"I charged our anti corruption agencies to speed up the war against corruption, and respect no sacred cows in the process"..."Let the ordinary Nigerian be assured that President Jonathan will have zero tolerance for corruption"..."We will fight corruption!"These were the words of President Goodluck Jonathan,when he declared his candidacy for the PDP presidential primaries on 18th September, 2010. For many of us, Jonathan though not a saint, is better than what we've had in the past in terms of corruptible leaders. He has taken strides to move the country forward such as the reduction in fuel scarcities in the country, the improvement in the country's GDP that have been very impressive compared to the rest of the world(3rd best GDP increase behind China and India) and many other things.
I personally have started noticing cracks in this man's staunch position to be a credible leader since the PDP primaries but I will not delve on those issues now. What really grinds my gears now is the way the PDP and the presidency celebrated the end of Olabode George's time in jail for corruption.Mr. George was released from the Kirikiri Maximum Prison on Saturday after serving a two-year jail term for mismanaging funds of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) while he was chairman of its board. The 15-month-old court case between Mr. George and others involved fraudulent awards of about 29,000 contracts worth N84 billion by the NPA's board of directors between 2001 and 2003. While some thought Mr. George's release would be a subdued affair, the politician, who emerged from jail clad in a white agbada, was received by hundreds of political associates and supporters who turned the event into a carnival of sorts. The motley crowd later rode in a convoy of vehicles to the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos for a thanksgiving service.Present at the service were senior PDP members including former president, Olusegun Obasanjo; minister of defence, Adetokunbo Kayode and Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel. Others were southwest leader of the party, Tajudeen Oladipo; the party's governorship candidate for Lagos, Ade Dosunmu, and a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose.Mr. George, apparently buoyed by the effusive welcome by his supporters, some of whom wore T-shirts proclaiming him the ‘Joseph of our time,' said he was ready to lead his party to future electoral victories.
To celebrate a man who siphoned about 100 billion of the country's funds after what many already argue was a short jail term is quite sad. That the celebration was lead by a former president and major power in the country in Obasanjo and that the presidency was represented by cabinet members is a big shame to our fight against corruption. A fight which our beloved president says he wants to fight to a halt. This is quite sad and makes me wonder what the future holds for us.
Below are some excerpts from concerned Nigerians who also join me in seeing something massively wrong in this.
"There is nothing wrong in rehabilitating a prisoner," ACN's national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed said. "But turning an occasion that calls for penitence and soberness to a carnival of sorts is a disservice to Nigeria. It also ridicules Nigeria in the eyes of the world." Mr. Mohammed said that despite the fact that Mr. George was jailed for stealing money meant for port management and development, "some clowns are now comparing him to Obafemi Awolowo or Nelson Mandela."Let us remind Nigerians that partly because of Bode George's grand larceny, it now takes five times the number of times it should take to clear a container; while the Apapa port can hardly handle some ocean-going vessels bringing in imported fuel, thus heightening the possibility of fuel scarcity," Mr. Mohammed said.
A leader of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Supo Ojo, said the kind of fanfare that followed Mr. George's release from prison was a revelation that Nigeria is in deep trouble. "It somehow makes Bode George the symbol of corruption in Nigeria and the extent to which corruption has eaten deeply into the system in Nigeria," he said. "We have been thinking that the situation is not so bad, but with what happened Saturday, it shows that even people in governmental position in this country are deeply corrupt and they eulogise corruption as part of their guiding principles, therefore we are really in trouble in this country."
Also condemning the revelry following Mr. George's release, the executive director of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Ibuchukwu Ezike, said the situation was a manifestation of the realities of Nigerian politics. "Instead of a person known to have stolen public funds and convicted of a crime to hide his face in shame, we see him rejoicing and people all around celebrating him. This is a manifestation of what is happening in the political class. We have a very corrupt political class in Nigeria, and it is this, the world should be fighting against," he said.
Mr President, I must say as a concerned Nigerian, I am higly disappointed in this and I pray you have a good enough explanation for your recent actions. You just recently went to the Ibadan and called the SouthWest governors "rascals", a term which sadly falls heavily on PDP governors in the state. An incumbent president should have more class, and be more careful with his words. Sadly, I still believe you have a lot to offer this country so please do not get distracted and let go of your virtues.
For Olabode, I hope he has plans to get rehabilitated and change his ways. Im friends with some of his kids and do not hate the man. I just hope he has learned and will become a better man.*
* Quotes where gotten from various Nigerian news sites.
