CELEBRATING 'PRISON FREEDOM' WITH ABSURDITY
In every spheres of life; Nigerians as a people, are regarded to be doing great things never witnessed in any part of the world, and this time around, the fanfare that follows the release from Kirikiri prison of the ex-convict Chief Olabode George is no exemption.
Mr. Olabode George was released from prison penultimate Saturday, February 26, 2011 after serving two years for contracts splitting and inflation on October 26, 2009. Justice Olubunmi Oyewole found George and five other defendants guilty on forty seven (47) out of the 63 counts. The judge that sent Olabode George to prison for the crime he committed had proved that; “Be you ever so high, yet the law is above you.”
Bode George was released from the Kirikiri (Maximum) Prison and a carnival heralded his return to town. I have no problem about his release from prison; after-all justice had been done and he has been punished accordingly. The end of his jail term as stipulated by law has been observed; but where bill boards were erected and newspaper adverts paid for to welcome him back into the society is incongruous.
The most shocking aspect of the whole jubilation madness was the recklessness and irresponsible comments of some of the politicians who came to celebrate with Mr. George.
People like:
Mr. Ebenezer Babatope; a fallen star and a changed man who appeared to have lost everything he worked so hard for while an apostle of selfless service, honour, simplicity, decency and responsibility. A turncoat who had since been isolated by his former comrades of the Awolowo School of politics. Mr. Babatope condemned the judgment saying "there is nobody in government who is not guilty of contract splitting. Bode is a man of the people. I have been Bode's friend for 45 years. I know him very well that he will never put a penny of anybody's money in his pocket." – What a mockery of a statement. Now that everybody is doing it. Does it mean it is allowed, acceptable and legal? Is looting acceptable and legal since most politicians are doing it? Mr. Babatope said his friend of 45 years "is a man of the people." Which people are we talking about and where are they? Is a man of the people allowed to commit crime? Did the people send him to loot the NPA? It will be nice for Mr. Babatope to furnish us with a list of other politicians he knows who are engaging or have engaged in contract splitting. If he has said that in any country in Europe or America, he would be arrested for contempt of court or charged for careless talk.
Mr. Dokpesi of Daar Communications; who said there was a "miscarriage of justice" in the Bode George trial! Mr. Dokpesi then ranted about George being "a man that believes in the unity of this country, a man that believes in nationhood, a man that is committed to uplifting the good of his people." I really do not know what this ranting has to do with the facts of the case, which the lower and upper courts could not see. He was charged for those offences by EFCC. He employed the services of solicitors, SAN’s, to represent him, yet he was found guilty. And these people who are also thieves are ranting “miscarriage of justice.” What a contemptuous statements. Mr. Dokpesi, I say your time is coming when the entire secret about your wealth will be revealed and you would be called to give accounts.
Mr. Tajudeen Olanrewaju; uttered the most monotonous of remarks. He said the release of Bode George "called for a big celebration"! What else does one expect from this man who contributed to the demise of NITEL and the looting of its assets? I happened to be in contact with him during his quest for the Lagos State Governorship aspiration in London. But I was strangely amazed when both the retired Olanrewaju and Diya, both, who narrowly escaped death, just by a whisker of luck from the evil General Sani Abacha, were in full support of the celebrated Kirikiri release with fanfare. What exactly is there to celebrate? The celebrations is a direct insult with impunity to every Nigerians including the judiciary – Glorifying in absurdity, a fanfare which I found to be an experiment in bad taste and a gross violation of societal values.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo; who graced the occasion with his presence greatly amuses me. Although the Ota farmer, who turns 74 on Saturday 5th March, later told journalists that he attended Bode George’s release fanfare and ceremony in error; and that he was lured to attend. What a flimsy excuse from former No.1 citizen of Nigeria! While I appreciate his concern for his comrade in crime, I have always believed that most of those who call themselves leaders and statesmen in Nigeria, are no more than glorified plunderers, men and women, who in saner climes cannot but be candidates for the guillotine. Obasanjo could have as well saved his breadth by not making any comment about his blunders with his presence at the ceremony. Although everybody know you to be one of the Kleptomaniac leaders, (i.e. somebody with an obsessive urge to steal, especially when there is no economic necessity) but I am afraid I have to be frank with you that with your inexcusable comment on the issue, you are a disgrace to Yoruba race as a former President of Nigeria and ‘Your scathing savagery and acid wit, display a characteristic of the weakest link in the Nigerian persona; and it would be good enough for you to take “the walk of shame,” preferably to political oblivion.’
