A change betrayed

The All Progressives Congress came to power on the mantra of
change. During the electioneering, its theme and slogan was “APC
Change” and the party’s main focus for this change was the fight
against corruption. Before then, Nigerians had come to see
corruption as the worst problem hindering the country’s
development. It was therefore not a surprise that on the day of
election, Nigerians voted massively for the APC and in particular
its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. Nigerians appeared
tired of wearing, over the years, the toga of corruption. Hitherto,
Nigeria was perceived as one of the most corrupt nations in the
world.

On assumption of office, President Buhari made the fight against
corruption a top priority of his government. He set up a
Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption headed by Prof
Itse Sagay. He also implemented the Treasury Single Account and
introduced the whistle-blower policy. These policies among others
are meant to address the menace of corruption in Nigeria.
Unfortunately and disappointingly, corruption is fighting back, as
they say, from all the three arms of government including the
ruling party, the APC. In the process, they did not only fight
against the anti-corruption war, they ended up betraying the
change.

Zuzanne Collins once said that for there to be a betrayer, there
would have been trust first. That trust was there as demonstrated
by Nigerians when they voted massively for the APC in the 2015
elections.

The first to betray the change is the party. The APC through its
lack of internal democracy could not decide the party’s choice of
leadership to drive the change at the National Assembly. As a
result, the party in a last-minute attempt at resolving the issue
of the National Assembly leadership, called a meeting of its
members a few hours before its inauguration. This decision by the
APC leadership to schedule such a crucial meeting on the morning of
the inauguration of the National Assembly was not only naive, it
was an unpardonable error of judgment. The party should have
resolved the issue of the National Assembly leadership before then
knowing the crucial role the legislative arm is expected to play in
enacting laws that will enhance change and the fight against
corruption.

The emergence therefore of the National Assembly leadership as
against the choice of the party is the greatest betrayal of the
change and the APC as a party cannot be absolved of the blame. To
complete the betrayer, a PDP senator emerged as the Deputy Senate
President. Other acts of betrayer by the party include internal
wrangling for political appointments, ill-feelings and bad blood
generated among members on who to carry the party’s mandate after
the death of Prince Audu in Kogi State as well as the acrimony that
attended the Ondo State party primaries to elect the party’s torch
bearer for the governorship election. The APC, a rainbow party,
formed by four or more political parties, has never been able to
carry along the majority of its members on the path of change due
to lack of cohesion and weak leadership. Thus, as a party, it has
abandoned the ship of change in the middle of the sea and has since
joined forces with those opposed to the fight against corruption
and change.

The National Assembly, right from the beginning, has never been
part of the change. Although the APC constitutes the majority in
the parliament, the members of the National Assembly left no one in
doubt as to their intention to betray the change. It all started
with the padding of the first national budget under President
Buhari’s administration which eventually led to the suspension of a
member of the House of Representatives. The purchase of exotic
utility vehicles by the National Assembly for its members for
oversight functions in a period of recession is not the change
Nigerians voted for. Furthermore, bills that will promote change
and enhance the fight against corruption have yet to be passed.
These include the anti-graft bill and the special criminal court
bill. Not only that, the lawmakers have also refused to confirm the
appointment of the EFCC Chairman who the government and the people
of Nigeria believe is doing a good job. It took the National
Assembly six months to pass the 2017 national budget that is
expected to drive the economy out of recession and even at that
with so much controversy. It is obvious from the action and
inaction of the National Assembly that it is not on the side of
change or the fight against corruption even when the majority of
its members were voted into the parliament on the mantra of
change.

The judiciary is not left out in the betrayer of change and in
the fight against corruption. The President once said that the
Judiciary was the biggest barrier to his administration’s fight
against corruption. Some of the pronouncements from the judiciary
leave much to be desired. Cases are thrown out based on
technicalities. The judiciary is also known for granting frivolous
injunctions to corrupt individuals thereby providing them the
sanctuary to avoid justice. There is therefore a need for judges to
look beyond the letter of the law to the spirit of the law which is
the principle behind the intention of the law. The letter of the
law should not alone determine culpability. One can violate the
spirit of the law and incur culpability. In fact, S.M. Gracia
believes that violating the spirit of the law accounts for
culpability above and beyond breaking the mere letter. The
judiciary is so important to government and to democracy and to the
success of the fight against corruption in such a way that it has
to be in tandem with change.

The executive is not left out in the betrayer of the change
otherwise how do you explain the damaging report from the
Department of Security Services which was the basis for the
non-confirmation of the acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, by the
National Assembly? What do you make of the controversial release by
the Nigerian Prisons Service of a former Adamawa State ex-governor,
Bala Ngilari, from prison without allowing him to serve out his
five-year jail term? What of the N20bn contingency fund in the
budget of the Ministry of Works, Power and Housing for an economy
in recession? What about a situation where presidential aides and
even the Attorney General of the Federation referring to the policy
statement of the Acting President on the non-confirmation of Magu
as his personal opinion? The executive has become a House of Babel
in league with the party, the legislators, and the judiciary to
betray the change.

It is therefore obvious that the party and all the three tiers
of government have betrayed the change and the fight against
corruption leaving the President, his deputy and Nigerians who
voted change to continue the struggle. Unfortunately for the
President, his ill-health and old age both mischievously conspired
together to betray the change. One cannot fail but to ask in the
words of Jim Reeves in one of his songs, “Where do we go from
here?”

I believe it is not yet to Thy tent oh Israel, but we are not
far from it. May God save Nigeria just as we pray for the quick
recovery of Buhari.

