If people are calling you a thief, you do not start dancing with the young of a goat or any other familiar four-footed beast. -adapted Yoruba adage.

A Savage Situation

By Adeola Aderounmu

If people are calling you a thief, you do not start dancing with the young of a goat or any other familiar four-footed beast.

That saying is an adapted Yoruba adage.

Another similar adage is that if there are people who are ready to roast you, you do not aid their plans by rubbing oil all over your body.

A few days ago Mr. Goodluck Jonathan the lazy and corrupt ruler of Nigeria sent some names to the National Assembly for screening and confirmation. Among the names, he re-nominated one Mr. Obanikoro for the position of a minister.

The system of governance in Nigeria is not just one of the most corrupt in the world for many years in a row; it is also probably the most wasteful and thoughtlessly formulated.

This combo is a recipe for disaster. The free fall of the naira in the hands of both Mrs. Iweala and Mr. Emefiele is not an unexpected dilemma. There are several factors working against the strength of the Nigerian currency and corruption is their common denominator.

The re-nomination of Mr. Obanikoro is a stupid gesture from Mr. Jonathan to the Nigerian people. It is part of the embarrassment that Nigeria presents to the world on behalf of Africa that doesn’t look like it is going to end soon.

The criminal activities of Mr. Obanikoro in Ekiti State are very fresh and recent. Along with some other accomplices like ex-convict Mr. Omisore, Mr. Obanikoro was implicated in a leaked audio recording that has since gone viral around the world. The audio recording may be the most obvious evidence that the recent governorship election was rigged in favour of a popular thug called Fayose.

In the sense of law and justice the Nigerian system is laughable and ridiculous. The law system in Nigeria and its operations remain a monumental embarrassment to the African continent. It’s a slap to all those lawyers and judges wearing the white colonial wigs.

Mr. Obanikoro should have been arrested along with all the other criminals that were revealed through the audio tapes. They should have been investigated and if found wanting prosecuted accordingly.

The thug in charge of Ekiti State, Mr. Fayose can of course now claim immunity. The immunity covering Nigeria politicians is part of the several useless things about Nigerian politics. It remains a license to criminality, general looting and extreme lawlessness.

Of all the intelligent, smart and learned people in Ekiti, all they could settle for courtesy of the evil political situation in Nigeria is a thug as the custodian of their commonwealth and their chief security officer.

No thanks to the political structures in Nigeria, Ekiti State is now a part of the huge joke on the collective mentalities of the Yoruba race and their genuine fallen heroes.

Since Obanikoro and the gang were not arrested, Mr. Jonathan decided to reward him with a ministerial post. Instructively Mr. Obanikoro resigned earlier from a ministerial position to seek for the PDP governorship ticket in Lagos State.

Unfortunately his lack of popularity and lack of credibility cost him. He lost to Jimi Agbaje. So his re-nomination by Jonathan was to serve 2 functions.

One is to pacify him because he threatened to pull down the PDP structure in Lagos State through violence. Jonathan needs people like him to keep his hope of rigging in Lagos alive.

Secondly it will be a reward for helping Jonathan to succeed in the rigging of the Ekiti governorship election that brought in a thug as the governor of a Yoruba state.

Nigeria is far from a sane country. No one knows when things will start to happen as they should especially in public offices and political positions. My points are that the leaked Ekiti audio tape that implicated Jonathan was enough a reason for any of the following:

• that Jonathan resigns out of shame
• that the police invite Jonathan for a chat and have him investigated for his roles in the rigged Ekiti governorship election- roles that dragged the Nigerian military in disgrace and disrepute
• that the PDP summons an emergency meeting asking for the resignation of Goodluck Jonathan or
• that the National Assembly starts and accelerates the impeachment process of Jonathan

In Nigeria things like these don’t happen. My suggestions remain illusions because Nigerian politics is pure madness where crazy people are in control and the sane people remain voiceless in the society.

The good people-more than 98% of the population have been enslaved, silenced and subjected to ridiculous rule of the wicked and heartless. There is no change in sight.

Those who left the struggles on our side to gain government appointments have forgotten our collective struggles as they now live in opulence.

Now Jonathan had the (arrogant) audacity to re-nominate Obanikoro. It shows thoughtlessness; disregard to what is normal and disrespect for the rule of law.

Nigerian politicians are tight together on the path of evil.

If Mr. Jonathan was not guilty in this case he could have scored a very cheap political point.

The Ekiti election scam would have been an easy way to ease out Obanikoro. It would have been one less evil in Jonathan’s baggage.

As mentioned earlier in a normal situation this would have ended the Jonathan fairy tale that also included enduring the Oduah Aviation saga, the Diezani NNPC saga, the Oil Cabal (theft) subsidy saga and the Iweala disastrous economy saga among several others too numerous to mention.

The short arm of the law in the Nigeria is still embarrassing. We learnt of a man who said that Buhari must never be allowed to become the ruler or president of Nigeria because according to him Buhari will send him and other corrupt Nigerians to prison.

It was a similar situation when Mr. Rotimi Amaechi said that he and the other politicians are looting the treasuries because Nigerians fail to stone them.

Over the years the law has failed to deal decisively with politicians on all sides of the rule because corruption is massively organised in Nigeria.

If Nigerian politicians want to be stoned then they should first announce that the judiciary arm of governance is officially suspended and that there are no more laws in the country.

The judiciary arm is a shameful arm of governance that is completely paralysed by politics and money.

Several days after Mr. Obanikoro, Mr. Omisore and all the criminals caught on audio devices are still walking free in Nigeria. Rather than face prosecution and prison terms, they may even become ministers and senators.

The majority of Nigerians who may make up to 90% of the population who are suffering and smiling must be reminded that their freedom from the savages will not be served to them on a platter of gold. History is devoid of such gesture from the oppressors.

Sadly too freedom is not in participating in conned elections. The 2015 elections stand a risk of not holding. If it held, it will not be liberation.

True freedom is the knowledge of what it will takes to pursue happiness in a society propelled by fairness and justice. The Nigerian system must be cleansed.

No matter the sacrifice, the cleansing of Nigeria and a lasting political solution such as regional government or true federalism are not optional.

aderounmu@gmail.com