football in the stadium. And it paid. Before my very eyes, in my state
capital – Bauchi – the national team defeated their South African
counterparts, 3-0; they have broken the Obasanjo jinx, which has put
sports in the decline since 1999. Then we were expecting a shutdown on Thursday when “President
Oshiomole” would call workers to drop their tools. I was waiting for
it because the treasury, at least, will have some respite from the
ravage of looters as long as the strike lasts. Unfortunately for the
treasury, it did not last a second. We, together with the treasury, will
continue to watch and wait. Then the Minister of FCT was expected to fulfill his promise to burst
the names of the senators who tried to extort him of N54 million during
the last ministerial screening exercise. The burst is a week late,
because the minister went fully prepared the Tuesday before only to be
told, “Sorry, the sitting of the senate committee has been postponed
in respect for the departure of our former leader, Dr. Chuba
Okadigbo.” The week in the interim, I reliably learnt, was used to
persuade the young minister to sheath his sword, but to no avail. So Nasiru, as I would chose to call him here, fulfilled his promise to
make public the name of the extorting senators. Nasiru, who is given
more to professional excellence than to the frivolity of political
intrigue, stormed the venue of the hearing with a copy of the Quran and
swore by it. He has thus traveled the longest distance any Muslim can go
to prove his veracity. Mantu, a Muslim also, did not go that far. He took
the normal oath to say “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the
truth.” The “truth” that he said was that Nasiru is a
“pathological liar” who likes “picking on people of great
intellect and tries to rubbish them.” You see, in cases like this, it is difficult to
arrive at the exact meaning of some words. Pathology and a lie are
difficult to connect; I really wonder how the English came to connect
the two. The same thing with “people of great intellect”: Who are
they? How do we recognize them? What is great about their intellect? Is
Tilde among them? In this case, actually, whose intellect is greater:
that of the “pathological liar” or that of “people of great
intellect” that he tries to rubbish? Senator Zwingina, Mantu’s colleague in the senate
and collaborator in the extortion of the N54 million, according to
Nasiru, did not say that the minister is a pathological liar. His only
problem with Nasiru is that he – Nasiru – is “famous for
assassinating peoples character” and that the allegations were a
“brilliant figment of the minister’s imagination.” Sorry, I forgot
to say that throughout I have been quoting the Wednesday’s issue of
the New Nigerian. It is important that I say so before I am
accused of plagiarism. Now, I cannot remember how many characters has
Nasiru assassinated. I know he had problems with the former Minister of
Aviation to the extent that he was banned by the presidency from
speaking to the press, for speaking too much, too sincere, and too
plain. Did he assassinate her character then, enough to bring him any
fame that would qualify him as “famous for assassinating people’s
character”? Unfortunately, neither Mantu nor Zwingina could give us
examples of their people of “great intellect” or the multitude of
people whose characters were assassinated by the “famous” Nasiru,
perhaps, because they are left without any character after the
assassination! Beyond the rhetoric of ministerial allegation and
senatorial defense, we have to look deeper into the real issue, the bone
of contention. Nasiru cannot say whether or not the N54 million was not
given to the senators. All he said was that he did not give them, that
at the time they were demanding it he was in fact indebted to some
banks. Well, his testimony did not rule out someone paying the amount on
his behalf, with or without his consent or knowledge … Given or not given, the N54 million gives us a fair
estimate of the amount that changed hands during the screening, and upon
whose approval. If in spite of his plead of being broke, the senators
would insist on a ‘derivation’ of N54 million from Nasiru, I wonder
how much they received from ex-ministers and other nominees whose
accounts were in blue. It is public knowledge that there was an attempt
to milk Yuguda and Jimoke of N120 million – with or without success,
we may never know. With over forty ministers, the distinguished senators
must be, or expected to be, richer by at least N2 billion. One senator from the South, reported by Sunday
Sun, was honest to tell the truth on ground of anonymity. He said:
“Oh a lot of shameful things did take place, the whole thing was
turned to a money making affair even by people who should ordinarily be
leaders.” He also confirmed that the “three-man gang” were
commissioned by other senators to “move around on their behalf.”
Regarding El-Rufai, the senator said, “I think it was the delay that
annoyed the young man. It is not that he did not give, but what happened
is that, after giving them N54 million, they went back to ask for more.
I am aware that he refused to part with more money through the three-man
gang.” Suffice it to say that what Nasiru underwent was
harrowing: that the President himself would advice him to “see” as
many senators as possible. Hmm. How do we see politicians in Nigeria,
after all, if we may ask Mr. President? Let him recall from his
experience at the party primaries and many other scenes. In spite of
“seeing” them, or perhaps for not seeing them with the correct eye,
Nasiru had to resort to seeking the assistance of the Vice-President
who, as a master, instructed Zwingina to “assist el-Rufai because he
was having difficult1y at the senate…” Did Zwingina dispute collecting any money from
Nasiru, which is most likely to be correct, or is he disputing demanding
the money, which according to Nasiru – at least – is a lie, or is he
disputing that someone, not necessarily Nasiru, might have given him the
money, or still, is he only disputing the amount, i.e. something was
given but it was not exactly N54 million? Let us take the worst scenario. That both parties in
the dispute are liars: that the senators demanded the N54 million from
Nasiru and he gave them the amount. Who is surprised, in fact? I am not.
Do we expect that the senators to be angels? How could each of them pay
millions for the nomination tickets of their party and spend more to
“win” the elections without making any effort now to defray such
expenses? Or was it the first time we heard about money
exchanging hands in the senate for purpose of screening nominees and
passing bills? In a similar exercise in 1999, Senator Aluko made similar
revelations. The President knew it and so did Mantu and Nasiru, at least
as much as little we knew then before knowing a lot later when Jagaba
and Co. were bold enough to show us, right before the full glare of the
House and the national television, the millions, in cash, which someone
attempted to “see” them with. Now, as ever, the reasons why the senate, like the
presidency, is incapable of meeting our aspirations are clear. No
government can perform if it continues to turn a blind eye on
corruption. Even Nasiru knows the depth to which corruption has eaten
into the flesh and mind of the administration he offered to serve. And
mind you, I praise him for the courageous decision to do so. I just did
have enough courage to send him a congratulatory message! Mantu and
others may be old timers in the senate; they know their game very well.
Finally, Nigerians and the international community know both the senate
and the presidency very well too when it comes to prudence and
transparency. I am not worried about the corruption itself as much
as I am worried about the intention to make it public. I am deeply
worried why Nasiru decided to reveal it. In his effort to expose the
senators, was he driven by patriotism or by vendetta, as the two
senators alleged? Or is he unconsciously reading the script of somebody
who wants to tarnish the image of the two distinguished senators? And
true, Nasiru should consider going to the ICPC. If as a minister, he
does not, who would? He must have evidence; otherwise, we will
henceforth have cause to doubt his acumen and question his patriotism.
Mantu and Zwingina, on their part, should sue Nasiru for defamation, or
move a motion, supported by other “people of great intellect” in the
senate, sacking Nasiru as minister since, according to the two, he is a
“pathological liar” and “famous for assassinating people’s
character.” How can we afford a minister who is a pathological liar? |