RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Corruption Investigations

The posting below is evidence if any is needed, that people do not smell their own breadth however bad it is. Some who speak for Buhari who seems to want to probe the Jonathan Administration, do not want others to speak for Jonathan or indeed the country.
I have followed this conversation. My understanding is that the concern is not the probe itself but its range and scope. It should not be limited to the Jonathan Administration or some of its members. Why anyone in good conscience has a problem with this position, is beyond me. If the probe is limited to the Jonathan Administration only, it will be adjudged by many to be a witch hunt and rightly so too I might add.
Probes are divisive and messy political undertakings. Remember the many misgivings about the Muritala Mohammed Administration purge? Many Nigerians believe that its faulty design, and arbitrary, reactionary, and selective implementation destroyed Nigeria's public service.
Probes should be undertaken with due thought and care. Nigeria does not need and Nigerians do want a probe for its own sake in my considered opinion. They want a wide spectrum probe whose objectives include the reset of politics, and public governance and service in Nigeria. They do not want one that seems to seek to settle political and other scores. It is necessary that all not some Nigerians only buy into it.

oa

-----Original Message-----
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Abolaji Adekeye
Sent: Friday, July 31, 2015 1:02 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Corruption Investigations

The pettifogging and specious arguments deployed by People like Oluwatoyin and other Jonathadeens is amusing. They would have us believe that Goodjo's administration is being persecuted. They would also have us believe that Goodjo is corruption free and even if his goat nibbled on some tubers of yam from the communal barn, it should be overlooked because goats from other seasons are equally guilty of "Yamming"

They tell us that GEJ deployed "te ki ina loji" to prevent corruption.
A fat lot of good that technology did to prevent the pension scam, Nimasa's and NNPC's ! These advocates of corruption want PMB to declare an amnesty on a corrupt administration, overlook all and just deploy that supreme tech that worked so well under their principal.
Hear! Hear!!

"Thirdly, GEJ's approach to corruption is the more honest approach of prevention through financial restructuring rather than Buhari's dishonest witch-hunting strategy"

This is chicanery taken to an olympian height of farce. Some people wouldn't see truth if it pokes them in the eye. Yes, the history of Nigeria is that of serial heists by successive governments but the scale of looting under GEJ beggars belief. It trumped even the lootocracy of Abacha.

Call it whatever you like; persecution, witch hunt, scape goatism. One thing is certain, ex prez Goodluck has nothing to fear if he has done nothing to warrant fear. Let the probe commence from his administration but shouldn't terminate there is what I advocate.

On 7/31/15, Oluwatoyin Adepoju <toyinkaidara@gmail.com> wrote:
> *EDITED-*
>
> First, Buhari says he will probe only GEJ.
> So, your claim, Kadiri, that 'Buhari should start clearing the log of
> corruption trees from the top' is different from Buhari's agenda.
> Secondly, I am stating that Buhari is not morally qualified to probe
> anyone bcs Buhari and his allies have corruption, treason and other
> charges to answer.
> I have given a list of such corruption and treason charges relating to
> Buhari and his allies as evident from the last election cycle, the
> last administration and the current one.
> So, don't bother continuing with your effort to generate ridicule by
> going into the distant past.
> Aregbesola, Amaechi, Tinubu, El Rufai, Buhari and his campaign
> financing, Shettima and the Chibok incident are all cases live at the
> present moment as I demonstrate in my earlier post.
> We dont need to return to the beginning of the world to examine what
> is in front of our eyes.
> Thirdly, GEJ's approach to corruption is the more honest approach of
> prevention through financial restructuring rather than Buhari's
> dishonest witch-hunting strategy as is demonstrated in these essays :
>
> "Blocking Corruption Through Technology: Nigeria's IPPIS and IPSAS-
> Method and Supervision by Isuph JT and Chioma Mbakwe Ojukwu
> <https://www.facebook.com/notes/oluwatoyin-vincent-adepoju/blocking-corruption-through-technology-nigerias-ippis-and-ipsas-method-and-super/10152612253744103>"
>
> "7 Impressive Ways President Jonathan Fought Corruption (No. 3 Will
> Make You Scream
> <https://www.facebook.com/notes/oluwatoyin-vincent-adepoju/7-impressiv
> e-ways-president-jonathan-fought-corruption-no-3-will-make-you-scream/
> 10152621775954103>)
> "
> summing up the GEJ govts' understanding of the anti-corruption
> struggle as more of a comprehensive restructuring of the entire
> socio-economic landscape than the sloganeering of fighting monetary
> corruption which is all Buhari has to offer, a contrast in
> perspectives summed up by Vincent Unachukwu
> <https://www.facebook.com/notes/oluwatoyin-vincent-adepoju/leadership-
> as-structural-thinking-and-action-by-vincent-unachukwu/101526243075391
> 03>
> .
