Nigeria is under state-capture of criminal elements in contrast to anytime in historical past. Prior to now, the saying was, “it isn’t officers which can be corrupt however it’s corruption that’s official.”
Right this moment it isn’t simply that the federal government is prison however criminals are the federal government.
Tinubu’s antecedents are the most criminal of any Nigerian president in historical past. Muhammadu Buhari and Olusegun Obasanjo had been army; Shehu Shagari, Umaru Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan had been educationists. Tinubu is a licensed fraud domestically and internationally not simply by claims by others however by his personal mouth. Even his very identify and gender are doubtful primarily based on paperwork he himself proffered to not point out faux colleges and employment.
His deputy has troubling terror ties. Like Tinubu, his political opponents had been mysteriously and conveniently liquidated. Satirically Nyesom Wike who as Minister warned then Governor Kashim Shettima to not permit Borno college students to be attacked in rural areas, didn’t turn into president however at this time Shettima who was liable for the Chibok mass abductions has been rewarded as his boss. In Nigeria, it’s punishable to do proper and worthwhile to do unsuitable.
Nevertheless it’s not simply Tinubu’s previous that’s his downside. This weekend we keep in mind the horrific mass slaughter of harmless Nigerian protesters by safety forces known as to clear them out of Lekki tollgate – the slave buying and selling outpost of Tinubu’s tax stronghold on probably the most populous city-state in Africa.
Tinubu, like his operating mate, Shettima, has the blood of Nigerian youths on their arms be it the victims of #EndSARs or #Bringbackourgirls – the largest world human rights campaigns to emerge from Nigeria for the reason that Biafra warfare and the June 12/Ogoni crises. And so they have been rewarded with energy for bloodshed.
As if that was not dangerous sufficient, the triumvirate of terror was accomplished within the Senate President. I hadn’t adopted him carefully and knew him solely because the governor who gave hundreds of thousands to get together members to purchase “McDonalds.”
Shockingly, a really credible supply supplied documented narratives of sinister and malevolent deployment of thuggery that was corroborated by different public accounts. Nigeria is at this time gripped within the claws of a trifecta of the godless and the lawless.
The tragedy is that Nigeria doesn’t deserve these. The primary citizen was ineligible to be president for forgery amongst others, the quantity two citizen was ineligible for double nomination amongst others and the quantity three citizen was ineligible from the primaries. All of them are merchandise of confused courts that abused the very legal guidelines in place to guard society from the lawless to guard the lawless from society.
The one head of an arm of presidency who isn’t steeped in a prolific crime historical past occurs to be the Chief Justice of Nigeria however the public has scant confidence in his skill to do justice by them.
On my second go to to Nigeria after the prison takeover, a number of issues struck me.
•A Libyan-trained islamist mujaheedin Asari Dokubu addressed the media from the presidential villa bragging that he and never the reputable army was liable for safety;
•A ship laden with stolen oil being escorted by the Navy was arrested by native vigilantes;
•The cash launderer who helped Normal Sani Abacha loot billions of {dollars} was appointed the Minister for Nigeria’s multibillion greenback finances;
•A rigged-in president who’s election claimed many lives needed to invade Niger and depose the troopers who took over in a cold coup;
•1000’s of homes and amenities are to be in-built states, not for indigenes displaced by Fulani terrorist assaults, however for Fulani occupation of their lands;
•A governor who left a strike in his state was appointed Labour minister;
•A governor who snapped with and signed failed agreements with bandits who slaughtered hundreds of indigenes was made defence minister.
Nigeria has seldom ever made sense however now it solely makes nonsense.
Over 1,000 folks had been killed and kidnapped however Israel first lower of energy and water and has not even invaded Palestine. But Tinubu lower energy to Niger and needed to invade for Nigerians’ lives to be misplaced needlessly over what precisely? The identical coup he did underneath the guise of an election?
A comic joked that issues are so dangerous in Nigeria that even the proverbial gentle on the finish of the tunnel is out.
The judiciary who’re responsibility sure to safeguard the soul of the nation has abdicated. They lied that INEC didn’t promise to make use of IREV to mitigate election fraud and so they lied that 25% of votes wasn’t constitutionally required in FCT, amongst others.
Thus we have now a weird spectacle {that a} fraudster was declared a president by professors and re-declared a president by judges.
The value of legitimising illegitimacy is simply too excessive. It has price us our structure, our authorized system, our democracy and even our widespread decency, morality and logic as a folks.
There was a time Normal Colin Powell apologised for calling Nigeria “a nation of scammers.” With the scamming of all our unintelligence businesses and authorized system by a licensed prison, no apology is now essential.
Nigeria’s misruling get together has executed nothing underneath each Buhari and Tinubu than losing sources to defend certificateless presidents at residence and overseas, for medical tourism and for dying, devastation and impoverishment of the citizenry.
Nigeria’s democracy is fraudulent, it’s judiciary reprobate (unable to inform proper from unsuitable) and it’s foundational creed is lies. To maintain a Tinubu presidency, each tutorial certificates from main faculty to nationwide service has been devalued. Primary intelligence from widespread sense to the lofty structure is annulled and we discover ourselves within the tortured absurdity that the courts have dominated that guidelines don’t matter in an existential risk to themselves. Sadly proper now, the judiciary shouldn’t be the final hope of the widespread man however the misplaced hope of the widespread man. A nation’s very soul has been sacrificed on the altar of 1 man’s inordinate ambition.
•Ogebe is a US-based lawyer.