Nigeria: Beyond Due Process

The dues of process

With a number of cases of supposed impropriety leading to the ousting of political officers, the resignation of ministers, the indictment of politicians or the accusation of public office holders, the revelation of each developing speculation might make us lose focus of the pertinent issues.

One phrase that has been bandied around the most on most of these matters is that of “due process”. It makes one ask, how much process is due process and when does due process become a bureaucratic ordeal that requires the vultures of the law to nitpick the minutiae?

Beyond due process

However, beyond the façade of due process maybe we should review the issues of perception, appearance and transparency.

Some holders of public office would like to be considered honest, trustworthy and able; in return they expect to be respected and treated with some dignity whilst their authority and office is not impugned.

In those seemingly exceptional cases, it should not just be the letter of the law or guiding principles of rules of procedure that they should adhere to, they should endeavour to go the extra mile to ensure that nothing they do by commission or omission is construed to be suspect.

Separation from the detail

In the case of the threatened impeachment of the Speaker of the House Representative which lead to her resignation; there might have been reason to renovate the premises of those officers and the acquisition of vehicles for official duties, however, the Speaker should never have gotten directly involved in any of the contractual negotiations to the extent that she got implicated.

If there were rules about tendering, allocation of funds and execution of contracts, she should have ensured that her subordinates were aware of all that would make the activities transparent and above board whilst keeping her distance from matters that could create clamour about conflicts of interest, talk less of the whiff of corruption.

Obeying simple orders

The matter of the resignation of the ministers in the Ministry of Health is simple; the President gave an executive order to return unspent moneys to the treasury; it was disobeyed and then an elaborate scheme was hatched to distribute the said funds to senior staff whilst cheating the junior staff of their share of the loot.

I have no sympathy for the senior officials of that ministry; what they did was unforgivably corrupt and it should be punished after the necessary legal issues have ascertained guilt or innocence of the parties concerned.

Part of that distribution ended up in the Senate Committee for Health which has legislative oversight of the Ministry of Health and this was used to sponsor a retreat in Ghana.

Avoiding the conflict of interest

There are commentators who suggest that the Chairman of that committee, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello is a victim of a witch-hunt by reason of the fact that she is the daughter of the erstwhile President who is having his whole tenure discredited for all sorts of matters of due process.

I do not however subscribe to this idea of a witch-hunt; whilst a Senate committee is allowed to solicit funds for activities to help them fulfil their functions; it surely cannot be right for an oversight committee to solicit and accept funds from organisations over which it exercises the obligation of oversight.

Here, the chairman should have done the prudent thing, return the money to the ministry citing the possibility of conflict of interest and the perception that their clear and objective assessment of issues concerning the Ministry of Health could be compromised.

Asking for good character

Obviously, this is asking for a higher level of probity from participants in the governance of Nigeria, this kind of thinking has to start from the top for it to permeate through the fabric of our political system.

In the end, there is the matter of the spirit and letter of the law and procedures with the additional but unwritten aspects of perception that stems from the character and virtues of the people who hold high public office.

We should have in mind that this does not pertain to any religious affiliation of the people concerned, if they are not in and of themselves honest and trustworthy, no religious adherence would make them any better than they are – do not be badgered with the false witness of swearing to some potentate when you are seeking the truth about any matter.

Etteh resigns!

All for themselves alone

After 5 months of being inaugurated, the House of Representatives have finally reached a major breakthrough about deliberations concerning the people of Nigeria – just themselves.

They have wasted valuable parliamentary time which should have been addressing the serious challenges of Nigeria probing the order for a NGN 98 million or $824,000 body massager that was refused along with the $5 million renovation of the Speaker’s and her deputy’s residences with 12 cars to boot.

It is a shame that a woman attained such a high office in Nigeria and squandered it on greedy megalomania and self-aggrandisement forgetting that she could have been a beacon of hope to all womenfolk not only in Nigeria but Africa at large.

Raised to disgrace

But this is what happens when an “uneducated” beautician is politically imposed on a process by godfathers who have no scruples, whose corrupt claws can be found in everything that makes the democracy in Nigeria a shambles.

The height of the probe into these rotten activities of the Speaker came when a squabble ensued during deliberations and one of her supporters got roughed-up, he suffered a heart attack and died.

To crown the disgraceful situation, a plenary session was held in memory of the hapless politician, I could not find the words to express my disdain – I kept my peace.

As the House tried to debate the findings of the report that probed these activities, the Speaker wanted to sit as chairman of that session rather than recuse herself – well, as if a stark illiterate or a politician given to the culture of impunity that grinds Nigeria to halt would appreciate the need to do the right thing.

The opposing representatives who call themselves the Integrity Group, makes me wonder if there can ever be a politician of integrity rather that self-interest in Nigeria; apart from the “servant-leader” who cannot find a hospital in - the whole length and breath of mighty - Nigeria for a check-up that he has to go to Germany – Again!

Splitting hairs pro-tempore

It got to the point where they were splitting hairs – well, a beautician would know about that – as to whether to have a Chairman pro-tempore or a Speaker pro-tempore to preside over the meetings. These people can leave you completely breathless, they know all about politicking but nothing about the responsibility that comes with having a mandate.

It appears after all the disgrace that has been heaped on Nigeria by these shameless, congenitally corrupt grubs who call themselves representatives through conduct that would unbecoming of the most disreputable criminal organisation that could ever exist, the Speaker has decided to step aside.

Resigned?

Well, the BBC says she has resigned and a temporary speaker, a man has been selected to preside over these meetings – it is unlikely that another lady would be given a new opportunity to take that chair, but hopefully, ex-President Obasanjo would keep his hands out of the cauldron this time – so much for having a protégé that can been hounded out with disgrace.

For now, I have no word for all those who thought the survival for Patricia Olubunmi Etteh meant upholding the dignity of the Yorubas; or that it was just politicking even though that played a major part; you should hold your heads low in utter shame even though none of you would find redemption in sackcloth and ashes.

How long shall we have to glaringly see wrong hit us in the face and do us grievous damage and still insist everything is alright?

Starting with the cabal that makes up the leadership of the ruling party and their cohorts, you are the shame Nigeria needs to be rid of, like cancer, you must be excised and burnt as blubber – you make me utterly, utterly sick – Urgggghhh!

References

PDP liable for worsening House of Reps crisis

Etteh: Follow Due Process, Yar’Adua Tells House Members