Brig. Gen. Ojo (retd), a strategist and security expert,
wrote in from Lokoja via delemopa@yahoo.com

The All Progressives Congress came to power on the mantra of
change. During the electioneering, its theme and slogan was “APC
Change” and the party’s main focus for this change was the fight
against corruption. Before then, Nigerians had come to see
corruption as the worst problem hindering the country’s
development. It was therefore not a surprise that on the day of
election, Nigerians voted massively for the APC and in particular
its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. Nigerians appeared
tired of wearing, over the years, the toga of corruption. Hitherto,
Nigeria was perceived as one of the most corrupt nations in the
world.

On assumption of office, President Buhari made the fight against
corruption a top priority of his government. He set up a
Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption headed by Prof
Itse Sagay. He also implemented the Treasury Single Account and
introduced the whistle-blower policy. These policies among others
are meant to address the menace of corruption in Nigeria.
Unfortunately and disappointingly, corruption is fighting back, as
they say, from all the three arms of government including the
ruling party, the APC. In the process, they did not only fight
against the anti-corruption war, they ended up betraying the
change.

Zuzanne Collins once said that for there to be a betrayer, there
would have been trust first. That trust was there as demonstrated
by Nigerians when they voted massively for the APC in the 2015
elections.

The first to betray the change is the party. The APC through its
lack of internal democracy could not decide the party’s choice of
leadership to drive the change at the National Assembly. As a
result, the party in a last-minute attempt at resolving the issue
of the National Assembly leadership, called a meeting of its
members a few hours before its inauguration. This decision by the
APC leadership to schedule such a crucial meeting on the morning of
the inauguration of the National Assembly was not only naive, it
was an unpardonable error of judgment. The party should have
resolved the issue of the National Assembly leadership before then
knowing the crucial role the legislative arm is expected to play in
enacting laws that will enhance change and the fight against
corruption.

The emergence therefore of the National Assembly leadership as
against the choice of the party is the greatest betrayal of the
change and the APC as a party cannot be absolved of the blame. To
complete the betrayer, a PDP senator emerged as the Deputy Senate
President. Other acts of betrayer by the party include internal
wrangling for political appointments, ill-feelings and bad blood
generated among members on who to carry the party’s mandate after
the death of Prince Audu in Kogi State as well as the acrimony that
attended the Ondo State party primaries to elect the party’s torch
bearer for the governorship election. The APC, a rainbow party,
formed by four or more political parties, has never been able to
carry along the majority of its members on the path of change due
to lack of cohesion and weak leadership. Thus, as a party, it has
abandoned the ship of change in the middle of the sea and has since
joined forces with those opposed to the fight against corruption
and change.

The National Assembly, right from the beginning, has never been
part of the change. Although the APC constitutes the majority in
the parliament, the members of the National Assembly left no one in
doubt as to their intention to betray the change. It all started
with the padding of the first national budget under President
Buhari’s administration which eventually led to the suspension of a
member of the House of Representatives. The purchase of exotic
utility vehicles by the National Assembly for its members for
oversight functions in a period of recession is not the change
Nigerians voted for. Furthermore, bills that will promote change
and enhance the fight against corruption have yet to be passed.
These include the anti-graft bill and the special criminal court
bill. Not only that, the lawmakers have also refused to confirm the
appointment of the EFCC Chairman who the government and the people
of Nigeria believe is doing a good job. It took the National
Assembly six months to pass the 2017 national budget that is
expected to drive the economy out of recession and even at that
with so much controversy. It is obvious from the action and
inaction of the National Assembly that it is not on the side of
change or the fight against corruption even when the majority of
its members were voted into the parliament on the mantra of
change.

The judiciary is not left out in the betrayer of change and in
the fight against corruption. The President once said that the
Judiciary was the biggest barrier to his administration’s fight
against corruption. Some of the pronouncements from the judiciary
leave much to be desired. Cases are thrown out based on
technicalities. The judiciary is also known for granting frivolous
injunctions to corrupt individuals thereby providing them the
sanctuary to avoid justice. There is therefore a need for judges to
look beyond the letter of the law to the spirit of the law which is
the principle behind the intention of the law. The letter of the
law should not alone determine culpability. One can violate the
spirit of the law and incur culpability. In fact, S.M. Gracia
believes that violating the spirit of the law accounts for
culpability above and beyond breaking the mere letter. The
judiciary is so important to government and to democracy and to the
success of the fight against corruption in such a way that it has
to be in tandem with change.

The executive is not left out in the betrayer of the change
otherwise how do you explain the damaging report from the
Department of Security Services which was the basis for the
non-confirmation of the acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, by the
National Assembly? What do you make of the controversial release by
the Nigerian Prisons Service of a former Adamawa State ex-governor,
Bala Ngilari, from prison without allowing him to serve out his
five-year jail term? What of the N20bn contingency fund in the
budget of the Ministry of Works, Power and Housing for an economy
in recession? What about a situation where presidential aides and
even the Attorney General of the Federation referring to the policy
statement of the Acting President on the non-confirmation of Magu
as his personal opinion? The executive has become a House of Babel
in league with the party, the legislators, and the judiciary to
betray the change.

It is therefore obvious that the party and all the three tiers
of government have betrayed the change and the fight against
corruption leaving the President, his deputy and Nigerians who
voted change to continue the struggle. Unfortunately for the
President, his ill-health and old age both mischievously conspired
together to betray the change. One cannot fail but to ask in the
words of Jim Reeves in one of his songs, “Where do we go from
here?”

I believe it is not yet to Thy tent oh Israel, but we are not
far from it. May God save Nigeria just as we pray for the quick
recovery of Buhari.

Brig. Gen. Ojo (retd), a strategist and security expert,
wrote in from Lokoja via delemopa@yahoo.com