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Godwin Etakibuebu
We ran the first part one of this article last week with a promise of concluding the topic today. It means that what you are now reading is fulfillment of promise made. Like as l said last week in the opening paragraph of the discussion, the topic is properly and adequately captured for purposes of transparency.
The question if Kemi Adeosun is a corruption that is fighting back is deliberately picked because it represents the totality of this Buhari’s administration whenever it [the government] is confronted with a challenge of moral crises.
Once there is any attempt in alleging anything against this government’s action or its officials, no matter how legally justifiable the allegation may be, the first line of defense by Buhari’s presidency is to fire back, saying “this is corruption fighting back”. Sometimes, when the government fails to mention corruption as fighting back the next line of defense has always remained “the mess created by Goodluck Jonathan and his People Democratic Party is what we are still battling.”
By the way, for those who may not know, Mrs Kemi Adeosun is Buhari’s Minister of Finance. She is from Ogun State in South/West geopolitical zone of Nigeria. She was born and brought up in the United Kingdom, had all her education there and reputed to be very brilliant with excellent results. She came back to Nigeria at the age of 22 years, expectedly to serve her fatherland under the constitutionally requirement as demanded by the National Youth Service Corps Scheme.
The law establishing the scheme stipulated two things for all Nigerian graduates; either at home or from abroad, namely: [1] to serve and obtain a “Certificate of Service” or [2] exempted from service and receives a “Certificate of Exemption”. There are severe punishments stipulated by the Nigerian Constitution against any infraction of the NYSC scheme. Kemi Adeosun, as revealed by the Premium News; an online Media giant, did not serve despite the fact that she was just 22 years old when she returned to Nigeria.
Yet, she has been gainfully employed by the Federal Government and maybe the Ogun State Government where she was a Commissioner before becoming a federal minister, with a forged certificate of exemption, according to the authoritative report of the Premium News. The federal government decided to remain totally in comatose and conspiratorially silent over this major corruptive allegation against one of its forefront operators until Itse Sagay; Chairman Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption [PACAC], a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, made it clear on behalf of the Federal Government that nobody can touch the madam because of this forgery case hanging on her like the sword of Damocles. Listen to what he said.
“The PDP can weep from now until there is no tear in their body; she (Adeosun) is going to be there. We cannot afford to lose that woman” because a lot of the good things happening now – the welfare that Nigerians are enjoying and are going to enjoy, because it takes time, and the way our economy is booming, how we got out of recession – are due to her (Adeosun’s) expertise, her commitment, her sacrifice“, he said before delivering the killer punch; “who cares about youth service? I don’t bloody care whether she did youth service or not. It’s irrelevant as far as I am concerned.”
As far as this once-most-respected lawyer is concerned this grievous proven allegation of corruption against the woman “is another corruption fighting back” or succinctly put; “it is President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP that corrupted the woman-saint”.
This is the only government in world history that “does everything perfectly right” because of the erroneous assumption that “Muhammadu Buhari’s incorruptibility and being a saint, represents God’s image on earth, even in Nigeria”. What a great fallacy? There is a river of corruption that flows across the country with its source from the Aso Villa in Abuja. Let me give a few examples before coming back to conclude on the Kemi Adeosun’ dilemma.
Let us start by accepting that nepotism is nothing but corruption. If there is any one president in Nigeria’s history that is guilty of nepotism most, that President is Muhammadu Buhari. Two of his ministers are his nephews [not counting those that are his first or second cousins]. For example, the minister of Aviation and Federal Capital Territory are point in reference.
When the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, David Lawal Babachir, was indicted for corruptly enriching himself by stealing from funds set aside for helping the Internally Displaced People [IDP] from the North East by the Senate, President Buhari defended the man to the high heavens until Investigative Committee under the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo [with Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and then Director General of the DSS as members] nailed Babachir. And when he was to be relieved of his office, the same grass-cutting thief brought in his own first cousin, Boss Mustapha, as his replacement. Babachir was never charged to court for corruption, stealing or any offence but instead he remains a regular caller in the Villa till date. In fact, he was a prominent member of President Buhari’s entourage during the last Lagos official visit of the latter. Much for war against corruption!
Allegation of palm-greasing of about Five Hundred Million Naira [from MTN] was made against the Chief of Staff to the President at a time in the early days of this government but not much as a finger was raised to investigate it by the Presidency. The matter was allowed “to sleep off because it was probably corruption fighting back.”
The Chairman, Special Presidential Investigative Panel for the Recovery of Property and Prosecution, Mr Okoi Obono-Obia, was accused of forging his West African Examination Council Certificate. A letter signed by WAEC senior official attested to this even as the Deputy Registrar of the Body [WAEC], Mr Femi Ola, pronounced while testifying before the Nigerian House of Representative that Oblo Certificate was “fake and not genuine”. Have we heard anything from the Buhari’s government about this case that concerned a man that is supposed to be prosecuting corrupt people for the government?
It is reality of all these corruptive happenings under a government that carries a toga of fighting corruption that Itse Sagay’s conclusion about Kemi Adeosun should be overlooked, at least for now. Come to think of it anyway, the learned Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria did not forge any of his certificates, he is genuinely qualified in his profession but like the salt that has lost its taste, where is that salt qualified to be but in the dustbin.
With these avalanches of tragedy of proven corruptive cases against front-runners of this government of change [mentioned cases are just a tip of the iceberg because we can go on and on counting], Sagay could have only concluded the way he has done, to wit: “who cares about youth service? I don’t bloody care whether she did youth service or not. It’s irrelevant as far as I am concerned.”
But one final word before drawing the curtain on today’s exercise. Late in the year 2014 while the contest for the race of who rules Nigeria was at its top gear, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress then [who eventually won the 2015 general election and subsequently sworn-in as the President on May 29, 2015] had doubt of cloud hanging over the genuineness of his school certificate. Baba claimed that the original of his certificate was with the Army Headquarters, a claim the Nigerian Military High Command promptly denied and the denial was then signed by the Military Secretary [Army].
At the end of the day a photocopy of one certificate from one school in Katsina was posted on the pages of many newspapers. Until the election took place and the winner sworn-in as President, the issue of forgery or otherwise of that certificate remained a litigation matter. Maybe, the matter adjourned sine die. A government of what, by what and for what, should we call this administration, ipso facto?
Judgment: There are more serious cases than that of Mrs Kemi Adeosun that are still pending in the peoples’ court of justice.
This court shall arise.
C-O-U-R-T!
Godwin Etakibuebu; a veteran Journalist, wrote from Lagos.