Date Published: 04/28/09
Prosecution of Mallam El-Rufai
By Temple Chima Ubochi
The news was carried by all the major newspapers in Nigeria on Thursday April 16, 2009 that “EFCC wants to extradite Mallam El-Rufai”. Here the AGF and Minister of Justice, Mr Michael Kaase Aondoakaa described the ex-minister’s criticism of this government lacklustre effort in the war against corruption as a ploy to get asylum. What a stupid insinuation from Mr. Aondakaa!
Mr. Michael Aondakaa and Ms. Waziri should first of all see what’s under their nose before looking for what’s very far away. This news credited to Aondakaa and Waziri of the EFCC, is only a move by the duo to cover up their own corruptive dealings. These two members of the recently constituted “Benue Mafia” are as corrupt as anybody could imagine. Let them first of all, clear their own names before speaking ill of another person. There is no way they can start taking moral high ground while there are avalanche of corruption allegations hanging on their necks. Here are some titbits and these are only but the tip of a colossal iceberg that is in a slow meltdown. This duo is killing Nigeria softly covertly; we need to bring some of their ugly dealings into the open.
There is no way the duo can be as corrupt as they are and still be leading the war against corruption. A rat cannot be given the key to the fish store; a goat cannot be the storekeeper of the yam barn; a kite cannot be a surrogate mother to the chicks, the lambs cannot be entrusted into the care of a hyena, a vulture cannot be a medic to a wounded animal, the locusts cannot be a farmer’s friends.
The Bible in Matthew 7:3-5 says “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye”. The Bible is advising Aondakaa and Waziri here.
Suffice it to say that Aondakaa and Waziri cannot fool Nigerians all the time. Before they go out to extradite Mallam El-Rufai in order to bring him to justice on trumped-up charges, let Aondakaa clear his own name as regards to the charges that he was bribed by an Indian firm (Global Steel Holdings) with $6 million to help it retain the control of Delta Steel Company and on the other hand, that he also received the sum of $400,000 as bribe from BUA Group in order to get Yar’Adua into revoking the sale of Delta Steel Company to Global Steel Holdings, as that would ‘ve made it possible for BUA Group to take over the ownership of the steel complex. Aondakaa should tell us why he later renegaded on both deals as we learnt that both companies now want the refund of the bribe they gave to him, while he (Aondakaa) has resorted to blackmail (against the two companies) in an effort to safe face.
Before Aondakaa and Waziri continue disturbing us with their cacophony about bringing El-Rufai to justice, let them first of all, bring all the corrupt ex-governors who have been charged to court since about two years now, to justice. Afterall, the corrupt ex-governors are still in Nigeria, walking tall and free and disturbing people’s peace, they ought to have been in jail where they belong. Going after El-Rufai now will be tantamount to a double standard, it is extremely dangerous and it is immoral, if I should borrow those words from Lois Gibbs.
Before Aondakaa and Waziri continue fooling themselves thinking to be fooling Nigerians, let them first of all take good care of the Halliburton bribery scandal that is still a mystery to many Nigerians. We would want to know who did what, when, how and why. Let them tell us who collected what, all the people involved and what transpired in the bribery transactions. Aondakaa can’t be serious about suing the foreign companies and their home countries (involved in the Halliburton saga) to court while the Nigerians who demanded and received the bribes are still being shielded from prosecution.
Before Aondakaa and Waziri start playing “god” and powerful to bring anybody to his/her kneels, let them tell us why James Ibori´s name was delisted from the list of corrupt ex-governors. The excuse given by Waziri that “the case is ongoing, that there is no way a pending case will be discontinued”, is not sufficient enough. We know what they are capable of doing in Nigeria. Ibori´s case will just “die” like that, despite the fact that he (Ibori) is one of the most corrupt Nigerians who ever lived.
Before Aondakaa and Waziri continue their deceits, let them tell us why Igbinedion was sentenced to only a fine of N3, 579,524.16 on a one count charge only, and then is made a “freeman” despite the fact that a 191-count charge for corrupt enrichment, money laundering and embezzlement was pressed against him earlier?
This writer wonders why and how Aondakaa still remains the chief apostle of Yar’Adua’s “rule (ruse) of law” mantra with his misdemeanours in office.
