Nigerians believe that the president is falling short in his anti-corruption war. Mr Buhari is selective and fearful of stepping on big toes. His vision of Nigeria is a place where some are untouchable. While the rest are inconsequential others. Jonathan is above the law. Whilst Dasuki is an expendable fall guy. Hardly is anyone in Nigeria upbeat about the extant government’s fight against corrupt. Just a couple of small niche of people who do think that the corruption fight is up and doing.
Corruption: Buhari Is Afraid Of Probing Jonathan!
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By Sunday Njokede
Most Nigerians yonder, believe that President Buhari is afraid of prosecuting ex-president Jonathan for the arms contract gone wrong. I have just come back from Nigeria after two months of Christmas holidays. While there, I had talks with lots of people indicting him for official dalliance.
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Nigerians believe that the president is falling short in his anti-corruption war. Mr Buhari is selective and fearful of stepping on big toes. His vision of Nigeria is a place where some are untouchable. While the rest are inconsequential others. Jonathan is above the law. Whilst Dasuki is an expendable fall guy. Hardly is anyone in Nigeria upbeat about the extant government’s fight against corrupt. Just a couple of small niche of people who do think that the corruption fight is up and doing.
Majority of our people are of the view that the president should pump up the volume of his anti-corruption war or face the consequences of being selective and pussyfooting, as we move on.
The whole game-plan is troubling first and foremost. It is not that Jonathan still has immunity from criminal prosecution that he has not been brought to justice. Even so, our constitution does not forbid probing Jonathan nor other past presidents. Sadly though, Mr Buhari has exempted all former presidents from criminal prosecution via back door! You could tell that from the way the president moves and shakes. It is heart-breaking that Jonathan is still booming about town on loose foot. This is an indictment upon this present government whose major had been the fight against corruption. If Mr Buhari is serious about fighting corruption, the onetime ruler should be in jail by now, under lock and key. The anti-sleaze battle is more of a serious joke than it is intended to right the wrongs of corruption whether past, present or future ones.
In addition to the aforementioned, it is not for lack of evidence that Mr President and EFCC have not questioned or arrested Jonathan. Meanwhile, Mr Buhari had told us long ago that he was compiling evidences to use in prosecuting corrupt Nigerians. How much longer does he need profiling them before arresting Jonathan for investigation?
I ask this questions because Jonathan is the linchpin in the ill arms deal. So long Mr Buhari has connivingly refused to arrest the former ruler until now – it is fair to say that his anti-corruption fight is laughable, a smokescreen plus null and void.
This is not his first time. During 2011 elections, Jonathan did bribe people. We would like president Buhari to also probe how money changed hands during 2011 elections. Exactly which people did he bribe in 2011, during the elections? Could Jonathan have bribed Bola Tinubu and Mr Buhari’s political associates during 2011 elections? Is this one of the reasons the president has refused to apprehend him for investigation? Time, shall tell.
But before then, I would love to believe that the reason the president is shying away from arresting and prosecuting Jonathan is because he fears that the former president would lash out and open up a can of warm. By and by, Jonathan would not like to go down alone. He would be happy to rat upon president Buhari’s political associate and close-knits. Ratting upon Mr Buhari’s co-people and naming them for corruption would have rattled the president in no small way.
For these and more, the president is so mindful of the implications of arresting and questioning the onetime ruler. Mr Jonathan may choose to reveal how he had bribed Tinubu and his co-APC people during 2011 elections. Of course, we are aware of how Jonathan flew Bola Tinubu to Aso Rock in the presidential jet in the eleventh hour during 2011 election. In effect, money must have changed hands during that encounter.
We would want the president to probe how much Jonathan stole from us to run the 2011 elections. Which people did he bribe? Mr Buhari would be on the horns of a dilemma should the former president go on rampage exposing corrupt past deeds of the president’s friends and political associates.
As a result of these, the president has refused to arrest Jonathan who ordered and authored the Dasukigate crime. Like a wounded lion, Mr Jonathan might be too hot to handle once he starts singing and implicating Mr Buhari’s close-knit people. It would be a wicked nightmare and huge political blow for the president to contend with supposing the onetime ruler decides to rat upon his close political associates. Knowing these, the best way to play safe is to let the sleeping dog lie low. So long as egg is egg, Buhari would never prosecute Jonathan despite bossing untold corruption that have raced Nigeria to low-bottom.
Yes, Mr Dasuki is a thief. But Jonathan Goodluck is a bigger thief. The former president is the big picture. Dasuki is just an aside. I would guess the following punishment. If Dasuki gets twenty years imprisonment, Jonathan should be jailed for seventy years with hard labour. Mr Jonathan was the ace of the immediate past regime. Dasuki was merely taking orders from his boss. The former president should take full responsibility for his era’s criminalities. While Mr Buhari should egg him on. (The buck stops with the leader, so they say).
Mr Jonathan was Dasuki’s boss. He gave orders and called the shots for the criminal looting that went on during his era. Therefore, he should get the most Draconian punishment and harassment, not Mr Dasuki. The International Court had pursued Adolf Hitler as ringleader for the Holocaust crime until he committed suicide. They did not concentrate or go after his hirelings as core. USA gave Bin Laden no breathing space in prosecuting him as terror mastermind and finally, they killed him. USA’s fixation was on Bin Laden not his protégées. President Buhari should be man enough to make Jonathan the boo man and subject matter of the Dasukigate crime. He should arrest him now. Tomorrow may be too late. As they say: (if you do the crime, do the time).
And finally, not until Jonathan has been arrested, disgraced and sent to jail, Buhari cannot be said to be fighting genuine corruption. President Buhari should show us that he is fearless for modesty sake! Femi Fani-Kayode may be right that Jonathan has no bulls. What can we say of Mr Buhari? I rest my case, as we look forward to Jonathan’s arrest and imprisonment. It is the tradition for the boss, kingpin or ringleader to bear the gravest brunt in any crime. Jonathan's own cannot be different. And president Buhari's crime fight cannot be exception to the rule worldwide. In today's world, it is either you 'kill or capture' criminal bosses for prosecution whether as per corruption or terrorism. That is the in-thing nowadays, worldwide. Nigeria is on the world map. Hello!
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