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“Alamieyesiegha became the victim of great hypocrisy masquerading as
nationalism and anti-corruption fight.”The above quote is excerpted from a statement by James Onanefe Ibori, the
jailbird former governor of Delta state on the death of his chummy buddy
and former colleague in office, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha who died about a
week ago. Many would be quick to dismiss Ibori’s summation as that of an
aching mind mourning the fate of a comrade in crime. But that poignant
sentence speaks to the conscience of Nigeria. It pours salt on the open
wound of our contorted national psyche. If we look beyond the messenger
and behold the message then we may well retain the redeeming hope that
Nigeria’s case is not a lost one. But to dismiss the message because the
bearer is someone we love to hate is simply tantamount to living in
continued self denial the consequence of which is an inevitable plunge
down the precipice. This is an eternal lesson the passage of
Alamieyeseigha offers the country. We can conveniently forget all the
half-hearted tributes that have been poured on him but Nigeria’s woes will
only worsen if we sidestep the ultimate opportunity of national moral
reawakening his travails and eventual death presents. This is because a
nation without morals is one in the deep morass of directionlessness. And
it is no surprise that Nigeria has wandered endlessly in the wilderness of
denial, deceit and conceit contrived by a conscious-seared elite. And make
no mistake about it, the story of DSP Alamieyeseigha is partly the story
of elite conspiracy- a tale of dog eat dog in the brutal jungle of might
is right. Not everyone will agree with my submission but only those, I
repeat, only those who crafted, perpetuate and benefit from the faulty
foundations of the country will disagree that Alamieyeseigha’s persecution
packaged as prosecution is a function of the selective justice that is the
bane of the country. And this selective justice is oiled and sustained by
regular doses of selective amnesia dished out by the media on the
orchestration of course, of the superintendent wing of the elite class.
Alamieyeseigha was conquered and has finally submitted to eternal
immortality but let no one glory in the story of his travails in public
office. Because like we have seen again and again in this country, many of
those who were once entrusted with public trust fell short of the moral
compass. And this includes those who threw darts at him from the oozing
cocoons of their corrupt edifice. But no matter how long it takes and no
matter how far it strays, the chicken will always come home to roost. It
is a national shame however you look at it that it is a James Ibori that
has from the confines of his UK prison walls gone beyond the sophistry of
boring condolence statements to prick our national conscience with the
sharp needle of Alamieyeseigha’s demise. Yes Ibori is serving prison term
in London but there are many members of his class who are held hostage in
taller prison walls built by their conscience. They are the ones who look
in the mirror and deep down in their optical channels know that the image
they see (and present to the gullible public) is not really theirs. They
are the ones who entered public poor without a penny but exited richer
than the mind can imagine. They are those who go to court to secure
perpetual injunctions against lawful inquisition into their ill-gotten
wealth. They are those who hide under the cover of political persecution
to ward off legal prosecution. They are the ones who bought their liberty
with part of the loot they stashed while in service. They are the ones who
challenge their opponents to go to court over fraud allegations on them
but freely convict same individuals when the reverse is the case. They are
the ones who get rewarded with fresh political appointments for ‘working
for the victory of the party’ notwithstanding legal investigations into
their past stewardship. They are the ones who pontificate as nationalist
patriots but balk at attempts to question their misdeeds in office. They
parade the corridors of power and peddle authority and influence secured
through false pretences. Alamieyeseigha may not be hero to many beyond his
Ijaw nation but I argue vehemently that some of those who present
themselves as heroes are actually the villains of Nigeria’s progress.
