It can safely be presumed that in any society, elected representatives of the people are saddled with the sole responsibility of enhancing the interests of the electorate. A kind of mother/child relationship. When the offspring sneezes or the head aches, it is or should be instant discomfort for the mother. Can that be said to be true of Nigeria’s political situation? Instead, the impression flaunted day in day out, rather provocatively, by members of (especially) national and state houses of assembly is that they are doing us a special favour and/or that without them we cannot exist or survive. Therefore, as they continuously intimidate us, we must make sure they do not crash even when, all alone, they speed towards political suicide. The bogus cry of these fellows is that one or the other group is hell-bent on destroying democracy.
Who cares? Which democracy, anyway? Democracy for suffering Nigerians or “democracy” for the self-centred and self-pampering minority? We reject any idea that the alarm being raised by politicians is because they so much detest any harm coming our way. Instead, all indications are that they so much love themselves and should be left alone to survive or self-destruct. To date, Nigerians have had various tastes of governance and can do the costs. For the first time since independence in 1960, we now pay assembly men and women clothing allowance, without which they would have been attending proceedings completely naked. Not so? An entertaining spectacle to which the world would have been attracted, and a bonus for our tourist industry. We also pay them furniture allowance to ensure they do not sleep on bare floor. Are we sure they, nonetheless, don’t sleep on the floor after collecting the allowance? Who certifies? Do they declare the furniture as part of their assets?
Newspaper allowance? How much? Unaccountable hundreds of millions of naira as constituency project allowance for each member? If not, why are they and even Aso Rock afraid and unwilling to let Nigerians know how much is paid to each national assembly member? And to compound the fraud, Nigerians are told salaries of national assemblymen had been reduced by some percentage while nothing is said about the series of allowances. How many of our national assembly members are literate enough to have acquired reading culture to merit newspaper allowance? In an assembly where regular case is made for proceedings to be conducted in local languages? It is criminal fraud to claim allowance(s) not spent on the stipulated purpose. Nothing is freer in stifling information under the Freedom of Information Act. Still not content, the latest is their revulsive plan to legislate life pensions and immunity for themselves. The only note of interest in the plan is the exposition of another contradiction in Nigerian constitution, If the fourth citizen, a state governor, enjoys immunity, why should the third citizen, the senate president (not specifically Bukola Saraki) not be similarly entitled? A better case is for the immunity of state governors to be scrapped. Otherwise, there is bound to be agitation for House of Representatives speaker to be granted similar immunity, and by extension, speakers of state houses of assembly. All these are by the way.
The focus here is on the opulent status of elected politicians. If, therefore, despite their unmerited privileged status, they want to rock the boat, they should be free to proceed in the ignorance that this time, only those in the boat will drown and other Nigerians will be better for it. There is no other assessment for their looming political suicide. From nowhere oozed the smoke of contemplated impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari. By all means, if justifiable allegations of impeachable offences can be made against Buhari, as the man himself would react in a similar situation against anybody, let the law take its course. After all, provisions of impeachment clauses in the constitution are not meant for decorations. Equally, such provisions in the constitution are not meant for invocation by anarchists, even in the National Assembly to destabilise the country in pursuit of political petulance or desperation for survival.
As to be expected, the contemplated impeachment was denied, especially as other Nigerians appealed otherwise. That was another pampering since there can never be any impeachment in our current political circumstances without consequences. Pleading with them not to impeach is time-wasting and conferring on national assemblymen undeserved importance. They should, instead, be dared. In any inevitable political uncertainty, the first set of casualties will be the political class forfeiting their privileges. You can only lose what you have. Who is afraid of impeachment? Certainly, not the ordinary suffering Nigerians but only politicians pleading with fellow politicians. That shows the extent to which Nigerians have been made to lose interest in whatever befalls the political class.
And how absolute is any impeachment proceedings? Rather wrong-headedly, the impression as conveyed in Nigerian constitution is that nothing out of an impeachment is questionable in a court of law. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo personally impeached ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar but the Supreme Court nullified the action. The same Obasanjo got former governors Joshua Dariye (Plateau) and Rasheed Ladoja (Oyo) out of office. Both impeachments were nullified by courts of law for one reason or another. These should be necessary lessons for the impeachment enthusiasts. Every impeachment move will be treated on its lesson, lest the impression be created that any president or state governor can go on rampage without being checked.
Another surge towards political suicide is the allegations and counter allegations of budget padding made by the warring sides in the House of Representatives. The bitter fact the disputants must face is that the allegations cannot continue, to the horror of observers, without the law being enforced. Otherwise, the allegations, investigations and prosecutions in the matter of diversion of arms funds will become questionable. Again, Nigerians cannot be bothered by any politically fatal outcome for those involved. But it should be noted that a case for investigation and possible prosecution of those liable in the matter has been established by both sides. For now, Nigerians would not know which side is guilty. Accordingly, no extraneous forces should be conveniently fingered for instigating the prosecution. Neither should the controversy be covered up.
Meanwhile, should house speaker, Yakubu Dogara, resign while under investigation or even prosecution for alleged budget padding? Not necessarily. Senate President Saraki has not resigned despite prosecutions against him in law courts. Code of Conduct Tribunal Judge, Danladi Umar, remains in office despite allegations of corruption against him, which the EFCC maintains subsist. Former British prime minister, David Cameron, remained in office despite his involvement in the Panama papers. Also involved in the Panama papers without resigning and still serving his country was the Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko.
On such matters, Nigeria is a peculiar country. Compelling public office holders to quit will serve as cheap weapon for getting rid of possibly innocent ones, who, if eventually acquitted, would have been disgraced out of office while the trial lasted. This particular case in the House of Representatives brings into question the independence if not the effectiveness of the EFCC. The agency did not need any directive to commence investigation into allegation and counter allegation of budget padding, a clear case of financial crime. Better still, government must clearly define what gravity of financial crime is within the scope of EFCC.
ONABULELast line: Unnecessary concern about post-abortive events in Turkey. By all accounts in world history, President Recep Erdogan, is so far very mild. What was expected of him? To survive a violent coup bid against him and return to host his would-be assassins to a tea party? If only Ghana’s General Ignatius Acheampong, General Akwasi Afrifa and General William Akuffo had been as realistic as Turkey’s President Erdogan, they might be alive today. There is no allowance for failure in coup bid or the punishment is firm and bloody decision. The Ghanaian army generals were mild only to be executed by Jerry Rawlings, an ordinary flight lieutenant in a surprise second coup launched from prison.
If they choose to rock the boat…
