A Problem Called Saraki By Tabia Princewill


Bukola Saraki’s conduct and activities, in all their unbelievable
ramifications, are an affront to every well-meaning, decent and
honourable Nigerian.


Bukola Saraki’s conduct and activities, in all their unbelievable
ramifications, are an affront to every well-meaning, decent and
honourable Nigerian. From his election as Senate President, to
analysis of his entire political career, what he stands for and
represents in our society is not only morally dubious but
should be heinous to all.

[img]http://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/Tabia-Princewill.jpg?itok=-LcLTNE7[/img] Tabia Princewill

To some (particularly those who jumped ship from the PDP),
he is a tragic hero, a victim of circumstance. In reality, he is
their worst fear come true: that it is possible, in Nigeria, to pay
for wrongdoing. Who would have thought, in a country where
right is wrong and vice-versa, that despite being rich and
powerful, one would finally be asked to answer certain vital
questions pertaining to the source of one’s stupendous wealth?
To those calling Senator Saraki’s travails a witch hunt, don’t
worry, there is still time for the EFCC and ICPC to dust off all
the old facts and dossiers they had gathered regarding former
governors, ministers, senators etc. from both parties but
certainly, case by case, in no particular order, this country will
be rid of looters and there is nothing anyone can do to stop
this.


Senator Saraki’s upcoming trial is a test for the Nigerian
judiciary, a test for our democracy as well as a test for us as a
people. Are we able to see facts for what they are without
ethnic, religious or even party sentiments? Are we able to
ignore the noisemakers who seek to divide us on those lines,
thereby drawing attention away from their own crimes? Are we
able to fight for a country where, finally, opportunity, equality
in front of the law, are accessible to every Nigerian rather than
just a few? None of these things can be achieved without the
resolution of the problem called Bukola Saraki. As Senate
President, the third highest office in the land, the sworn
protector of the Nigerian constitution and therefore of the
Nigerian people and their right to live decently, it is
mindboggling and ironic that he should be accused, not of
anti-party activities (some wrongly believe this is the real
cause of his woes) but of defrauding the Nigerian people.
The Saraki problem is the quintessential Nigerian morality
issue that shows the fundamental dysfunction of our society.
The Saraki confidence, that cool assurance that all is well in
the land of theft, grand larceny and impunity is a slap in the
face of justice, in the face of every Nigerian who bothers to
strive and wake up in the morning, to face daily hardship and
humiliation due to the political elite holding our economy
hostage.

Toyin Saraki gives talks on maternal healthcare but
how many women and children in Kwara have died because
the funds meant to be invested in their upkeep have been spent
elsewhere, to allegedly fund the lavish lifestyle of one family? I
know little of the Sarakis beyond what I read, like most
Nigerians, so this isn’t personal.



The poor people of Kwara deserve, just as much as the
Sarakis, to live comfortably. Commodities that in other climes
are affordable, not reserved to the elite, are luxuries in Nigeria.
How many Nigerian children drink milk or can say they eat
three meals a day? How can they, when the budgets allocated
to feed them in schools or to design infrastructure for their
contentedness, are in the pockets of a few, whose wives then
set up NGOs to donate crumbs, giving back bits and scraps of
what is rightly ours! The problem called Saraki is born of
complete disregard and contempt for the Nigerian people. The
Senate President refused to appear before the Code of Conduct
Tribunal, an institution lawfully permitted to summon him (he
should know as a Senator, he votes and enacts laws) allegedly
because of the “hurried way” in which he was called into court.
What an excuse. Some people take Nigerians for fools. He
would prefer, many surmise, to appear in front of an ally, one
Justice Ahmed Mohammed before whom his cases were
previously brought, (all miraculously acquitted by this same
judge, despite the mountain of evidence presented by the
prosecution). If the problem called Saraki is not solved, we
cannot claim to have a country of law and order or to want the
progress and development of the average Nigerian. Mr. Saraki
reportedly owns some properties worth more than 2 trillion
Naira, some in the UK worth more than 12 million dollars.
Remember the noise made by the opposition over Buhari’s
cows or Osinbajo’s four or so homes and ask yourself, which
is the face of corruption. Let us be honest with ourselves, for
once, as a people and condemn in one voice what is wrong
with our country. Indeed, not every wealthy man is corrupt but
when one cannot quite point to the particular businesses which
are the source of such stupendous wealth, eyebrows are more
than raised: Nigerians are left screaming their indignation and
horror. Neither allegations of forgery or theft do a senate
president make: that is the crux of the Saraki problem. The
unwillingness to step aside to clear one’s name, as is usually
done, smacks not only of guilt but also of hatred for the
public’s sensibilities, the same public Saraki was sworn in to
work for. We have heard nothing from Dino Melaye, his
unofficial spokesperson during his election as Senate
President. Perhaps even the chairman of the senate ad hoc
committee on media and publicity knows there are limits to
defending the indefensible.



In fiction, there are honourable thieves who steal from the rich
to feed the poor: they believe they have no other options. Upon
all the wealth rumoured to be in Saraki’s possession, one
cannot point to a company gainfully employing Nigerians.
Rather, he is accused of using state funds to buy private assets
and even going so far as declaring possessions and moneys
he did not yet own so as to better seize them later. I had never
heard the term “anticipatory looting” before the Saraki
problem. If only such tactical genius could serve Nigerians
rather than keep them impoverished. From the days of Societe
Generale, to the alleged bank loan scandal in the also defunct
Intercontinental Bank, there are too many questions for Saraki
to answer for him to remain Senate President. It would be not
just dishonest but depraved for him not to respond, in court,
like any Nigerian without his influence would be forced to do.
But then again, regular, (or well-meaning) Nigerians don’t
become governors nor do they become Senators. They die of
curable diseases, live miserably without their pensions and ask
God why they were not born a Bukola Saraki.



Olisa Metuh
It is curious that a purported barrister should confuse
democracy with impunity: the idea of a witch-hunt isn’t just
preposterous, it shows that for some people, no matter what
evidence exists to condemn a man, or at the very least to give
him cause to defend himself, they refuse to see him as guilty
because that would mean accepting their own guilt, the wrongs
they too have committed. It is understandable as a defence
strategy, although not a very tenable or intelligent one. It’s the
end of freedom from unpleasant consequences. Nigerians live
unpleasant lives, it’s time the burden is shared by those who
cause such nasty state of affairs.

NANS
Too many civil society organizations are so easily bought in
Nigeria. Is Bukola Saraki a member of NANS? How curious that
they would stage a protest to “save” him but not to show
solidarity with the UNILAG student who died due to her
university’s negligence recently. I hope and despair all at the
same time, reminding myself it is darkest before the dawn.



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