LEGISLATIVE IMPERATIVES TO WIN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

Nigeria's anti-corruption laws are too weak and mild. Today, a pick-pocket who manages to steal a few Naira and gets caught would go to jail for a very long time if successfully prosecuted while someone who steals billions of Naira, even if convicted, may not stay in jail for more than six months. We need to amend our laws to give teeth to the agencies which are supposed to fight corruption. Our laws are not strict enough to ensure that sentences are stiff for fraudsters and looters even when conviction is eventually achieved.

We also need legislation on Assets Forfeiture which places the onus on an accused person to prove that he/she rightfully earned th...e income with which he/she acquired properties which appear to be beyond his/her legitimate resources. If a public official cannot account for how he/she earned enough money to own companies, shares in quoted companies, a hill-top mansion, fleet of cars etc., such properties should be forfeited to the Federal Government by a Court Order at the instance of ANY NIGERIAN INDIVIDUAL OR AGENCY. When an Asset Forfeiture case is initiated and successfully prosecuted at the instance of an individual, such a person should be placed in a Whistle-Blower Protection Programme by the Federal Government to ensure that he/she and his/her family are not exposed to any negative repercussion whether physically, economically or psychologically.

Consequently, a Whistle-Blower Protection Act which protects the identity, safety, security and economic well-being of bona fide whistle-blowers in both the private and public sectors should be enacted. Such a law should also have provision for punishment for false or malicious whistle-blowing to deter abuse by persons who may have scores to settle with those whom they wrongfully accuse of corruption.

God bless Nigeria!

Nigeria di fure!!

ON NIGERIA'S CENTENARY CELEBRATION

That Nigeria has survived 100 years as one country is worth celebrating. We have been confronted with several very challenging issues that could have broken up the country long ago. Below is a partial list of some of the more serious issues we succesfully overcame.

* The Crisis in the Western Region;
* The 1966 Coup;
* The Counter-Coup;
* The Pogrom against t...he Igbos in the Northern Region;
* The Secession of the Eastern Region;
* The Civil War;
* The Assassination of Gen. Murtala Mohammed;
* The Buhari Coup;
* The Babangida Coup;
* The Annulment of the June 12 Election;
* The Interim National Government Contraption;
* The Abacha Coup;
* The Judicial Murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his fellow Ogoni Activists;
* The Death of Abacha;
* The Death of Chief M. K. O. Abiola;
* The Niger Delta Militancy;
* The Introduction of Shariah Law in criminal matters in some northern states;
* The Third Term Agenda of former President Olusgeun Obasanjo;
* The Death of former President Umaru Yar'adua;
* The Post-2011 General Election Killings in some northern states; and
* Boko Haram Islamist Terrorism.

Some countries were broken up for much lesser issues.

We have much going for us as a country. We are now Africa's Number One Destination for Foreign Direct Investment. We received US$7Billion in 2013 alone. With the imminent redenomination of our GDP computation base, Nigeria will soon be Africa's largest economy (bigger than South Africa and Egypt).

We have many problems, but we are definitely better off than many Nigerians like to acknowledge. The informed business globalists know they can no longer ignore Nigeria.

No doubt, the LORD has been on our side. It is time we choose as a people to cast off mere religiosity and truly be on GOD'S SIDE AND LET RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALT OUR NATION.

I am confident that the matters that divide us can be resolved amicably during the upcoming National Conference and we can rebuild our nation so that peace, justice, equity, prosperity and truth truly reign.

God bless Nigeria!

Nigeria di fure!!

SACKING CORRUPTION AND KLEPTOCRATS IN NIGERIA

I criticised the President for choosing not to publish his Asset Declaration and for granting D. S. P. Alamieseigha a state pardon. I disagreed with his decision in those two instances. I was on Radio Continental's live programme, Kubanje Direct, sometime last year and spoke about these issues publicly. I also wrote about them on Facebook and here in my blog.

However, I recognise that the war against corruption in Nigeria cannot be fought by just the Presidency. Recently, the judiciary set free Nasir El Rufai and Dimeji Bankole who had been on trial for corruption despite the prima facie cases established by the EFCC against them. Our laws place a huge burden on prosecutors of corruption cases to produce evidence beyond doubt which give accused persons too much latitude to wriggle out especially if they have very good lawyers. Moreover, even in the rare cases where conviction is achieved, the sentence prescribed by the laws for corruption cases are too lenient. We still have corrupt judges who give questionable judgments. Imagine that Peter Odili has a Court-ordained perpetual licence to enjoy his loot without the possibility of ever being prosecuted!

