ONNOGHEN! CONFLICT OF MORALITY IN THE FACE OF NEPOTISM.

Amaso Jack

By Amaso Jack

“The Nigerian Bar Association unequivocally condemns this assault, intimidation and desecration of the Judiciary by FGN agencies and demands that it be stopped immediately.” https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/cjns-trial-ignore-court-summons-s-south-govs-tell-onnoghen/

In Nigerian politics, interest and morality are in constant conflict and more often than not, morality is held in subjugation to Interest.

Beyond Interest, the moral thing for Onnoghen the Chief Justice of Nigeria to do, is  to step down. Beyond morality, the strategic thing to do by interest, is to SIT TIGHT, for in politics the god of politics is interest!

SIT TIGHT EXAMPLES

Onnoghen, is the latest sit tight example of the clashes between morality and interest, others before him who chose interest over morality were: Murtala Mohammed, Bukola Saraki, Yemi Osinbajo, Babachir Lawal, Tukur Yusuf Buratai, J. S. Tarka, Amina Zakari, Abdulrasheed Maina, Professor  Usman Yusuf (Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme). Adamu Adamu, Goodluck Jonathan and Lt-Colonel George Kurubo, belong to a different category of the clashes of interest against morality, while J. S. Tarka and Kemi Adeosun are the only pair to go the way of morality in the face of public pressure and not on their own.

PROVOCATIVE INSULT OF NEPOTISM

“Appointment of security heads based on merit, Buhari tells Igbo in Anambra” https://www.google.com/amp/s/guardian.ng/news/appointment-of-security-heads-based-on-merit-buhari-tells-igbo-in-anambra/amp

To say no single Igbo man is qualified by merit for the close to 20 top security positions in the land, amounts to a provocative insult of nepotism and an affront to the constitutional provision of federal character. Junaid Mohammed captured it in perspective when he said:

“This is enough to prove to you that this is shamelessly the worst form of nepotism in the history of government in Nigeria. In fact, in the history of Africa, let me make bold to assert that I have never seen any level of nepotism that has equalled or surpassed this in my entire life”https://punchng.com/nepotism-buharis-govt-worst-nigerias-history-junaid-mohammed/

Onnoghen is the only southern balancing force in an ethnic charged nation, made worse by nepotism. The speed with which he was arraigned on the eve of the election, is the direct oppose of the speed with which Tukur Yusuf Buratai was cleared under similar circumstances, without due process.

“What Nigerians need to see is a full and open investigation by the relevant arms of government: EFCC, ICPC, special Military tribunal and/or court martial and any and all other relevant military and civil authorities.

Nigerians need to see that official agencies of government including the spokesperson of the Army are no longer unconstitutionally chartered to defend the personal matters of the Army chief. It is Buratai’s duty and his alone to state his defence.“http://saharareporters.com/2016/06/29/15m-dubai-investment-clearing-fraud-pr-Nigerians-clearing-coas-buratai-peregrino-brimah

Buhari’s fellow Northerners and Southern political associates who have lingering cases with similar accusations, have made the smell  of double standards even worse!

It should be understood that nepotism and the fear of ethnic domination cost us the civil war and Buhari is going that way.

Buhari’s policy of using his anti-corruption fight as a tool of political coercion and a tool of ethnic vendetta, is dangerous for national unity and can wipe off the bond of national unity…if there ever was one!

INTEREST THE SIT TIGHT GOD OF STRATEGIC POLITICS.

The faulty structure of the Nigerian system in which geopolitical power is concentrated in the centre, a practice begun by ironsi’s decree 34 of May 1966, which is the spirit behind our strange federalism and Gowon’s petroleum act of 1969, in which political economic power was vested in the centre, has made ethnic and personal interest supercede morality when public officers commit a vice that require they step down.

People in public office represent sectional and personal interest, that often clash with and override the morality, manifesting in the refusal of public offices to resign in the event of a vice, before of pressure from the interest they represent.

The only two public officers, to bow to the public pressure of morality to resign are J. S. Tarka the minority Tiv leader who had fought Fulani subjugation in the Benue valley and Kemi Adeosun a South Western beneficiary of the Northern and South Western political collaboration, first acted out by S. L. Akintola and Ahmadu before Tinubu and Buhari revived it.

On the 169th page of his 2009 Agora published book, he titled: “Oil, Politics and Violence Nigeria’s Military Coup Culture (1966-1976) Max Siollun wrote:

“The corruption got so serious that a private citizen (Godwin Daboh) went to court to swear to allegations of corruption against the Commissioner for Communications Joseph Tarka. Despite the press furor, Gowon did not sack Tarka, who instead later resigned under intense criticism. Brigadier Murtala Mohammed replaced Tarka as Commissioner for Communications in August 1974.”

OBSERVATION. The designation, Commissioner was used to replace Minister by the military governments in the 1970s and 1980s.

ANALYSIS.

1 Like Kemi Adeosun exactly 44 years later, Tarka resigned after public pressure.

2 Like Gowon, exactly 44 years after, Buhari didn’t take any legal action against Kemi Adeosun.

3 Like Tinubu many years after Tarka (by the evidence of Dapo Apara ) Was Tarka ammassing public funds to fund his political empire was was in Benue the equivalent of Tinubu’s is doing Lagos?

“Alpa Beta, a consultancy owned by Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State and National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is at the centre of a N100 billion fraud, tax evasion and money laundering petition written by Mr. Dapo Apara, its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer.” http://saharareporters.com/2018/09/07/breaking-tinubu’s-alpha-beta-accused-n100bn-‘money-laundering-tax-evasion-fraud’

4 Buhari’s trademark nepotism of favouring the core North by the principle of Interest over morality has ignited a counter response by the governors of the South South, and that response has moved the fragile balance of our national unity to a precarious edge. Onnoghen is from that zone and the ethnic interest he represents (the South South) governors asked him not to step down nor attend the trial. The governors noted:

“Therefore, we consider this step, which is directly aimed at humiliating the nation’s highest judicial officer and a prominent son of the region, as totally unacceptable as it is reflective of the South South story of endless marginalization and intimidation. The unceremonious removal of former Acting Director General of the Department of State Service, Matthew Seiyefa and his replacement is still very fresh.”https://www.google.com/amp/dailypost.ng/2019/01/13/breaking-cjn-onnoghen-details-south-south-governors-meeting-emerge/amp/

Added to the position of the governors are militants from the region, whose threat to resume acts of sabotage will only compounded an already complex security situation in which the army is stretched to the limit performing internal security duties.

There are however a few dissenting voices that hold a contrary position to those of the governors, the most prominent of whom is Robert Clerk, a SAN. He said:

“I have been PRACTICING LAW for over 50 years now, I don’t THINK I have up to $10,000 in my foreign account. Where did CJN get $900,000, if not CORRUPTION”-Robert Clarke, S.A.N” https://www.nairaland.com/4972912/support-federal-govts-probe-justice

-TO BE CONTD