> Finally, I have concluded that the country needs to be renegotiated
> bcs it has no unifying ethos.
> Any other initiative that claims to restructure Nigeria's ultimate
> direction is either a waste of time or sheer dishonesty or both.
> The culture of going backward nationally in Nigeria, a symptom of the
> need to renegotiate the nation, is demonstrated by the election to the
> nation's highest office of a man who could not present even a primary
> school certificate as his educational qualification to contest for
> office, who,when the pressure became deafening, had to call a press
> conference to make claims he could not verify about the whereabouts of
> his secondary school certificate, demonstrating conclusively that his
> rising to the rank of general or even the terms on which he entered
> the Nigerian army are questionable at best, a quota President of
> questionable education in a country where it is unthinkable for a
> Presidential candidate from any region other than the Muslim North to
> show up with anything less than a first degree, in a world where
> sophisticated education is at a premium in all aspects of public life
> on account of the complexity of modern civilisation.
> This fraud was elected based on sentiments deriving partly from his
> military background yet the best he has done about the Boko Haram
> Islamic terrorism ravaging the North is to beg the the terrorists to negotiate.
> Not suprising bcs he has repeatedly identified with the terrorists by
> arguing they should not be combated
> <http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/clampdown-on-boko-haram-injustice
> -against-north-buhari/> and that war agst them is agst the North
> <http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/buhari-military-offensive-against-boko-haram-anti-north/149256/>.
>
> So, what remains- the so called fighter will not fight.
> We are faced with the complexities of govt.
> He has made himself into a civilian dictator who rules alone, under
> the pretext of not finding honest people to appoint.
> By the time he appoints the staff to run the govt as is vital in a
> democratic system, he would have consolidated his dictatorial hold,
> leaving ashes in the mouths of Nigerians, feeding aborted visions to
> those calling for change by appointing the whitewashed dictator.
> thanks
> toyin
>
> On 31 July 2015 at 13:53, Oluwatoyin Adepoju <toyinkaidara@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> First, Buhari says he will probe only GEJ.
>>
>> So, your claim, Kadiri, that 'Buhari should start clearing the log
>> of corruption trees from the top' is diferent from Buhari's agenda.
>>
>> Secondly, I am stating that Buhari is not morally qualified to probe
>> anyone bcs Buhari and his allies have corruption, treason and other
>> charges to answer.
>>
>> I have given a list of such coruption and treason charges relating
>> to Buhari and his allies as evident from the last election cycle,
>> the last administration and the current one.
>>
>> So, dont bother continuing with your effort to generate ridicule by
>> going into the distant past.
>>
>> Aregbesola, Amaechi, Tinubu, El Rufai, Buhari and his campaign
>> financing, Shettima and the Chibok incident are all cases live at
>> the present moment as I demonstrate ion my ealier post.
>>
>> We dont need to return to the beginning of the world to examine what
>> is in front of our eyes.
>>
>> Thirdly, GEJ's approach to corruption is the more honest aproach of
>> prevention through financical restructuring rather than Buhari's
>> dishonest witch-hunting strategy as is demonstrated in these essays
>> :
>>
>> "Blocking Corruption Through Technology: Nigeria's IPPIS and IPSAS-
>> Method and Supervision by Isuph JT and Chioma Mbakwe Ojukwu
>> <https://www.facebook.com/notes/oluwatoyin-vincent-adepoju/blocking-corruption-through-technology-nigerias-ippis-and-ipsas-method-and-super/10152612253744103>"
>>
>>
>> "7 Impressive Ways President Jonathan Fought Corruption (No. 3 Will
>> Make You Scream
>> <https://www.facebook.com/notes/oluwatoyin-vincent-adepoju/7-impressi
>> ve-ways-president-jonathan-fought-corruption-no-3-will-make-you-screa
>> m/10152621775954103>)
>> "
>>
>> summing up the GEJ govs understanding of the anti-corruption struggle
>> as more of a comprehensive restructuring of the entire socio-economic
>> landscape than the sloganeering of fighting monetary corruption
>> which is all Buhari has to offer, a contrast in perscetives summed up
>> by Vincent Unachukwu
>> <https://www.facebook.com/notes/oluwatoyin-vincent-adepoju/leadership
>> -as-structural-thinking-and-action-by-vincent-unachukwu/1015262430753
>> 9103>
>> .