So we need all arms of government (the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary) to step up their game if we are to win the war against corruption. Our laws need amendment and corrupt judges must be flushed out.

In addition, we must scrutinise the activities of State Governments and Local Governments as much as we do the Federal Government. We all know that some of the ex-Governors now parading around as "progressives" really belong in jail.

The erroneous belief in some quarters that the President is not fighting corruption or that he is tolerant of corruption is fed by the notion that allegations of corruption against certain public officers is tantamount to proof that they are indees corrupt. For example, some have called for the sack of Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke as the Minister of Petroleum yet cannot produce any evidence of wrong-doing. You cannot sack people or prosecute them based on mere suspicion or orchestrated claims in social media. We must respect due process and the rule of law. Media lynching is not justice. There was a case established against Ms. Stella Oduah and she has been duly relieved of her position. Now I expect the EFCC to do its work by thoroughly investigating her case and prosecuting her accordingly.

God bless Nigeria!

Nigeria di fure!!

THE MODALITIES FOR THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

I am excited about the framework for the National Conference as announced by the Federal Government yesterday. The system of representation and the guidelines are reasonable, fair, equitable and achievable. The budget of N7Billion is prudent and a worthwhile investment in our posterity.

Kudos to GEJ!

Some have raised concerns about the only "no-go area": Nigeria's indivisibility and the nature of representation at the National Conference.

On the one "no-go" area, I think that is rational. Some people were afraid of the National Conference only because of the prospect of it being a step towards the disintegration of our beloved Nigeria.

I believe the things that bind us together as a nation are actually much more than the things that appear to divide us. There is no evidence to believe most Nigerians are no longer interested in remaining in one country. Even the MASSOB guys who want a Biafran state do not represent the mainstream Igbo view. Separatist groups in Nigeria are largely on the fringes and a minority.

If the issue of Nigeria's existence is on the agenda at the National Conference, it will undermine the Conference and distract it from addressing the more important issues which are the real causes of our distrust, suspicion and disunity. If issues like resource control, true federalism (or confederalism), fiscal federalism etc. are well addressed, the issue of Nigeria's continuity as one country would have been effectively resolved.

And, if indeed our separation into small countries is what most Nigerians actually want, I am in no doubt that it will still happen eventually whether or not it is discussed at the National Conference. But there is no credible evidence that most Nigerians really want the country broken up. It is frustration with the injustices and inequities manifest in our faulty foundation that make some suggest we part ways. When you have MASSOB-type militant separatist groups replicated in most ethnic groups across the country one will need no other evidence that most Nigerians want the country broken up. As at today, MASSOB is still the only visible and vocal group formally advocating for the formation of a separate country for their tribesmen. And MASSOB does not even command the support of most Igbos. I doubt if their members are up to 10,000 persons world-wide.

We are better off as one country. The National Conference will help us resolve the issues of injustice and inequity which have hampered our unity and progress since 1914.

On the issue of representation at the National Conference, a general election is not feasible at this time and in the run-up to the 2015 General Election. The logistics and huge cost of organising a natioal election, ensuring it is free and fair, and giving room for litigation where there are allegations of rigging make it unviable.

Each sub-group attending the National Conference (the two main religious bodies, ethnic socio-cultural groups, professional groups, civil society groups etc.) will choose their own representatives. Democratic representation does not only happen by a general election. Each group has its own mechanism of selecting representatives who would truly represent them.

The nomination of persons by the President and the State Governors to attend the Conference is also in order. I am certain that they would ensure that they bolster their credibility by nominating only persons widely regarded as "fit and proper persons". And as elected representatives of Nigerians, who says they are not in the position to choose nominees who would go and advocate the popular views of our peoples?

The National Conference is our chance to rebuild our nation's foundation. Let us make it work.

God bless Nigeria!

Nigeria di fure!!

