It was in it that I learnt the concept of equality being inequality. It was in it I learnt that ‘all animals are equal; but some are more equal than others’. The book taught me that indeed, all men are equal, but some are more equal than others’.
Since impounding the private jet of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor by South Africa laden with $9.5m for arms purchase with the federal government claiming ownership of the money, I’ve seen different perspectives of Nigerians. Some, vehemently in defense, others claiming it is a false accusation, some saying it’s misinformation while others are saying they are not sure he owns a jet. Luckily, Oritsejafor has admitted owning the jet but claims he leased it to a private company even though the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria does not permit leasing of private jets.
It defies logic that the Nigerian Air Force does not have a jet that can be used for such a purpose, or any of the15 presidential jets. It does not make any sense that such huge cash would be taken into another country by the federal government of Nigeria in this age of cashless policy; and without the knowledge of the country of intended transaction.
But to make easier our analysis and assessment, let us take a look at the man Oritsejafor and the association he is supposed to be heading.
Ayodele Joseph Oritsejafor is the founder and senior pastor of Word Life Bible Church, Warri, Delta state. Trained in Nigeria and the US, he became the first Pentecostal to head the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in July 2010. Besides evangelism, Orisejafor is also an author having written many Christian and inspirational books.
CAN was formed in 1976 by five Christian blocs in the country: the Christian Council of Nigeria; the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria; Organization of African Instituted Churches, and the Evangelical Fellowship of West Africa.
Two years ago, one of the association’s most influential blocs, the Catholics exited temporarily due to some attitudes, utterances and actions of the national leadership of CAN; which they argued negate the concept of the foundation of the association and the desire of Our Lord Jesus Christ”.
Most Reverend Ignatius Kaigama, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, added that his group was suspending participation in CAN meetings at the national level until such a time the leadership of CAN reverses to the original vision, mission and objectives of CAN. He said with Oritsejafor-led leadership, CAN has been politicized and was no longer being used to promote peace and unity in the country.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nazeef Jos was arrested by the SSS over suspected links with Boko Haram since last year. Even though no weapons were found on him, he is yet to be released. Same last year, the SSS arrested a lecturer of the Kogi state University, Muhammad Yunus, for allegedly recruiting and coordinating a Boko Haram terror cell in Kogi state. Despite his denying all allegations, Yunus remains in captivity without prosecution.
Now, from all indications, the federal government and indeed the powers that be in Nigeria are hell bent on sweeping the $9.3million saga and Oritsejafor’s complicity beneath the rug. The silence from the Executive arm of government is deafening, the row in the National Assembly over the matter is, to say the least, shameful.
To think that a government could jeopardize its integrity by indulging and condoning such a scandal is indeed, preposterous. Curiously, there is neither summon, arrest, or even a probe into this shameful scandal by the executive or legislature. Rather, because we are a corrupt nation, $50,000 is alleged to have been shared amongst the members/senators of the ruling party to kill the motion. Assuming the reverse was the case, Oritsejafor would have been the first to bring hell on earth.
As Cham Faliya Sharon aptly said, ‘Analysts on international media discuss and agree that governments all over the world do not buy weapons with raw cash, such transactions are done through bank deposits and transfers so that each weapons sales can be tracked and verified, and this is to prevent none state actors like terrorists and criminal gangs from purchasing both light weapons and those of mass destruction.
‘The experts agreed that smuggling huge sums of money via private or chartered jets for weapons purchase is an attempt to buy weapons from the black market so that the source and end user cannot be traced, which definitely means President Jonathan’s government, having owned up to the 9.3 million dollars in “Pastor” Ayo’s jet, wanted to buy weapons from the black market that cannot be traced and tracked.
‘The end user in this case cannot be different from Boko Haram that is now busy writing electoral results in advance for President Jonathan.
We now know why a lot of money is missing from NNPC and why Obasanjo wrote in his famous letters that a particular person is training a large number of snipers. I smell a rat. This is most likely to arm the Boko Haram, who are now losing heavily’.
Whatever the case, our plea as Nigerians is let there be no sacred cow. Let justice be done.