>>
>> Finally, I have concluded that the country needs to be renegotiated
>> bcs it has no unfying ethos.
>>
>> Any other initiative that claims to restructure Nigeria's ultimate
>> direction is either a waste of time or sheer dishonesty or both.
>>
>> The culture of going backward nationally in Nigeria, a symptom of the
>> need to renegotiate the nation, is demonstrated by the election to
>> the nation's higest office of a man who could not present even a
>> primary school certificate as his educational qualification to
>> contest for office, who,when the pressure became deafening, had to
>> call a press conference to make claims he could not verify about the
>> whereabouts of his secondary school certificate, demonstrating
>> conclusively that his rising to the rank of general or even the terms
>> on which he entered the Nigerian army are questionable at best, a
>> quota President of questionable education in a country where it is
>> unthinkable for a Presidential candidate from any region other than
>> the Muslim North to show up with anything less than a first degree,
>> in a world where sophisticated education is at a premuim in all
>> aspects of public life on account of the complexity of modern
>> civilisation.
>>
>> This fraud was elected based on sentiments deriving partly from his
>> military background yet the best he has done about the Boko Haram
>> Islamic terrorism ravaging the North is to beg the the terrorists to negotiate.
>>
>> Not suprising bcs he has repeteadly identified with them by arguing
>> they should not be combated and that war agst them is agst the North.
>>
>> So, what remains- the so called fighter will not fight.
>>
>> We are faced with the complexities of govt.
>>
>> He has made himself into a civilian dictator who rules alone, under
>> the pretext of not find honest people to appoint.
>>
>> By the time he appoints the staff to run the govt as is vital in a
>> democratic system, he would have consolidated his dictatorial hold,
>> leaving ashes in the mouths of Nigerians, fedding aborted visions to
>> those caling for change by appointing the whitewashed dictator.
>>
>>
>> thanks
>>
>> toyin
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 30 July 2015 at 19:53, Salimonu Kadiri <ogunlakaiye@hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> *In a stormy weather where multiple of trees fall on one another, it
>>> will be unintelligent to attempt clearing the log of trees from the
>>> bottom and not from the top. That is the essence of my admonition
>>> that Buhari should start clearing the log of corruption trees from
>>> the top as represented by Goodluck Ebelechukwu Azikiwe Jonathan. To
>>> this, you, Oluwatoyin Adepoju, are saying it is not true. As if I
>>> have maintained that only Jonathan's government has been corrupt in
>>> Nigeria, you drew the attention of the audience to Halliburton
>>> bribery scandal involving Obasanjo and others. As we know
>>> Halliburton got a $ 6 billion contract in Nigeria after bribing
>>> officials with $180 million. The bribe givers in Europe
>>> (France) and in USA have been sanctioned judicially but not the
>>> bribe takers in Nigeria. You once described Jonathan as the best
>>> President Nigeria ever had and since he ruled Nigeria for almost six
>>> years, I wonder why you never thought it appropriate to ask him to
>>> prosecute Halliburton's bribe takers in Nigeria. If Buhari had
>>> stolen money during his time at PTF, are you suggesting that
>>> Jonathan was an imbecile for not using that to prevent him, Buhari,
>>> from contesting the Presidential election?*
>>>
>>> *Even though I consider the rest of your submission circumvolutory,
>>> I have no objection if you have the power and time to start your
>>> enquiry on official theft and frauds in Nigeria from Forster
>>> Sutton's Commission of Enquiry into the African Continental Bank, in
>>> 1956, where depositors'
>>> monies were loaned out to a specific leader of government and repayments
>>> deferred to 1970! *
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>> Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:18:34 +0100
>>> Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Corruption Investigations
>>> From: toyinkaidara@gmail.com
>>> To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
>>>
>>>
>>> 'The principle of Last in First Out should be applied. Buhari took
>>> over from Jonathan with handover notes. He should start from the
>>> last regime because the documents and accounts are still fresh and
>>> can easily be traced. We must remember that Buhari has only four
>>> years to accomplish his missions and it is only when there is time
>>> over that he can extend his enquiries to the regimes beyond
>>> Jonathan's.'