Before Aondakaa and Waziri continue exhibiting their false “holy-than-thou” attitude, they should tell us why they received SUVs as gifts from some of the corrupt politicians? Ms. Waziri, we were told, got herself so intoxicated with alcohol to the extent of losing her consciousness while celebrating the gift of a Mercedes 450 GL SUV and was helped out by her aides. The EFCC boss should tell Nigerians why she accepted the Mercedes Benz GL 450 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) from Akwa Ibom State Governor? Mr. Aondakaa and Ms. Waziri, should tell Nigerians why they are fond of taking bribes from some of the governors?
It was also revealed that Ms. Waziri works now hand in hand with former Inspector Generals of Police who work to bail accused persons in EFCC custody. Ms Waziri should tell us if it is true that her EFCC has returned the $19 million James Ibori gave to Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as bribe (in order for Ribadu to let him off the hook), back to him (Ibori). Aondakaa and Waziri should tell us why nothing is happening again in the war against corruption front since the exit of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu?
Ms. Waziri should “clear the air” on all these:
This writer would want the EFCC boss or her spokesperson to refute the following serious allegations against her: We learnt that between June 23 2008 and October 22nd 2008, Ms. Waziri made 8 withdrawals amounting to a total sum of N75 million as “information fund” from the accounts of the EFCC without using the money for any “information” project and that the EFCC account books have no record for such usage. What did Ms. Waziri use the money for?
We learnt that before becoming the EFCC boss, Waziri had only one property in Abuja - Plot 601 at 23 Aso Garden Estate, Maitama Abuja. She should tell Nigerians who bought No.10 Port Novo Street, Wuse II and at what price, was the house undervalued or not and how did the allottee pay for the house?
Ms. Waziri should tell Nigerians who was allocated Plot 1460 of 25 Trent River Street, Maitama, Abuja and why the allocation was hurriedly revoked? Nigerians would want to know why two days after the revocation; the same plot was allocated to Zainab Naomi Salawu. Who is this Zainab Naomi Salawu and why was the address of the plot changed to 2 River Trent Crescent, Maitama Abuja?
The EFCC boss should tell Nigerians why she moved almost all EFCC accounts to the Access Bank of Nigeria and if has a relation working in that bank. The EFCC spokesperson Femi Babafemi admitted that Access Bank had EFCC account, when confronted with the issue.
This writer still can’t come to terms why Aondakaa and Waziri are the arrow-heads in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Could it be that the justification for keeping them where they are now is because of the saying “it takes thieves to catch thieves”? But still at that, where is the morality in all these, what have we achieved since two years now?
Ms. Waziri recently debunked the claim that the fight against corruption had waned since the dawn of her leadership, reeling out statistics to back up her claim of a renewed and reinvigorated battle against the scourge; while enumerating the commission’s achievement since her takeover.
Ms Waziri should know that the achievement she is claiming was put in motion by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde who preceded her at the EFCC. So she is reaping what she did not sow. The achievement she is brandishing is the hardwork of the men before her as she cannot get anything tangibly done in the war against corrupt on her own, being herself a very corrupt individual.
Aondakaa and Waziri should stop deceiving themselves; Nigerians are not buying that crap (the reason why they want to extradite El-Rufai) from them. Mallam El-Rufai has the right to criticise the anti-graft war of this president because of the double standards they are employing into it. No matter what Waziri or Aondakaa say, Nigerians are not impressed, neither are they amused, because for many of us, action speaks louder than the stinking words of the duo. Ephesians 4:14 says: “ That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting”.
This writer is not fronting for or defending Mallam El-Rufai because I know that he is more than capable of defending himself, but, one thing I know for sure is that the charges against him are being used for political witch-hunts in order to put him out of political limelight into political oblivion, because they know the stuff he’s made of and that he has a bright future as far as Nigerian politics is concerned. The corrupt politicians know that he’s a no-nonsense man that will go after anybody who’s corrupt any time he finds himself in any authority position. So the corrupt politicians are trying to nip his ascendancy to authority position in the bud, but, they will fail.
This writer is not in any way trying to exonerate Mallam El-Rufai as I am for the trial and conviction of anybody found guilty of corruption because of the havoc it (corruption) has wrecked on Nigeria, it has kept God's blessings from reaching the needy and it is what kept Nigeria in the near collapse state it is in now. My point here is that the prosecution, or rather persecution, of Mallam El-Rufai is ill-timed and suspicious. Thomas Paine once wrote that “Suspicion and persecution are weeds of the same dunghill, and flourish best together” and Archbishop Richard Whately also wrote that “Persecution is not wrong because it is cruel; but it is cruel because it is wrong”.
