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By Fredrick Nwabufo
This
is where the fatal failure of Buhari’s war against corruption lies – selective
prosecution! There are those in the president’s fraternity who have corruption
allegations hanging on their necks, but the EFCC is yet to crack up a case
against them. Even the case of the former SGF is clearly bereft of diligent
prosecution.
On December 14, 2016, the Nigerian Senate asked Babachir Lawal, Secretary to
the Government of the Federation at the time, to immediately resign from
office. This followed the recommendation of its ad hoc committee on the
humanitarian crisis in the North-East, which had investigated the management of
funds for internally displaced persons in the region by the Presidential
Initiative on the North-East. PINE at the time was under the SGF.
But on January 17, President Muhammadu Buhari wrote to the Senate, saying he
would not sack Lawal because he was not given fair hearing. The President
dilly-dallied and shilly-shallied over the issue for weeks.
Shehu Sani, chairman of the committee which probed Lawal at the time, alleged
that the SGF awarded contracts to companies owned by cronies and relatives of
top government officials. He revealed that Rholavision Engineering Limited, a
company, with Lawal as director, for instance, was awarded a consultancy
contract.
The company’s major role, according to him, was the removal of invasive plant
species in Yobe State. He said the former SGF violated all procurement
activities and laid-down rules. Sani also said most of the contracts awarded
had no direct bearing or impact on the IDPs who were living in deplorable
conditions.
On January 21, two days after Buhari embarked on a medical peregrination to
London, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo sacked Lawal and ordered his
prosecution.
But the Lord of the Manor returned months later – and it was business as usual.
Lawal was not arrested or arraigned until a few days to the 2019 general
election. It is obvious now that this was an artifice by the Buhari administration
to win political advantage and to tout its doped up anti-corruption
scorecard.
In fact, Aso Rock whisperers say Osinbajo’s axing of Lawal Daura, former DSS
DG, and Lawal formed the crux of the opposition against him at the presidency.
Since February 12, 2019 when the former SGF was arraigned on charges of fraud,
his case has sputtered, and it is petering out. Nothing! No progress! I will
not be surprised if the charges are eventually withdrawn.
Lawal, who once asked in arrogant conviction, ‘’who is the presidency’’, has no
need to worry about any trial. In fact, I believe he knows it is all smoke by
the way he totes himself around – granting media interviews and making definite
pronouncements on the 2023 election.
In October 2019, he convened a news conference where he ‘’crowned’’ a chief
partaker in Nigeria’s cock-up president.
Hear him: “By 2023 when Buhari’s tenure will be over, he’ll go back to Daura to
face his cows like I am doing. But you see, every leader must leave behind a
legacy. I will like to see that he leaves behind a legacy of achievement.
“Bola Tinubu is my friend of many years. Buhari is my big boss. Bola Tinubu
without prejudice that he’s my friend; will make a good president. Other issues
notwithstanding, he (Tinubu) will make a good modern president because the
presidency these days is scientific. Nigerians, by convention, seem to have
agreed that there should be rotation of the presidency.”
Last week, in another news conference, he sentenced governors to the rear quarters
and said they are all parasites. I guess he is right. He should know better
because he is alleged to have diverted N500m while fighting parasites in Yobe.
In its 2019 corruption perception index published on Thursday, Transparency
International ranked Nigeria 146 of 180 countries studied, two points lower
than 148 the country was rated in 2018. Based on this rating, Nigeria is the
second most corrupt country in ECOWAS.
TI speaking through Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, its chapter in
Nigeria, noted one-sided/selective anti-graft war as one of the core reasons
for the plummet.
It said the rich and the powerful “do not play by the rules”, and that
prominent personalities in politics and business are “untouchable” despite
evidence of corruption against them.
“The pre-election period witnessed mind-blowing scandals, which stayed without
consequences. Politicians stashing millions of dollars in kickbacks or having
corruption charges upon them just need to switch political parties or stay
loyal and charges are dropped against them,” it said.
This is where the fatal failure of Buhari’s war against corruption lies –
selective prosecution! There are those in the president’s fraternity who have
corruption allegations hanging on their necks, but the EFCC is yet to crack up
a case against them. Even the case of the former SGF is clearly bereft of
diligent prosecution.
Please do not get me started on how the administration is fighting corruption
by ‘’diligently prosecuting’’ the expendables and unnecessary baggage (Orji
Kalu and Joshua Dariye) in the All Progressives Congress.
I guess when the Buhari administration starts to take Babachir Lawal’s case
seriously, Nigerians will begin to take a less passive interest in its fight
against corruption.
Fredrick Nwabufo is a writer and journalist
Twitter: @FredrickNwabufo
