Patience Jonathan on ‘high table’ as Melaye launches anti-corruption book

Patience Jonathan, former first lady, attended the launch of ‘Antidote for Corruption: The Nigerian Story’, a book authored by Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi west senatorial district.

Jonathan arrived at the venue to a thunderous ovation. Although, she was not on the list of dignitaries expected to speak at the event, she was ushered to the high table.

This is, perhaps‎, one of the few occasions the former first lady is making a public appearance since her husband, Goodluck Jonathan, left power.

A federal high court in Lagos had ordered the seizure of $5m in the account of the former first lady.

‎She is currently battling to retrieve the funds.

Senate President Bukola Saraki; Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives; Ghali  Na’Abba, former speaker of the house of reps and Mohammed Bello, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) also attended the programme that took place at the Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua centre in Abuja.

Speaking at the occasion, Na’Abba said corruption in the country is often defined from a subjective perspective.

He described the menace as a failure of leadership in the country.

Defining corruption as any form of social deviance‎, the former speaker said Nigerians must come to a consensus of what constitutes corruption.

According to him, the definition of corruption is usually coloured by ethnic and religious sentiments.

“There is no consensus on what constitutes corruption most definitions of corruption in Nigeria have been subjective,” he said.

“Corruption is not only in matters of finance, corruption also means deviance. It is simply a failure of leadership. It is social deviance. Nepotism, stealing and all social deviance is corruption.”

Melaye is the senator representing Kogi west.