THE PRESIDENTIAL PILGRIMAGE

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan seems always dogged by controversy. No thanks to Sahara Reporters and Nigeria's many other online "media houses", Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Youtube, BlackBerry Messenger, LinkedIn and other social media. The previous tenants of Aso Rock Villa must be grateful that they only had to contend with the likes of Daily Times, Tribune, TELL, The News, Newswatch, Tempo, Daily Trust, Punch, Guardian, Vanguard and Thisday in their time!

The latest issue now causing a storm in Cyber9ja is the Presidential Pilgrimage to Israel. It has become the butt of all kinds of unsavoury jokes. Dr. Reuben Abati, Dr. Doyin Okupe and Reno Omokri have their work cut out....till the next controversy!

Pilgrimage to Israel is a personal choice for a Christian not a Biblical ordinance. I have never been to Israel. My friends who have been there say it is a glorious experience. They say their visit to the places mentioned in the Bible was uplifting for them spiritually as it brought home to them in a powerful way the reality of the Holy Scriptures and the certainty that their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, Saviour, King and God is not misplaced. I look forward to visiting Israel some day by God's Grace. I will be going as a TOURIST not as a "pilgrim". I am already on pilgrimage: I seek a City, a Heavenly City, which is to come; one whose Builder and Maker is God!

President Goodluck Jonathan's trip to Israel is essentially a State Visit. He is there with several Ministers, Governors and other public officers because it is an official trip. His visit to the "Holy Sites" (the pilgrimage) is a consequence of the State Visit not the true essence of the trip. Even President Barrack Obama, like many other world leaders who have been to Jerusalem, prayed at the Wailing Wall on his last trip to Israel just a few months ago. But nobody said President Obama went to Israel on "pilgrimage".

I am pleased that Nigeria's ambivalence in its relationship with Israel is finally over. Our past Presidents and Heads of State (including even those who professed Christianity) treated Israel almost as a pariah state so as not to offend the Arab countries even though most of them they had Israelis as their body-guards!

Whether you believe the Bible, God's Word, or not, the reality is that God has promised to bless the nations which bless Israel because of His Covenant with His Friend, Abraham. And there is no greater testimony of the truth of God's Word than the fact that Israel still exists as a nation on earth today despite the conspiracies of its enemies over the last two millenia to annihilate it. Hit Israel; GOD hits you! Bless Israel; God blesses you!!

There is much Nigeria will gain from being close friends with Israel. Israel should be seen as a strategic economic and technological partner for Nigeria.

God bless Israel!
Shalom Jerusalem!!

God bless Nigeria!
Nigeria di fure!!

LET US GIVE THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE A CHANCE

I welcome Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu back to Nigeria. I thank God that his knee surgery was successful and that he returned safely in good health. Praise God!

I am, however, disappointed (though not surprised) that Asiwaju Tinubu, in his very first press conference upon his arrival in a private jet (his private jet?) at the Execujet Terminal in Lagos, dismissed the up-coming National Conference, which has caused cheer and renewed optimism in many Nigerians about Nigeria's posterity as a nation, as a mere "diversionary step taken by a sinking ship". Though he said he would "abide by the decision of the All Progressives Congress" regarding the National Conference, it is clear his comment was designed to pre-empt his party and present it with a fait accompli as regards its position on the matter. It is unlikely the APC would take a stance different from its leader.

It is most unfortunate that some politicians are already playing politics with the planned National Conference. In the article I published a few days ago titled "THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE: OUR CHANCE TO REBUILD NIGERIA'S DESTROYED FOUNDATIONS", I wrote the following:

"Whatever may be President Goodluck Jonathan's motivation, Nigeria has embarked on an irreversible process. The events in our nation in the last two years are of such gravity and sensitivity that no politician or group should presume that the National Conference can be used as a mere temporary distraction or to achieve a pre-determined parochial agenda.

Most people who have resisted the idea of having a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) over the years have done so on the assumption that it will inevitably result in the dismemberment of Nigeria. That is not necessarily going to happen. But our continuity as one country must be discussed. If there are tribes or sections which are determined not to be part of Nigeria and they refuse to be persuaded to remain, they should be allowed to leave peacefully. There is no need for fear that the SNC is a ploy to divide the country.

......What most Nigerians want are Visionary Leadership, Good Governance, Peace, Prosperity and an Equal Opportunity to achieve their dreams. But our system is built on falsehood. Our foundation is destroyed. Inequity, injustice and lies are at the root of our nationhood. We cannot continue to pretend that we can achieve greatness without revisiting the very basis of our nationhood. No section of the country should feel exploited and manipulated. The SNC is now our only chance to pull back from the brink and work at truly building a nation where peace, truth, justice and prosperity can reign."

