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By Ikeddy Isiguzo
MINISTER of Defence Bello Matawalle and Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Olanipekun Olukoyede are appointees of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration whose exceptional performances qualify for national awards of excellence for notably extraordinary service. National Day, 1 October, should be a perfect day to let others know what they have done.
Bello has battled bandits in the North-West in line with the strategic agenda of the Tinubu administration. Bandits are fleeing. Those who insist on fighting are dying to the superior firing power of the military. It seems that the decision has finally been taken to end banditry. Bravo Matawalle.
Next is Ola, as those who claim to know him call him. The EFCC Chairman did something extraordinary on Wednesday. Even him cannot explain it, but it happened.
After months of running after yahoo yahoo boys, possibly as his own understanding of the elevated fight against corruption, when corruption confronted him, he slunk away. He too deserves plaudits for working with the mandate of the administration.
Once President farms out a portion of his administration to you, the understanding is that you should know what the President wants, deliver results, and he will back you to the hilt, no matter what the results are, not minding how public sees them.
Tinubu sets the tune by lamenting the impatience of the public. It is doubtful whether the President reads the numerous statements in his name asking us, members of the public, to imbibe patience.
Patience, like the administration’s use of rice, has become the elixir for any challenge the ‘strategists at work’ face.
The virtues of patience could be why Matawalle has nothing meaningful to counter allegations his successor in Zamfara State, Governor Dauda Lawal makes that Matawalle as Governor quartered bandits in Government House, Gusau. Perhaps, the scent of bandits is still in the precincts where Lawal now lives. A Sokoto State cleric Sheikh Murtala Asada earlier posted video of Matawalle’s supposed support for bandits.
Why is Lawal a known Matawalle opponent coming up with these allegations now? Their rancour over the 2023 governorship election in Zamfara was fought with all political and judicial weapons speared. Is it not time for Lawal to govern and Matawalle to minister?
Matawalle’s silence cannot be golden not with all the gold stolen in Zamfara and banditry providing cover. Matawalle must have something to say for himself lest he would be blamed for the indecisive pace of the confrontations with bandits.
Governor Lawal was loud, very loud in the allegations. He does not seem to be a frivolous person. A PhD holder in Business Administration, he rose to an Executive Director in a first generation bank. He must have learnt something from courses he attended at London School of Economics, Harvard Business School, Oxford University Business School, Massachusetts, USA; Wharton Business School, Pennsylvania; Oxford University Business School; International Faculty of Finance, London; Fitch Training, London & New York, and Lagos Business School, as listed in his biodata.
Callers who want Matawalle to resign, however, forget they were not consulted when he was appointed. The uproar may get the attention of the President who is managing whatever occasioned his announced absence from the United Nations General Assembly.
Olukoyede’s appointment as the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, was riddled with accusations that he was not qualified. He retorted with these qualifications, a lawyer, the Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman, 2016-2018, and Secretary to EFCC, 2018-2023. “Olukoyede has 22 years of regulatory compliance consulting, fraud management, and business intelligence experience,” the Presidency said when it appointed him. Someone forgot to add he was the best man for the job.
Excellence in excuses should be added to his credentials while he keeps fronting his anger at the enormity of corruption and wondering how Nigeria manages to survive.
His infamous encounters with Yahaya Bello, immediate past Governor of Kogi State, paints a picture of Olukoyede as one who what he says is different from what he means.
On 23 April 2024, in an interaction with select editors, he impressed them with these words that have remained empty, “If I do not personally oversee the completion of the investigation regarding Yahaya Bello, I will tender my resignation as the chairman of the EFCC.
“I have arraigned two past Governors who have been granted bail now – Willie Obiano and Abdulfatah Ahmed. We would have gone after Bello since January but we waited for the court order.
“If I can do Obiano, Abdulfatah Ahmed and Chief Olu Agunloye, my kinsman, why not Yahaya Bello?
“A sitting Governor, because he knows he is going, moved money directly from government to bureau de change, used it to pay the child’s school fee in advance, $720,000 in advance, in anticipation that he was going to leave the Government House.