These group of people are so egotistical about the crime Bode George committed that they found it necessary to welcome him back into the society with fanfare never witnessed in the history of any prisoner in Nigerian or any where in the world.
Did George, Babatope, Olanrewaju and Dokpesi listen to the admonitions of Rev. Tayo Aduloju at the Cathedral Church of Christ? The man of God, (told the ex-convict that he (Rev. Aduloju) was a student in a secondary school in Ondo State when he (Bode George) was the Military Governor of Ondo State), was very blunt and showed that we still have some intrepid people among us. "If you are involved in any shady deal; if you are found anywhere elections are rigged; and if you partake in any form of manipulation, it means you have not learnt anything from your experience…." The man of God could not be more frank and direct on this issue, but we all know that a leopard will never change its spots and thieves will always be thieves and only those who got caught will go to jail.
Bode George no longer has a Scintilla of honour to himself. He has been stricken by a monumental and fundamental catastrophe. Infact, he should no longer be regarded as leader of his house not to talk of any society; as he doesn’t have that quality again because “leadership is valuable only when it is geared towards guaranteeing social felicity to the citizenry.”
The sheer absurdity of these paranormal characters of a person should impel every Nigerian and Associations to write PDP off as a political party that does care for Nigerians. They are bunch of crooks and bad leaders who does not command respect; as you can’t enforce respect, you earn it! So, the problem isn’t with immunity but with impunity sense of the leader.
However, I see myself as a man of few airs and graces; and I know that many Nigerians are positive that evolution of a new Nigeria will begin, come the elections in April 2011. But we must not loose sight of sycophancy as the metaphysic of diametrical falsehood embosoms as a congenital allergy of a platonic hatred of reality; an aversion for facts and avid propensity to celebrate falsehood. These men are ontological aberration and a perfect embodiment of all that is bad, false and ugly. They remain in the lowest expression of that entire pedestal for human nature as well as the dark grottos of human insincerity and wretchedness.
Celebrating corruption, typifies that, sycophancy has eaten deep into the fabric of our national life. No leader is being told the truth about his immediate constituency, rather inglorious cheerleaders in the mould of advisers and hangers-on massage their (leaders) ego to get their spoils of office. Sycophancy is hypocrisy with clothes on and smiles on its face. The ultimate motives of these men are always the satisfaction of their own unfulfilled needs or will to power, not for the common good of all Nigerians.
To build a very strong frontier against future occurrence, the government should take a formidable stand to fight the financial indiscipline within our society, by creating an avenue whereby those involved in embezzlement should be brought to book to serve as deterrent to others in order to justify a stable society for the benefits of generation that waits, just like what the judge (Justice Olubunmi Oyewole) did in Bode George’s case.
To succinctly put it; Today, Nigeria is groaning and suffocating in pains simply because we lack visionary, purpose driven lots and true patriotic leaders to pilot our affairs with great sense of duty. The time has come to see Nigeria beyond an amorphous collage of looters whose private pocket is god. While a political party sponsored your candidature, that party lacks men of honour and decorum to help you pilot the affairs of Nigeria to greatness.
However, I know that ‘Judgments are not the same as facts, just as instinct is not science; and I am like any other human being, as fallible and as capable of being wrong, but I only know what I believe, that with the current wind of change blowing from across the Sahara to the whole of Arab world, Africa and Nigeria in particular, the notion of politicised society had been created by sudden shift in our political thinking, and our nation would become one of the best in Africa if not the world, whereby Nigeria would occupy her rightful place among committee of nations.’
The judiciary has given Nigerians cause to believe that it is always better to seek legal redress than resort to anarchy to correct perceived acts of wrongdoing. The courts have become the last hope of the common man as it has demystified the mystery surrounding embezzlements, contracts splitting and inflation in this country as it is today.
Written by Prince Adebisi O. Olukoga ([email protected]).