Recently, around the middle of December 2013, in the south-central city of Jaén, Spain, a
thief helped the Spanish police to arrest a suspected paedophile
football coach after the thief tipped them off
as a result of incriminating videotapes stolen from the man's home. The videotapes, three in number
contained graphic recordings of sexual abuse against children aged about 10. The
thief after watching the video wrote the police an anonymous letter giving them
the address of the suspect, alongside the videotapes in a brown envelope and placed
it beneath a parked brown car. In
the letter to the police, the thief wrote "I have had the misfortune to have these tapes
fall into my hands and feel obliged to submit them so you can do your work and
put this ... in jail for life.” The Spanish police have since identified the
alleged suspect from the content of the videotapes and arrested him after a
search of his home and the indoor football club where he worked.
Interestingly, the suspect had earlier reported
a burglary at his home nine days earlier, listing several appliances as stolen,
but making no mention of his missing video camera and tapes. For reference
sake, a paedophile is a person
who is 16 years of age or older, who is primarily or exclusively sexually
attracted to children who have
not begun puberty (girls 10 years
old or less, and boys 11 year old or less, on average). Meanwhile, the police
had asked the thief to report at the police station to answer the case of
burglary despite cooperating with the police in the arrest of the paedophile
coach.
About the same in Nigeria, the two people that have taken
part in the plundering of Nigeria topped the headlines in the national media,
blogosphere and social media world. These two people are former President,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former military head of State and retired army general,
and Chibuke Rotimi Amaechi, a former speaker and present governor of Rivers
State. The former was in the news for his 18-page treatise to the President
Jonathan on the present situation of things between both of them, their party,
the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Nigeria. The thrust of Chief Obasanjo letter entitled “Before It is too late” on one part, it was meant to
forewarn President Jonathan about the
worsening state of the nation in relation to governance breakdown, massive
looting and corruption, insecurity, exponential increase in unemployment among
others. On the part of the later, Gov. Amaechi at a public function was quoted
saying " We steal because you never stoned us". Gov. Amaechi words were more of an
in-your-face-scorn of the Nigerians in general. On the other side of the two
communications which have gone viral on the social media was a salient call for
the people to stand up and revolt against the rot plaguing the country.
The actions of both men can be likened to that of the
Spanish thief mentioned earlier above. Both have through their communications
have reported other criminal actions of others out of supposed concern for the
Nigeria. Both Obasanjo and Amaechi's actions are similar to the Spanish thief’s
note to the police that helped arrested the paedophile coach. Rather than been
arrested like the Spanish thief for their roles in the destruction and entrenchment
of corruption and other plagues bedevilling the country, unfortunately both men
have somehow been successful at stealing Nigerians’ focus from the real issues.
Even though Gov. Amaechi and other thieves who recently
decamped from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) may escape arrest
and the wrath of law momentarily, his message remains poignantly relevant
because of its importance as a future guide to what should be direction of the
people’s action. .
“Even the musicians, you're singing
about us, the leaders? If you see a thief and you allow him to be stealing,
what do you do? You have stoned nobody that's why we are stealing. Who have you
stoned? We came out and you started dancing, the oil subsidy, we told you they
stole N2.3trillion, what did you do? Instead you're protesting. The oil subsidy
that is not reaching the poor, few individuals are going away with the money,
you have done nothing … It's good to steal if you can't fight back. You have
heard about $50 billion, nobody is talking… In some countries people will be on
the street, until they return that money. $50billion is N8trillion, it will
change Nigeria. Me I want to steal only $1billion, let them bring it"
The context of word captured in full here is very strong yet
very damning. A friend of mine has compared his vituperation to that of rapists
who always blame their victims for committing the crime of rape; it's always
about the way she dressed, the way she looked at me, the way she talked to me,
she has been taking my money etc., but no excuse absolves a rapist of the crime
he has committed.
Since Gov. Amaechi decided to reference other climes, it
just as important for me to bring to his awareness what occurs in those climes
to those who corruptly enriched themselves or their families from state
coffers. For the avoidance of doubt, Gov. Amaechi, just recently in nearby
Ghana, President John Dramani Mahama relieved the deputy minister of
communication, Victoria Hammah, of her position a day after she was heard in a
leaked tape to radio stations saying she would not quit politics until she has
made at least $1 million. In the United State, the governor of President
Obama’s home state of Illinois, Rod
Blagojevich is presently in jail for attempting to sell the vacant senate
seat of President Obama to the highest bidder. Even Congressman Jesse Jackson
Jnr. and his wife are not spared either for daring to spend campaign funds on
themselves. In communist china, a top party official was sentenced to jail for
corruption while the uncle of the North Korean Leader was also recently
convicted and killed for corruptive practices against the state.
In other climes, Gov. Amaechi and many of his likes will be
cooling their asses in police cell awaiting trial for corruption, besides the
fact that, he would have ceased to be the governor of Rivers State. Perhaps, Gov.
Amaechi does not know that those who steal from the public have not been spared
either by the laws of their land, which abhors corruption and corrupt
practices. Unfortunately, this isn’t so because President Jonathan’s failure to
provide leadership in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Perhaps because
he too is implicitly corrupt too, has chosen to gloss over the Gov. Amaechi’s
comment regarding the stealing of government fund and bleeding of country’s
coffers dry. Although Gov. Amaechi may be protected by immunity for now, his
newly assumed ‘neo-progressive’ stance may not be enough to save him from
future prosecution and jail-term for corruption.
As for Chief Obasanjo, his despicable roles in the emergence
and elevation criminally motivated economic and political crimes in Nigeria is
still very fresh in our minds and can never be forgiven. If Chief Obasanjo had
allowed enthronement of genuine democracy in 2007, without forcing the duo of
late Alhaji Umar Yar’ Adua and Goodluck Jonathan on Nigeria, perhaps the
nations could have fare better. Just perhaps, corruption, insecurity, bad
governance, may have been reduced to the barest minimum. Perhaps, our education
and health sectors would have been better by now or be on the road to full
restoration. Perhaps, had Chief Obasanjo strengthened the anti-corruption
institutions like the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while in
the office, the likes of Gov. Amaechi and other thieves likes him including
Chief Obasanjo wouldn’t be as bold to
bully Nigerians with their ill-gotten wealth and stolen largesse.
In addition, Dr. Jonathan, the only sit-in president
presiding over a most corrupt and crime ridden Nigeria, and his fellow
travellers would have exercised some caution in the daily destruction of Nigeria,
if the judiciary hadn’t been compromised during Chief Obasanjo’s period in Nigeria.
Sadly, this is not the case, and this explains why Nigeria has become a country
of anything-goes. What a shame, the once vibrant most populous black nation has
become a dancing floor for criminals to practice corruption and other vices.
But lest, Gov. Amaechi and his fellow thieving friends across the political divide
forget, the revolution in Nigeria is not far in the horizon and Nigerians will
not just stone you thieves, but you will all be publicly tried for your crimes
against the people and Nigeria and executed. The only regret for Gov. Amaechi
and his fellow thieves is that they will not be able to use their private jets
to escape the wrath of the people when Nigerians stand up. Finally, although thieves
can become heroes just for a moment, a thief will remain a criminal forever and
shall be brought to book according to the laws.
Anthony Kola-Olusanya is a teacher and citizen of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
No comments:
Post a Comment