Alamieyeseigha was toppled from office as governor of Bayelsa State in
very shameful circumstances. His fall from grace began in September 2005
with his arrest at Heathrow airport by the Metropolitan police on charges
of money laundering. Events swirled swiftly thereafter to culminate in his
removal from office following impeachment by the Bayelsa State House of
Assembly. He was subsequently arraigned in court for corruption by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) where he pleaded guilty in
a plea bargain deal which included return of some his loot traced to safe
havens both at home and abroad. Alamieyeseigha’s trajectory was a
celebrated story sensationalized by the media and lapped upon by an
excited public hungry for retributive justice. Sadly however, the
retributions sought by the public was no more than the fleeting orgasmic
type which only relieves the momentary craving of the nympho but builds up
momentum for the next laying. That is why the nation never bothered to
interrogate the narrative put out on the Alamieyeseigha saga by mainstream
media and its sponsors. The sensationalism was such that any other
narrative was considered haram and not worth contemplation or serious
consideration even if for the sake of balance and fairness. Not even the
side of the story told by Alamieyeseigha himself sold more than a few
pennies. But whatever the prejudices and impressions embedded over the
sorry episode, critical minds noted and indeed bookmarked the roles played
by key characters as narrated by the lead character himself. Going through
the interview Alamieyeseigha granted Vanguard newspaper in its June 28,
2009 edition, the shameful ordeal of the former governor cannot be removed
from the less than altruistic involvement of former president Olusegun
Obasanjo and ex EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu. Both men represented and
championed the cause of that section of the feuding elite which bayed for
Alamieyeseigha’s blood. Without meaning to force the counter narrative
down your throat, it is hard to remove Alamieyeseigha’s travails from his
political differences with Obasanjo at the time. According to the former
governor, his sin was his support for then vice president Abubakar Atiku
and for those who remember the life-and-death Obasanjo fought with his
deputy at that time, such sin was very grievous indeed. He said in the
interview that Obasanjo “had threatened me that he would demonstrate to me
that he wasn’t only Mr. President but that he would show me that he was
also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”It would be puerile to take the claims in the interview hook, line and
sinker but it would be demonstration of ingrained prejudice to dismiss
everything said. Importantly, it is instructive to note that neither
Obasanjo nor Ribadu who were copiously mentioned in the said interview are
on record to have convincingly countered Alamieyeseigha on those claims
till his death. May God continue to bless Obasanjo for his past efforts to
keep Nigeria one. But may God also judge him for his roles in such elite
squabbles as the one in which Alamieyeseigha got caught in. No man is
without virtues but it is a vice in itself for a man to portray himself as
without vice. Alamieyeseigha acknowledged his vice, suffered for it and
tried to rise above it till he died. May his soul rest in peace.
nationalism and anti-corruption fight.”The above quote is excerpted from a statement by James Onanefe Ibori, the
jailbird former governor of Delta state on the death of his chummy buddy
and former colleague in office, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha who died about a
week ago. Many would be quick to dismiss Ibori’s summation as that of an
aching mind mourning the fate of a comrade in crime. But that poignant
sentence speaks to the conscience of Nigeria. It pours salt on the open
wound of our contorted national psyche. If we look beyond the messenger
and behold the message then we may well retain the redeeming hope that
Nigeria’s case is not a lost one. But to dismiss the message because the
bearer is someone we love to hate is simply tantamount to living in
continued self denial the consequence of which is an inevitable plunge
down the precipice. This is an eternal lesson the passage of
Alamieyeseigha offers the country. We can conveniently forget all the
half-hearted tributes that have been poured on him but Nigeria’s woes will
only worsen if we sidestep the ultimate opportunity of national moral
reawakening his travails and eventual death presents. This is because a
nation without morals is one in the deep morass of directionlessness. And
it is no surprise that Nigeria has wandered endlessly in the wilderness of
denial, deceit and conceit contrived by a conscious-seared elite. And make
no mistake about it, the story of DSP Alamieyeseigha is partly the story
of elite conspiracy- a tale of dog eat dog in the brutal jungle of might
is right. Not everyone will agree with my submission but only those, I
repeat, only those who crafted, perpetuate and benefit from the faulty
foundations of the country will disagree that Alamieyeseigha’s persecution
packaged as prosecution is a function of the selective justice that is the
bane of the country. And this selective justice is oiled and sustained by
regular doses of selective amnesia dished out by the media on the
orchestration of course, of the superintendent wing of the elite class.