>>> Salimonu Kadiri
>>>
>>> Not true.
>>>
>>> The relevant foundational info is known to even people like me who
>>> are not in govt.
>>>
>>> The Hallibuton bribery case in OBJ's govt is well known.
>>>
>>> It involved top US officials and remains live in the US.
>>>
>>> Buhari is described as showing interest in opening an investigation
>>> into that while in the US but returning to Nigeria to mouth a
>>> different story bcs he knows his allies would be felled by such an investigation.
>>>
>>> 'it stands to reason – the constraints of time and space - that it
>>> would be quite a backlog of corruption cases to attend to. How far
>>> back can he go in attempting to successfully recover the bulk of the
>>> looted money and assets?'
>>> Cornelius
>>>
>>> Can a dirty person, aided by dirty people, aid anyone in becoming clean?
>>>
>>>
>>> The charges of huge missing monies in Buhari's time at PTF, if I got
>>> the Buhari govt post correct, are well known.
>>>
>>> The questions over Bola Tinubu's 'ownership' of Lagos in terms of
>>> monopolistic revenue collection practices, among others stemming
>>> from his grip on SW politics as past Lagos state governor are
>>> ongoing.
>>>
>>> The TV station that broadcast a hard hitting documentary on Tinubu
>>> in connection with these allegation during the elections is yet to
>>> be successfully sued for libel, if sued at all, to the best of my
>>> knowledge.
>>>
>>> Yet Tinubu is the SW political leader central to making Buhari's
>>> victory possible by lending Buhari SW political capital and
>>> intellectual resources, enabling Buhari break out of his heretofore
>>> Muslim Northern enclave.
>>>
>>> The accusations agst immediate past APC gov of Rivers, Rotimi
>>> Ameachi in connection with the monorail scheme and workers salaries,
>>> among other issues, are live.
>>>
>>> Yet, Amaechi is a central APC arrowhead, their most important figure
>>> in the SE and Buhari's campaign organizer.
>>>
>>> The impeachment case agst Aregbesola, Osun APC gov for owing
>>> workers for ages even though the state govt got its monthly
>>> allocation from the fed govt is a recent and perhaps ongoing case.
>>>
>>> What is happening to the long running corruption case against
>>> Timipre Sylva, perhaps the most significant APC figure in the SS,
>>> and the leader of Buhari's handover committee from the last govt?
>>>
>>> But...all these people are Buhari himself and his allies.
>>>
>>> So, we return to the Nigerian circus in which thieves claim to be
>>> policing thieving but are only defining the terms of thieving.
>>>
>>> What are Buhari's sources of funding for his 4 time Presidential
>>> bid in the light of his claim to a modest living?
>>>
>>> Why did Kassim Shettima, the APC gov of Borno state keep the Chibok
>>> school open agst the orders of the govt, thereby enabling the kidnap
>>> story and sabotaging the war agst Boko Haram, enabling an incident
>>> that was central to the destruction of the image of the efforts of
>>> the GEJ govt in the Boko Haram war and foundational to the govt's
>>> defeat in the election that brought in Buhari??
>>>
>>> Why did Shettima state after the Chobik kidnap story emerged that if
>>> he says what knows about Boko Haram heads will roll?
>>>
>>> Should Abubakar Atiku, a central APC figure, not be charged with
>>> treason and investigated for possible links to Boko Haram in
>>> connection with his declaration in 2010-2011 that those who make
>>> peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable bcs a
>>> Northern Muslim was not made PDP Presidential candidate, a position
>>> certain at that time to lead to the Presidency?
>>>
>>> All these and more is known to people following Nigerian politics.
