On numerous occasions, I have been convinced by the attitude, actions and inactions of the citizens of this nation that our problem isn't leadership but followership. And the current unfolding dramas in the country has further attest to that fact.
On the 5th of December 2015, I was elected as the chairman of the National Association of Nigerian students /joint campus committee(NANS/JCC) Kwara axis, hence prompt my decision to abstain from all forms of political discussions till the end of my tenure as the leader of a seen to be non partisan entities cum association. Recent happenings however changed my decisions as the position I occupied doesn't deny me the right to be who I am 'Tajudeen Habeeb' hence I will want to implore the generality's of the populace who will be having access to this piece to please treat it strictly as my personal opinion and not in my capacity as the chairman of NANS/JCC Kwara axis.
It is no news that the Senate president of the federal republic of Nigeria Senator Bukola Saraki, if you will permit me to call him that, is going through a trial for 13 count charge which is centered on false asset declaration and illegal operation of foreign account while serving as the Kwara state Governor in 2003.
I must affirm to the fact that all the allegations levied against this personality can not in any way be all false, like every other Nigerian politicians, continuously it has been reiterated that he is morally bankruptcy and as such no sane personality with the mindset of seeing this nation moving forward will come out to defend any of them in my opinion.
However it is a general saying that a criminal remain a suspect until he is proven guilty by a competent court of law, what is most alarming in this case is the conviction of this personality in the court of public opinion while laughing and waxing with people of the same status and action.
On Monday the 18th of April 2016, having left the plateau state capital Jos, where the national NANS pre-convention Senate sitting was held, with the intention of seeing some associate, I was in Abuja and have the priviledge of been at the CCT where the Senate president is being tried. Been my first time of attending any court proceeding, I was very attentive for the whole of the hours I used in the court room and subsequently my experience in the court room is what formed my opinion that we the citizen indeed was the problem of this country through hypocritic followership.
My first observation while in the court room came when the prosecuting counsel represented by a lawyer apart from Rotimi Jacob SAN requested for an hour step down because Rotimi wasn't in court, in response the CCT chairman intends to cite some part of the bye-law of CCT, to my surprise the judge opened directly to the page he needed without needing to go through the Constitution as if he knew before hand what will happen in the court room.
This caught my attention and indeed prompt more of my concentration. And then the cross examination by the defense counsel started that same day, a very vibrant lead witness, Michael wetkas became a dumb during the cross examination, providing negative answers to germane question asked by the defense council. At this point I became so skeptical about the whole scenario as to which is the fact to hold, I had expected that with the revelation some kind of remorse would have come from the populace, but reverse is the case.
Although I am not a legal luminary neither am I vast in law, but I am of the knowledge of the country law coupled with the law of objectivity The concept that says an accused person remain innocent until proven guilty. But this has not been the situation in Senator Saraki’s case as his accusers sustain a campaign to boot him out of office for allegations he has not been convicted for. How can one be innocent when his accuser is both the judge and the witness? I gave this no any other name than hypocrisy.
Saraki’s case currently is not a case of embezzlement or misappropriation of funds. His case is under or over declaration of assets. I wonder why it has been so widely discussed while even those alleged of embezzlement receives accolade and commendation from the Nigerian masses, are we been one sided or better still treating some like a sacred cows?
The second point of the hypocritic nature of vast majority of Nigerians as I observed is the imbroglio centred on budget between the executive and the legislative arms of the Government. Permit me to say that the
Nigerian Constitution recognizes the legislative as an independent arm of Government and was saddled with some responsibility. Part of which is to scrutinize the budget and subsequently make their position known for its adoption by advising and amending the seen to be exorbitant or dropping of less important for the most important ones. Over the years, specifically since the return of democracy in 1999 this has been found wanting in the affairs of the legislative arm.
This year witness a turn in that abnormalities with an attempt by the legislators in my opinion to perform the duty they are been elected for, however out of political manipulation, the executive arm of the Government paints the legislators with bad colour and the Nigerian masses out of insincerity born out of the syndrome of Saraki must go, sold to them by the opposing faction sees it as an opportunity to unleash their mayhem on the national assembly demanding for the resignation of the Senate president through the # OCCUPYNASS protest.
While the theme is to occupy the National Assembly in my perception with the aim of waking up the legislators from their slumber on the perceived negligence of duty, the actions of the protesters speaks otherwise as the demand for the Senate President resignation carries the day. I kept on wondering if Saraki alone makes up the national Assembly.
Nigerians, where is our sense of objectivity and uprightness? I am not saying Saraki shouldn't be tried, but I am saying he deserve fair hearing like it has been bestowed on others. And so if found guilty he should squarely face the wrath of the law.
I am not saying the executive as been led by President Muhammad Buhari shouldn't be trusted but I am saying they can't be right always and the legislative arm reserved the right to scrutinize the budget and come up with their position.
I am for war against corruption, in fact that is one of the factors that turned us to an agent of change during the electioneering period. However I am saying injustice can not be used to drive out corruption. Justice should. We can't because we felt he is guilty deny him the right to fair hearing, it will amount to injustice. Recall hate can not drive away hate, love does. Luther King Jr. Injustice can not and never be an option to corruption. We must remember that it is Saraki today, it will be someone else tomorrow.
Every arms of Government reserved the right to function independently, an attempt by any arm to subjugate another arm as been supported by the masses is not only a threat to our democracy but a danger towards the actualization of the desire change.
By :Tajudeen Habeeb
A social analyst