“In a poor State like Kogi, and you want me to close my eyes to that under the guise of ‘I’m being used. Being used by who at this stage of my life?”.
Suppose Kogi was not poor, would he have acted differently.
Olukoyede, a pastor, left us without a date for “the completion of the investigation regarding Yahaya Bello” or the date of his possible resignation. That is how intentional he is about doing nothing about Bello.
“The public is hereby notified that YAHAYA ADOZA BELLO (former Governor of Kogi State), whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with alleged case of Money Laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88 (Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand and Eighty Nine Naira, Eighty Eight Kobo).
“Bello, 48-year old Ebiraman, is a native of Okenne Local Government of Kogi State. His last known address is: 9, Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja,” an EFCC’s public notice of Thursday, 18 April 2024, that had a huge play in the media, stated.
Note that a day earlier, EFCC operatives waited for seven hours outside Bello’s Abuja residence without making any attempt to raid the premises as they would have if ordinary Nigerians were involved.
The seven hours were spent inconvenicing residents of the neighbourhood and harassing passers-by until Bello’s guardian angel Governor Usman Ododo arrived with his immunity which he extended to Bello.
Olukoyede was bragging about what he would do with Bello five days after the inexplicable shameless performance of EFCC. He has in the past months made Bello appear the victim instead of a suspect.
On Wednesday, 18 September 2024, exactly five months after Yahaya Bello was declared wanted, placed on watchlist of security agencies, as EFCC announced, Bello drove into EFFC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja. EFCC said his convoy was long and his retinue large.
Bello waltzed in EFCC premises. He could as well have been the lord inspecting his manor. Everyone was obeisant or kept out of view.
He was not questioned. He was not arrested. He was asked to go.
Nobody strolls into EFCC headquarters. There are gates to pass. There are operators watching what goes on at those gates. Nobody inside the premises can leave of his own accord.
Bello claims he was there for three hours. It would not have taken three minutes to take him in as he had “surrendered to EFCC”.
One organisation tried to capture the duplicity that was involved.
Campaign for Democracy, CD, President, Comrade Ifeanyi Odili, CD said : “It is unimaginable that the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, who, the same EFCC had declared wanted, who was placed on watchlist, who the Commission enlisted security agencies in Nigeria and Interpol to help fish out, walked into the EFCC premises on Wednesday, waited for about three hours and no arrest or interrogation happened.
“Instead, they told him to go, that they would get back to him only to issue a laughable statement that he was still a wanted man. How can someone who brought himself to you still be at large?”
Why did EFCC not arrest Bello? Some accounts said he was not arrested because Governor Usman Ododo, Bello’s successor, was with him. Where was Olukoyede? It is very immaterial to the matter.
“Earlier today, we reported the voluntary visit of former Governor of Kogi State, HE Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission office to honour the Commission’s invitation,” Ohiare Michael, Director of Yahaya Bello Media Office, stated in a media release.
“The EFCC did not, however, interrogate him, as officials told him he could leave. We don’t know what this means yet. As we write, HE Alhaji Yahaya Bello has left the EFCC office”. Bello’s team is celebratory.
Reports of gunshots on Wednesday night in Asokoro, Abuja, were blamed on EFFC’s siege to the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge. Imagine that commotion in an area with diplomatic residences?
“Tonight’s attack was needless as the former Governor made himself available to the EFCC in their office for interrogation. The EFCC had no questions to ask Alh. Yahaya Bello in the morning, but suddenly, they are out to arrest him,” Michael stated.
Suggestions that Matawalle and Olukoyede should resign are not in line with service protocols. Nobody resigns.
If you are as ashamed as these situations make ordinary Nigerians, please join in proposing national honour of excellence for the duo.
Cast your political constraints aside and apllaud these honourable Nigerians who have distinguished themselves, and excelled in unimgained ways, which is why ordinary people cannot understand their extraordinary accomplishments. They have done enough to keep their jobs – for as long as they want.
Finally…
WHAT use is a Peace Pact that is signed after months of election campaigns that decidedly spread anger, bitterness, and hatred across the land? Edo State is the latest example. In future, the pact should be signed before the campaigns start.
ISIGUZO is a major commentator on minor issues