It is premature for anyone to dismiss the National Conference when the Advisory Committee, which is to be inaugurated tomorrow by President Goodluck Jonathan, has not even commenced its work of formulating the framework or operational modalities for the Conference. President Jonathan's sincerity or otherwise would be evident depending on what he does with the Advisory Committee's Report on the National Conference.

Frankly, I don't see how a Committee which has someone like Senator Femi Okorounmu of the Afenifere Group as its Chairman and other distinguished members like Prof. George
Obiozo; Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN), Senator Khairat Gwadabe, Col. Tony Nyiam (Rtd.) and Dr. Abubakar Sadiq would not come up with a workable framework for the National Conference which meets the yearnings and aspirations of most Nigerians who have longed for a genuine National Dialogue. If President Jonathan really meant to distract Nigerians by convening a National Conference then he shot himself in the foot by empanelling the calibre of Nigerians he appointed into the Committee and whose antecedents show that they are not people who can be pushed around.

Let us give the National Conference a chance.

God bless Nigeria! 

Nigeria di fure!
 

THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE: OUR CHANCE TO REBUILD NIGERIA'S DESTROYED FOUNDATIONS

I applaud President Goodluck Jonathan for setting up an Advisory Committee comprising reputable Nigerians to come up with modalities for organising a National Dialogue or Conference. The men and women who make up the Committee are very knowledgeable people and have enviable antecedents. Some of them have long been advoca...tes of a Sovereign National Conference and have already done commendable research in that area. I am confident that they will not let Nigerians down.

The National Conference must have no "no-go areas" like in past attempts at having a national dialogue which ended up being merely wasteful talk-shops that led us nowhere. The outcomes of the National Conference this time around must not be subject to review by the Government or even the National Assembly. The Legislature's only role should be to give legal and constitutional effect to the decisions taken by representatives of all our ethnic nationalities and other legitimate stake-holders at the National Conference. The key challenge, therefore, facing the Senator Femi Okorounmu-led Advisory Committee is how best to get Conference Delegates who truly and equitably represent all facets of Nigeria's socio-economic and political mosaic.

Whatever may be President Goodluck Jonathan's motivation, Nigeria has embarked on an irreversible process. The events in our nation in the last two years are of such gravity and sensitivity that no politician or group should presume that the National Conference can be used as a mere temporary distraction or to achieve a pre-determined parochial agenda.

Most people who have resisted the idea of having a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) over the years have done so on the assumption that it will inevitably result in the dismemberment of Nigeria. That is not necessarily going to happen. But our continuity as one country must be discussed. If there are tribes or sections which are determined not to be part of Nigeria and they refuse to be persuaded to remain, they should be allowed to leave peacefully. There is no need for fear that the SNC is a ploy to divide the country.

But how will the country even be divided? There is no clear fault-line on which a clean division can be made. There are indigenous Christians and Muslims in each state. Many Nigerians are irreversibly bound together by marriage, friendship and business partnerships. While the very vocal tribal "activists" on social media platforms and some politicians would like us to believe that most Nigerians want the country divided into ethnic nations, the evidence does not support their claim. If you travel around Nigeria and interact with the mass of our people, it is obvious that they are all victims of poverty induced by the greed and corruption of our "leaders" at all levels of government and that they really do not care so much whether the President is Ijaw, Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Esan, Jukun, Igbirra or Ibibio; or whether the person is a Christian or Muslim.

What most Nigerians want are Visionary Leadership, Good Governance, Peace, Prosperity and an Equal Opportunity to achieve their dreams. But our system is built on falsehood. Our foundation is destroyed. Inequity, injustice and lies are at the root of our nationhood. We cannot continue to pretend that we can achieve greatness without revisiting the very basis of our nationhood. No section of the country should feel exploited and manipulated. The SNC is now our only chance to pull back from the brink and work at truly building a nation where peace, truth, justice and prosperity can reign.

Nigerians have yet another chance to re-build the foundations of our country and (re)negotiate our nationhood on the basis of truth, justice, equity and righteousness. We must not fail. Our posterity depends on it.

God bless Nigeria!

Nigeria di fure!!