The EFCC and Aondakaa suddenly woke up because Mallam El-Rufai rightly accused them of jeopardizing the war against corruption, after they have hibernated in that front for long, allowing all the corrupt people the peace they do not deserve and giving them the unmerited chance of “sleeping with their two eyes closed”, far from what they were used to when Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was incharge of the EFCC. My point is that before Aondakaa and Waziri get to El-Rufai, they should first of all put themselves to trial because of the mountain of corruption allegations hanging on their own neck. Let Aondakaa and Waziri not forget what Louis Nizer said: “ When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself”
This writer knows too well that Mallam El-Rufai is more upright, has good intentions and means well for Nigeria than Aondakaa and Waziri all combined. Even if Mallam El-Rufai is guilty as charged (which I doubt), extraditing him should not be the option now because he will never turn his back on Nigeria, afterall, he promised to return to Nigeria immediately he finishes his studies and that promise, I know he will keep. Hugh Latimer once wrote that “Wherever you see persecution, there is more than a probability that truth lies on the persecuted side”.
The best thing for Aondakaa and Waziri to do is to make sure that all the corruption cases instituted long ago are pursued to conclusion and all the corrupt politicians and government officials who are still out there in Nigeria should be charged and convicted. There are so many corrupt people in Nigeria and their cases are so many and enough to keep Aondakaa and Waziri busy round the year, so it is a very stupid idea to “chase the shadow that is far away while leaving the substance that is at home”. Let Aondakaa and Waziri get their act together with the criminals at home before venturing out against those who are abroad. When the criminals at home have been taken care of (through conviction by the courts), then Waziri and Aondakaa will have my full support to go after those abroad including Mallam El-Rufai, if the “charges” against him can be substantiated.
Any Nigerian infuriated by El-Rufai for having demolished his or her house, should know that the house was built contrary to the Abuja Master Plan. Those who disobeyed the plan paid for it. Nigerians love cutting corners and taking short cuts and there is a price to pay for it whenever an upright man takes charge of an affair. Just as Fashola, the Governor of Lagos State, is doing now; he has changed the face of Lagos for good, but, those that built their structure in a wrong place paid a price for it. Mallam El-Rufai is a man, who as the FCT minister, had the gut, strength and courage to demolish houses not built within the Abuja Master Plan. El-Rufai demolished the house Ahmadu Ali built outside the Master Plan, Ali was the then larger-than-life PDP Chairman. Also, houses some powerful politicians including some senators, built which fell outside the Abuja Master Plan was bulldozed down. That was why the senators that are supposed to ban themselves from politics for life (for not being any useful to Nigeria and Nigerians), and not the indefatigable El-Rufai, want also “a pound of his (El-Rufai) flesh”. If El-Rufai can dare Ali and other power brokers who were bestriding the landscape then as virtually “gods” and untouchables, by destroying their houses built contrary to the Abuja Master Plan and damned the consequences, then he can do more good for Nigeria. El-Rufai restored the original Abuja Master Plan and that should have earned him accolades (encomium) instead of prosecution.
EFCC and Aondakaa might be “pursuing” Mallam EL-Rufai without justification. Their motive might be malicious or at it best, venomous. But they shouldn’t forget that Lucius Annaeus Seneca said that “Malice drinks one half of its own poison”.
Let’s not forget that El-Rufai is wanted for punishment because this government is after those who made Obasanjo’s government thick (the reform minds of that regime). The N 32 billion they are accusing El-Rufai of embezzling was saved by him, but, his successor at FCT ministry (Modibbo) “dealt” with the money and Waziri knows that, but, she is still out to do her masters’ bidding of roping in an innocent man. Afterall, their own crimes and cover-ups must be paid for by someone else. Aondakaa, Waziri and their cohorts must have “beaten their chest” in triumph for having succeeded in “dealing” with Ribadu; the next in line is El-Rufai and then Soludo; all the reformers who took Obasanjo’s regime to the acme. But let Aondakaa and co. know that things might not always work their way; they have turned Nigeria into their fiefdom and are behaving as “gods”, they are proposing, but, the Almighty God will be disposing. Let them know that we are all mortals and that in life, one can’t always win, the table can quickly turn against them now or in the future.
My advice for Aondakaa and Waziri comes from Ephesians 4:31: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice”.
To end this long piece, I want to leave this quote for Mallam El-Rufai (also for Nuhu Ribadu): They shouldn’t be deterred:
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve. But, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” (Nelson Mandela at the start of his imprisonment)
Temple Chima Ubochi writes from Germany through ubochit@yahoo.com