>>>
>>> Is Nigeria a kangaroo kingdom where politicians manipulate the stage
>>> to suite themselves and their cronies with the help of the average
>>> Nigerian who elects to dance their evil dance with them for one
>>> misguided reason or another?
>>>
>>> El Rufai is quoted as declaring that he will take to court the news
>>> organization that described for him a huge asset portfolio far in
>>> excess in of what an honest civil servant should have.
>>>
>>> He is also described as not taking any such action well after the
>>> allegation broke.
>>>
>>> Yet, El Rufai is a governor in the current govt based on his
>>> vociferous attacks on GEJ and championing of Buhari.
>>>
>>> Buhari's political allies, in the SW, SE, SS and North, and even
>>> Buhari himself, are people who should be under intense investigation
>>> and not be anywhere in govt.
>>>
>>> Even Buhari is alive only bcs his coup that brought him to power
>>> decades ago succeeded. If not he would have been executed as is the
>>> law for coup plotters.
>>>
>>> Masquerades...crooks....
>>>
>>> thanks
>>>
>>> toyin
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 29 July 2015 at 23:01, Salimonu Kadiri <ogunlakaiye@hotmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> The principle of Last in First Out should be applied. Buhari took
>>> over from Jonathan with handover notes. He should start from the
>>> last regime because the documents and accounts are still fresh and
>>> can easily be traced. We must remember that Buhari has only four
>>> years to accomplish his missions and it is only when there is time
>>> over that he can extend his enquiries to the regimes beyond
>>> Jonathan's.
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>> Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2015 10:38:19 -0700
>>> From: corneliushamelberg@gmail.com
>>> To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Corruption Investigations
>>>
>>> Re- " assuming that all Nigerians truly believe that corruption must
>>> go!To single one regime for corruption charges,out of all the
>>> regimes that have governed Nigeria, nearly all of which can be
>>> justifiably accused of corrupt governance is a
>>> parochial,narrow,petty and devious response to corruption"
>>> With *$600bn looted from 1960 to now*
>>> <https://www.google.co.uk/#q=Nigeria+:+$600bn+looted+from+1960+to+no
>>> w> it stands to reason – the constraints of time and space - that it
>>> would be quite a backlog of corruption cases to attend to. How far
>>> back can he go in attempting to successfully recover the bulk of the
>>> looted money and assets?
>>>
>>> Only asking,
>>> CH
>>> *We Sweden* <http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/corneliushamelberg/>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thursday, 23 July 2015 23:40:23 UTC+2, ugwuanyi Lawrence wrote:
>>>
>>> This piece is highly readable but in my estimation it falls short
>>> of what should be a worthier attitude/response to
>>> corruption-assuming that all Nigerians truly believe that corruption
>>> must go!To single one regime for corruption charges,out of all the
>>> regimes that have governed Nigeria, nearly all of which can be
>>> justifiably accused of corrupt governance is a
>>> parochial,narrow,petty and devious response to corruption.
>>>
>>> It narrows the idea and annoints it all the more.
>>>
>>> It will strengthen the claim that corruption charges in Nigeria
>>> depends on who is involved, where he or she comes from and the
>>> peculiar interest of the anti-corruption agent or body.It is a
>>> mockery on the desired fight against corruption.Simple!
>>>
>>> Evil is evil and has no gender or race or tribe.And corruption is
>>> evil because it amounts to wealth without work.
>>>
>>> So can Nigerians(under what may be called a veil of innocence)
>>> demand a list of all citizens who have wealth or money they were
>>> not in a position to acquire; and can it be held that these are
>>> corrupt wealth until the source of the wealth proves otherwise?
>>>
>>> Can the president be bold to set a body that will achieve this list?
>>>
>>> Establishing this list would,I think, be a fundamental beginning to
>>> such moral struggle.
>>>
>>> Perhaps thereafter what to do with the list will be debated and a
>>> popular decision will be acheived!
>>>
>>> Difficult and demanding as this may be,if Buhari would not have the
>>> courage to go this far(at least to tell us who exactly were/are the
>>> corrupt citizens of the Nigerian state),it is doubtful how far he
>>> could go with his anti-corruption dream,paasionate as he may be
>>> about it!
>>>
>>> Corruption may just be perching at his backyard even as he is
>>> shooting at it in the village square!
