When certain names like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Tony Anenih, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Th eophilus Yakubu Danjuma are mentioned, Nigerians celebrate them as godfathers of Nigerian politics.
Th e choices they make on behalf of the people and their opinions on a number of issues are well respected.
In fact, their views and suggestions are laws.
Some of the choices they make on behalf of their followers who look up to them for guidance can be advantageous or disadvantageous.
At the grassroots and even at the states’ levels, elections are not won on the strength of the candidates’ campaigns or manifesto.
Most upcoming politicians rode on the back of their political godfathers to achieve their ambition.
Some of them may not even be known to the electorate.
And that is why these political godsons feel answerable to their benefactors – their godfathers -instead of the electorate who voted them into offi ce.
And that is why godfatherism as far as Nigerian politics is concerned has its pros and cons.
But that is not the subject of our attention here.
Just like politics, other professions, or vocations have their own godfathers too.
Names like late Chief FRA Williams, Chief Akintola Williams, Professor Akin Mabogunje are tagged as the doyens of law, accountancy, and modern geography/town planning, respectively.
And of course, in the religious and monarchical circles names like Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, HRM Sa’ad Abubarkar III, Sultan of Sokoto, HRM Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, Alaafi n of Oyo, HRM Enitan Adeyeye, Ooni of Ife, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, General Overseer of Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), and Pastor Williams Folunrusho Kumuyi, General Superintendent of Deeper Life Christian Church, just to mention a few, usually ring bells.
And like the political godfathers, these groups of leaders also wield a lot of infl uence on their followers/ congregations or subjects.
Back to our subject matter – Does corruption in Nigeria have godfathers? Corruption for the purpose of this discourse can be regarded as a profession because it has practitioners.
And its practice cuts across the borders.
In politics, civil service, business and religion, there are godfathers in varying degrees which has become a monster, threatening to kill the nation, especially under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
Under that Jonathan, corruption had eaten so deep into every social fabric of this nation that President Muhammadu Buhari was compelled to remark that “If we do not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria”.
We cannot agree less with the president.
It was the determination of the current administration to kill corruption that prompted it to make War Against Corruption (WAC) one of its cardinal programmes.
So far, properties and billions of money in both local and hard currencies have been reportedly recovered from the suspected national treasury looters or corruption practitioners.
In a related development, Obasanjo has oft referred to the National Assembly as the house of thieves and unarmed robbers.
Although they may not be armed with lethal weapons like guns or knives, but they are indeed armed with certain supervisory powers with which they employed to intimidate the executive in the course of their oversight functions.
Instead of addressing the issues raised by the former president, the legislators alleged that their accuser actually introduced corruption into their folds during the General’s alleged attempted third term bid, which their predecessors aborted.
In other words, the federal legislators instead of changing their alleged misconducts that have been impacting negatively on governance decided to trace the root of the socio-political malady to Obasanjo.
Invariably, apart from being a celebrated political godfather whom God has used to midwife the births of administrations of Presidents Yar’ Adua, Jonathan and as a key behind-the-scene player/power broker in the current administration, are NASS members alleging that Baba Iyabo is also their godfather who introduced them into what he has been accusing them of? Th e legislators may also have evidence against Obasanjo as their patron who allegedly introduced them into the politics/business of “Ghana-must-go”.
Nevertheless, due to public condemnations, they can turn a new leaf and allow the apparatus of this government to run smoothly.
In case NASS members don’t know, most motorists and commuters are passing through harrowing experiences on our roads due to the poor state of such roads which cause frequent accidents and crimes.
Last Monday, yours sincerely spent about 9 hours on a 5-hour journey.
It was a journey from Akure to Abuja.
We spent almost 3 hours at Ibilo, Kogi state due to an articulated vehicle that fell across the road for almost a week thus forcing other road to get stranded.
We would have slept on the spot if not for divine intervention through a soldier; he rescued us from that ugly situation.
I learnt the alternative routes through Kabba town or Obajana have their own challenges too.
In this regard our NASS members should encourage the executive through the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to fi x our roads and ease the tension of Nigerians instead of inserting construction of boreholes and primary health centers into the budget of the ministry.
For permanent solution, NASS should ginger the executive to construct more rail lines with fast tracks and luxury coaches for mass transit of passengers across the country and for the haulage of cattle, machinery, petroleum products and building materials including cement.
By this, the life span of our roads will be longer and safer for commuters in low tonnage vehicles.
Th ese days, there are more articulated vehicles on our roads than cars, jeeps and buses.
Our inland waterways should be developed to cater for the same purposes.
When properly dredged, nothing stops the channels of Rivers Niger and Benue to accommodate small cargo ships from the coastal areas.
Most Nigerians in the middle and lower classes will even prefer railway and waterway transportation if they are developed.
If this government is serious in fi ghting corruption holistically, it should also beam its searchlight on its own offi cials to ensure that some so called godfathers do not use their membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to cover their tracks and shield themselves from the eagle’s eyes of the anti-graft agencies.
Th e presidency should also devise mechanism so that funds allocated to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), especially for capital projects, are judiciously utilised.
Otherwise, the opposition will continue to cry foul play and allege witch-hunting of its members.
