The Attorney General of the
Federation, Adokie Bello SAN has described the Farouk Lawan ad hoc committee’s
report on the subsidy regime as a mere ‘fact finding mission’ and that it does
not constitute evidence against the indicted persons. He added that the
relevant law enforcement agencies will be required to proceed on a new
investigation into the activities leading up to the regime fraught with fraud. According
to the minister of justice, hasty prosecution of the indicted persons where
evidence is insufficient usually results in justice not being done.
Mr. Adokie further described
the ultimatum issued by the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) to prosecute the indicted
persons within two weeks or see a nationwide protest as diversionary. In a
related development, the CBN has declared that the NNPC did not receive double
payments for imported fuel as supposedly claimed by the report and has absolved
the petroleum body of any wrong doing.
Nigeria is very similar to
George Orwell’s fable Animal Farm. The animals of the Manor farm rebelled
against its owner Mr. Jones and instituted the laws of animalism, enthroned a
justice system where all animals were equal. But the managers of the new regime
soon abused the privileges of leadership as they sought personal gains while
impoverishing the others. In the end, they replaced all the laws with one: all
animals are equal but some are more equal than others. There has not been such
a legislation passed yet that absolves indicted persons from prosecution in
Nigeria, but with such proclamations coming from the mouth piece of justice in
the land, we can reasonably conclude that some Nigerians are more equal than
the others.
At a time, when the national
prayer is for justice to be seen as being done, the least one should hear is at
least a promise of intent to see that justice is carried out. But that is not
the case with this administration. The war on corruption has taken a retirement
just before it could engage. While many will say, the AGF is proceeding with
caution and has not declared that the indicted persons are innocent of the
charges leveled against them, it is worthwhile to note that, such declarations
have not only dampened the mood in the land but shown how un-zealous the
Goodluck administration is in the fight against corruption.
The government showed no small
haste when it reached the decision to suspend the subsidy regime. It did not
delay despite not giving labour a chance to express its concerns about the
sharp practices in the subsidy regime at the town hall meetings. It did not
waste time to call out troops to a peaceful demonstration possibly in an
attempt to emulate the butcher of Syria. And then when it comes to the issue of
justice, there is a severe pain of whitlow on all toes preventing the president
and his attorney general to land quickly and vehemently the sword of Damocles. What
hope hath a people whose sense of justice has been discarded?
Predictably, the country
cannot afford to have its capitalists sued nor have them out of business for
crimes as petty as subsidy scam. Why should Save Nigeria Group and its fiery
pastor Tunde Bakare begin another curse crusade where it is evident that there
are more salient issues as a new pair of shoes for the president who grew up
without any to be discussed at the Federal Executive Council? Why should the
country be impatient considering the ad-hoc committee or the House of
Representatives as it were has yet to submit its findings to the executive?
The shamelessness of such un-zealous
proclamations is proof yet again, that justice is selective in Nigeria. Thorough
investigations, the term that promises so much hope and at the hearing of it,
all forms of doubt must be discarded. Wait, dear Nigerians, wait for another
investigation that will do again what Farouk Lawan’s ad hoc committee failed to
do. Of course, the Farouk Lawan’s report is not an infallible work of investigation
that should never be challenged. It should and rightly so. But wait again,
should the ad hoc committee have ever had any reason to go on a fact finding
mission if our all wise attorney general had been proactive to ask for this
thorough investigation in the first place?
The report read in part: “We
found out that the subsidy regime, as operated between the period under review
(2009 and 2011), were fraught with endemic corruption and entrenched
inefficiency. Much of the amount claimed to have been paid as subsidy was
actually not for consumed PMS. Government officials made nonsense of the PSF
Guidelines due mainly to sleaze and, in some other cases, incompetence. It is
therefore apparent that the insistence by top Government officials that the
subsidy figures were for products consumed was a clear attempt to mislead the
Nigerian people.”
While it may be true, that prosecution
with insufficient evidence will be met with several more difficulties and
possibly cases being thrown out, it is not untrue also to note that feet
dragging on a case that has pushed millions of Nigerians further down the
poverty line is tantamount to condoning and delaying justice, a fate Nigerians
have forever endured. We call on the attorney general to show more zeal and
passion to rout corruption in the land as declarations of wait a while longer
gives the impression of lack of conviction to punish the presumed guilty. The Save
Nigeria Group and its conveners also should not drop its guard but demonstrate
eager vigilance.
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| AGF Adokie Bello |
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