It may never be well with Nigeria

BY ADE INASA-THOMAS

The way we go about celebrating sudden, short term, self serving and deceitful demonisation of CEOs of anti corruption agency (EFCC) from Ribadu to Magu says a lot about us as people that are utterly without values. We stand for nothing and we do not care about anything. We at the same time approbate and reprobate. We are against the enemies of our country in the morning and in the evening we justify their deceitful acts.

What has been the recurring theme in dealing with heads of anti corruption agency (Ribadu, Waziri, Lamorde and now Magu) than the fact that they fought corruption in whatever style with the very powerful among us. Were they selective? Yes. Were they brash? Yes. Were they reckless? Somehow yes. Were they targeting wrong persons? No! No!! No!!! Which means they were doing their job but their style or strategy we may not agree with.

To date, most of those that have been accused, charged or prosecuted or jailed have never said they were not involved in the corrupt cases brought against them but rather they resort to technicalities, ethnic or political sentiments as reasons for their being made to face the consequences of their actions. The sad part is that, we, the victims of their criminal acts join them in their group solidarity (I rather refer to it as class war) to justify why they should not be questioned particularly when they decided to dealt a blow on their “persecutor” (sorry prosecutor). If you have watched closely none of the CEOs of EFCC has left the seat gloriously without being disgraced out of office. So? Nothing spoil as we say in the streets.

But are we better of? For me, we are not and we may not if we don’t get rid of this attitude of supporting our common enemies who always find a way to get back at the helmsman at EFCC from inception to date.

I heard you quoting “he who must come to equity must come with clean hands”. Hmmm! I tell for real no hand can come clean when it comes to fighting corruption and its challenging poster boys in a country like ours. However, we can clean up the uncleaned if we resolve to do so. But the sad news is that we cannot do it if we celebrate the downfall of the those who have been charged to lead the fight.

Magu has not fallen for nothing but for something we all should have fallen for if it must be well with Nigeria. I stop here for now.