>>>
>>>
>>> Lawrence Ogbo Ugwuanyi,Ph.D
>>> Associate Professor of Philosophy
>>> Department of Philosophy & Religions University of Abuja.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --- On Mon, 7/20/15, Jibrin Ibrahim <jib...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> > From: Jibrin Ibrahim <jib...@gmail.com>
>>> > Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Corruption Investigations
>>> > To: "usaafric...@googlegroups.com" <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
>>> > Date: Monday, July 20, 2015, 12:08 PM
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Investigations
>>> > of Mega
>>> > Looting Must Continue, But Must be Lawful
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Jibrin
>>> > Ibrahim, Deepening Democracy Column, Daily Trust,
>>> > 20th
>>> > July 2015
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > The
>>> > Head of State declared that the government was "to all
>>> > intents
>>> > and purposes bankrupt." The person in question was
>>> > Mohammadu Buhari and
>>> > the time was October 1984. The statement was a justification
>>> > for the draconian
>>> > actions his regime was taking against the political class he
>>> > succeeded which he
>>> > declared to be composed of economic criminals and saboteurs.
>>> > He detained 475
>>> > politicians and businessmen and set up five military
>>> > tribunals to judge them
>>> > for corruption. The military, according to Max Siollun were
>>> > the prosecutor,
>>> > judge and jury. The legal principle was that the onus was on
>>> > the accused to
>>> > prove their innocence. Within months, the crème de la
>>> > crème of the Second
>>> > Republic – Melford Okilo, Abubakar Rimi, Solomon Lar, Bola
>>> > Ige, Aper Aku, Jim
>>> > Nwobodo etc. were jailed for 21 years each. The military
>>> > were not excluded, Col
>>> > Obasa for example was jailed for 22 years when it was
>>> > discovered that he had
>>> > 305 Naira in his bank account when he became NYSC director
>>> > in 1979 and the said
>>> > account had grown to seven million Naira in December 1983.
>>> > Suddenly, public
>>> > opinion turned against Buhari, he was moving too fast and
>>> > too far. Of course
>>> > the public opinion was driven by a beleaguered press
>>> > suffering from the effects
>>> > of draconian laws that curbed the media and sent many
>>> > journalists to jail.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > It
>>> > would be recalled that the regime has enacted the infamous
>>> > Decree No.
>>> > 4 aimed at stopping he media from "maligning" public
>>> > offices irrespective of
>>> > the veracity of the stories reported. Two journalists of The
>>> > Guardian, Nduka
>>> > Irabor and Tunde Thompson had been jailed and the media and
>>> > the human rights
>>> > community were in justified rage against Buhari's human
>>> > rights abuses. For many
>>> > Nigerians however, jailing the corrupt politicians was the
>>> > right thing to do.
>>> > Indeed, there can be no doubt that much of the popularity
>>> > that eventually
>>> > propelled Buhari to power this year is not unconnected with
>>> > popular memories
>>> > linking him to the capacity to deal with corrupt
>>> > politicians. The more people
>>> > realised the depth of the corruption of the Jonathan
>>> > Administration, the more
>>> > they felt they needed Buhari.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > In
>>> > his book Peace and Violence in Nigeria, Professor Tekena
>>> > Tamuno
>>> > reminds us that when Buhari came to power in January 1984,
>>> > he was regularly
>>> > attacked for being "as slow as a tortoise". Newspaper
>>> > pundits compared his slow
>>> > pace to the extremely fast pace with which General Murtala
>>> > Mohammed hit the
>>> > ground running when he took over power from General Yakubu
>>> > Gowon. It turned out
>>> > that Buhari was not slow; he was planning a blitzkrieg
>>> > against the corrupt
>>> > political class that had bankrupted Nigeria.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Fast
>>> > forward thirty years, Mohammadu Buhari is back in power and
>>> > his
>>> > immediate assessment is that Nigeria is bankrupt and the
>>> > Jonathan
>>> > Administration of mega looters has direct responsibility for
>>> > the terrible state
>>> > of affairs. Since assuming power, he has been listening a
>>> > lot, reading a lot
>>> > and engaged in little action. Nigerians are beginning to
>>> > shout that he is too
>>> > slow. We should be careful what we pray for; a very fast
>>> > moving Buhari taking
>>> > precipitate unlawful action against corruption might not be
>>> > what we need.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > I
>>> > believe that it is not an easy situation for President
>>> > Buhari. Nigeria
>>> > has not seen the level of reckless mega corruption that has
>>> > been displayed by
>>> > the Jonathan Administration. They stole our national
>>> > resources with such
>>> > reckless abandon that suggested they believed they would be
>>> > thrown out of
>>> > office at the elections. Yet, the evidence before us is that
>>> > they believed they
>>> > would win the elections through free or foul means and yet
>>> > they stole as if
>>> > there would be no political tomorrow. Having essentially
>>> > started by stealing
>>> > what was in the budget, they graduated to stealing the
>>> > national income before
>>> > it even went to the national purse. I would not be surprised
>>> > if President
>>> > Buhari would be wishing that he could set up military
>>> > tribunals and send all of
>>> > them to jail. However he knows, and he had said it himself,
>>> > that the world has since
>>> > changed. There can be no retroactive laws as he had in 1984.