Alamieyeseigha was conquered and has finally submitted to eternal
immortality but let no one glory in the story of his travails in public
office. Because like we have seen again and again in this country, many of
those who were once entrusted with public trust fell short of the moral
compass. And this includes those who threw darts at him from the oozing
cocoons of their corrupt edifice. But no matter how long it takes and no
matter how far it strays, the chicken will always come home to roost. It
is a national shame however you look at it that it is a James Ibori that
has from the confines of his UK prison walls gone beyond the sophistry of
boring condolence statements to prick our national conscience with the
sharp needle of Alamieyeseigha’s demise. Yes Ibori is serving prison term
in London but there are many members of his class who are held hostage in
taller prison walls built by their conscience. They are the ones who look
in the mirror and deep down in their optical channels know that the image
they see (and present to the gullible public) is not really theirs. They
are the ones who entered public poor without a penny but exited richer
than the mind can imagine. They are those who go to court to secure
perpetual injunctions against lawful inquisition into their ill-gotten
wealth. They are those who hide under the cover of political persecution
to ward off legal prosecution. They are the ones who bought their liberty
with part of the loot they stashed while in service. They are the ones who
challenge their opponents to go to court over fraud allegations on them
but freely convict same individuals when the reverse is the case. They are
the ones who get rewarded with fresh political appointments for ‘working
for the victory of the party’ notwithstanding legal investigations into
their past stewardship. They are the ones who pontificate as nationalist
patriots but balk at attempts to question their misdeeds in office. They
parade the corridors of power and peddle authority and influence secured
through false pretences. Alamieyeseigha may not be hero to many beyond his
Ijaw nation but I argue vehemently that some of those who present
themselves as heroes are actually the villains of Nigeria’s progress.
Alamieyeseigha was toppled from office as governor of Bayelsa State in
very shameful circumstances. His fall from grace began in September 2005
with his arrest at Heathrow airport by the Metropolitan police on charges
of money laundering. Events swirled swiftly thereafter to culminate in his
removal from office following impeachment by the Bayelsa State House of
Assembly. He was subsequently arraigned in court for corruption by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) where he pleaded guilty in
a plea bargain deal which included return of some his loot traced to safe
havens both at home and abroad. Alamieyeseigha’s trajectory was a
celebrated story sensationalized by the media and lapped upon by an
excited public hungry for retributive justice. Sadly however, the
retributions sought by the public was no more than the fleeting orgasmic
type which only relieves the momentary craving of the nympho but builds up
momentum for the next laying. That is why the nation never bothered to
interrogate the narrative put out on the Alamieyeseigha saga by mainstream
media and its sponsors. The sensationalism was such that any other
narrative was considered haram and not worth contemplation or serious
consideration even if for the sake of balance and fairness. Not even the
side of the story told by Alamieyeseigha himself sold more than a few
pennies. But whatever the prejudices and impressions embedded over the
sorry episode, critical minds noted and indeed bookmarked the roles played
by key characters as narrated by the lead character himself. Going through
the interview Alamieyeseigha granted Vanguard newspaper in its June 28,
2009 edition, the shameful ordeal of the former governor cannot be removed
from the less than altruistic involvement of former president Olusegun
Obasanjo and ex EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu. Both men represented and
championed the cause of that section of the feuding elite which bayed for
Alamieyeseigha’s blood. Without meaning to force the counter narrative
down your throat, it is hard to remove Alamieyeseigha’s travails from his
political differences with Obasanjo at the time. According to the former
governor, his sin was his support for then vice president Abubakar Atiku
and for those who remember the life-and-death Obasanjo fought with his
deputy at that time, such sin was very grievous indeed. He said in the
interview that Obasanjo “had threatened me that he would demonstrate to me
that he wasn’t only Mr. President but that he would show me that he was
also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”It would be puerile to take the claims in the interview hook, line and
sinker but it would be demonstration of ingrained prejudice to dismiss
everything said. Importantly, it is instructive to note that neither
Obasanjo nor Ribadu who were copiously mentioned in the said interview are
on record to have convincingly countered Alamieyeseigha on those claims
till his death. May God continue to bless Obasanjo for his past efforts to
keep Nigeria one. But may God also judge him for his roles in such elite
squabbles as the one in which Alamieyeseigha got caught in. No man is
without virtues but it is a vice in itself for a man to portray himself as
without vice. Alamieyeseigha acknowledged his vice, suffered for it and
tried to rise above it till he died. May his soul rest in peace.
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