The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, is elated to learn that President Muhammadu Buhari has relieved the suspended Secretary to the government of the Federation Babachir Lawal as well as the suspended Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Mr Ayodele Oke. We are delighted that the president has demonstrated that he does not tolerate any act of corruption and abuse of office no matter who is involved. The president has proven his detractors wrong by demonstrating that he is not given to frivolities and could not be intimidated by anyone no matter how influential, no matter how powerful or no matter how crafty.
We commend the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo for a job well done on the onerous assignment of investigating the allegations against the top-notch government officials, who committed crimes against Nigerian people with unbridled gusto, which the President Mohammed Buhari entrusted on him and his team before the President went on medical vacation.
We hope that these disgraceful elements would be promptly handed over to relevant anti-graft agencies for prosecution with a view to ensuring that deterrent punishments are meted out to the to curb such inordinate ambition by government officials. We equally urge the judiciary to key into the renewed vigour that the fight against corruption has now assumed. Every law officer involved in the adjudication in corruption cases should ensure that justice is not only done, it should be seen by all and sundry to have been done.
We hereby reiterate our call that henceforth, any law enforcement agent, lawyer or judge that assists corruption criminal to evade justice should be treated as an accomplice. The charade in handling corruption cases must stop forthwith!
Meanwhile, CACOL is troubled by the lingering faceoff between Senator Isa Misau, a Senator representing Borno State in the Upper Chamber and the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, over perceived unfounded allegations of official misconduct and corruption. We are alarmed by the shallowness of these claims and call for a quick intervention that can save our dear country from further image battering.
While CACOL upholds discipline and patriotism as hallmarks of public officers, we take serious exceptions to any act of reducing our hallowed chambers to avenues of settling personal scores and other trivialities. We are miffed by the utterances and outcries of Senator Misau, which we are bold to say, smacks of an attempt to settle personal scores with the IGP Idris.
While we uphold that the offences alleged to have been committed by the police boss are grievous, prima facie (from the face value), we are appalled that the distinguished senator has been acting as if there are no other serious jobs to do in the hallowed chambers, by submitting himself to be free advocate for seemingly phantom allegation of official debauchery on the part of IGP Idris. To accuse the highest ranking police officer in the country of adultery even when there are no established cases from victims is to us a vendetta taken too far.
We wonder why an alleged amorous affair of an IGP becomes the object of serious discourse for a legislative arm of government that has so much pressing bills before it, yet to be attended to. Since we have not heard any complaint from victims of these alleged sexual escapades, Senator Misau, can’t just pole vault to being their solicitor. We are of the opinion that it should be a private life of the Inspector General which should be so treated.
We also take exception to the claim of the IGP promoting certain officers allegedly unfoundedly.
To us, this claim is baseless as it is common practice in the police for promotions to follow the appointment of a new IGP. There are loyalists everywhere and it is just normal to appoint people you trust in some strategic areas if you must succeed and as well promote some if the need arise. Clinging unto allegations, such as this, is viewed by us, a personal vendetta and an attempt to settle personal score at Nigerians’ expense. It must be disregarded.
Further to the baselessness of Senator Misau’s claims, he accused the police boss of giving two vehicles to the wife of the President, Aisha Mohammadu Buhari. The Senator portrayed the allegation as if the vehicles were private luxury cars offered and accepted as bribes for a favour for either party that only Misau knows. It was later found out that the two vehicles, a Toyota Sienna and a Hiace bus bear police plate numbers, were assigned as official security vehicles for the wife of the president. As if these frivolous allegations were not ridiculous enough, this Senator Misau further accused the IGP of posting Mr Edgal Imohimi to Lagos state as Acting Commissioner of Police because Imohinmi was a classmate to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. Is Senator Misau suggesting, without verifiable evidence, that the Governor or Mr Imohimi bribed the IGP to be so posted? Could the lawmaker be insinuating that it is not the prerogative of the IGP to post his officers the way he deems fit or that the police officer so posted is not qualified to hold such responsibility? What pettiness and a vendetta taken too far to a new height!
At CACOL, as much as we abhor favouratism, nepotism and lopsided distribution of available opportunities, we frown at the lingering show of shame and the ridicule this Senator is putting our dear country into in the comity of nations. It must stop.
We are aware that the Senate has set up an eight-member committee to investigate Idris while the police boss is also in court to challenge what he viewed as abuse to his rights.
Our position is clear. We call for an immediate disbandment of the Senate Committee, as the upper legislative chamber should face squarely more pressing governance issues, and a discontinuation of the lingering investigation on Mr Ibrahim Idris. It is abnormal and unnecessary.
CACOL condemns this act of display of personality clash and open show of hatred gravitating towards self-destruct between these valued citizens. We call for an amicable settlement of the unhidden quarrel between the two while not bothering the nation on issues that are visibly personal. The earlier this is done, the better for all of us and the nation at large.
Debo Adeniran
Executive Chairman, CACOL
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www.deboadeniran.com,
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