>>> > There can be no
>>> > trial by military tribunals. The legal principle is all are
>>> > innocent until
>>> > proved guilty and the rule of law is the guiding principle.
>>> > It is therefore not
>>> > surprising that he has been in such deep thought, study and
>>> > reflection.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Finally,
>>> > action appeared to have studied last week. The all-powerful
>>> > former
>>> > National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki had his houses
>>> > raided just two days
>>> > after leaving office. He was interrogated through the night;
>>> > monies and arms
>>> > were reported to have been seized from his domicile. As Col
>>> > Dasuki himself
>>> > said, the high handedness was uncalled for, he should have
>>> > been invited for
>>> > questioning and he would have respected the invitation. I
>>> > was troubled by the
>>> > press release issued by the Department of State Services
>>> > (DSS) justifying their
>>> > high-handed action. They claim to have "credible
>>> > intelligence linking the immediate past NSA, Mohammed Sambo
>>> > DASUKI (Col Rtd) with
>>> > alleged plans to commit treasonable felony against the
>>> > Nigerian State". The
>>> > evidence they pointed to include the discovery of twelve new
>>> > vehicles and seven
>>> > assault rifles in his house. I have no security training so
>>> > I do not know how
>>> > treasonable felony is executed. All the same, I would be
>>> > extremely surprised at
>>> > the feasibility of Col Sambo Dasuki zooming off in a new SUV
>>> > carrying riffles
>>> > to overthrow the regime. We learn from the DSS report that
>>> > he was still
>>> > enjoying armed guards from the army so the existence of the
>>> > arms might be easily
>>> > explained.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Moving
>>> > forward, it is very important that investigations into the
>>> > corrupt deals of the
>>> > Jonathan Administration follow the rule of law. The
>>> > investigations must however
>>> > be done and done thoroughly. Given the extent of the
>>> > economic crimes and sabotage
>>> > done by the Jonathan Administration, the investigations must
>>> > go back to the
>>> > beginning of the regime. The monies looted from our treasury
>>> > must be recovered
>>> > and used for national development. At this point, President
>>> > Buhari must explain
>>> > his anti-corruption strategy to Nigerians and there should
>>> > be a debate about
>>> > it. What role, for example, would the anti-corruption
>>> > agencies paly and how
>>> > would they be revamped? The possible modes for recovering
>>> > looted funds should
>>> > also be debated. President Buhari would also require a
>>> > competent and principled
>>> > Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation
>>> > to anchor the work,
>>> > which brings s, back to the vexed issue of political
>>> > appointments. President
>>> > Buhari is a recognized anti-corruption crusader but he
>>> > cannot do the work
>>> > alone. He needs a team to guide him away from easy routes
>>> > that could be
>>> > booby-trapped and not bear the fruit we are all
>>> > expecting.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Jibrin Ibrahim PhD
>>> > Senior
>>> > Fellow
>>> > Centre for
>>> > Democracy and Development
>>> > 16 A7 Street,
>>> > CITEC Mbora Estate,
>>> > Jabi/Airport Road
>>> > By-pass,
>>> > P.O.Box14345, Wuse
>>> > Abuja, Nigeria
>>> > Tel - +234 8053913837
>>> > Twitter- @jibrinibrahim17
>>> > Facebook- jibrin.ibrahim
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> >
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>>> >
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>>
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