By Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan
In the latter day Governors, the country has lost a fortune. Look at the scenario: Originally, they were vibrant young men whom the nation looked upon for future presidents and leadership. Invariably, they steal so much during the tenure. As soon as the tenure is over, the ruling party turns its attack dog on them. They capitulate and melt down. A Master-Servant relationship springs up; and the erring governor begs to be admitted into the ruling party. Rather than go to jail, he would jump and pass. This has become a veritable source of membership recruitment for the ruling party. What a dividend for fighting corruption!
At various times, the State Governors in Nigeria have come in varying forms. The earlier ones were quite gentle. They grabbed less and stayed nearer the people they governed. They had less itchy fingers. They lived well and played good politics of total inclusiveness.
Honesty could make life freer, happier and longer. Some of the ex-governors of that era who are still alive today enjoyed unfettered freedom – freedom, even to attend high profile State functions and owambe–typeparties.
In this category, we remember Second Republic Alhahi Balarabe Musa of Kaduna State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande of Lagos as well as Chief John Odigie Oyegun (Edo), Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife (Anambra), Chief Segun Oshoba (Ogun), all of the ill-fated Third Republic. Some have argued that the honesty of these men might have been accidental, or coincidental, at best.
Such point to the fact that the men passed through the scene at a time when the lootable fund available to them was rather sparse.
Again, the strength of that argument could also be its weakness. A thief might steal more in times of scarcity. Besides, a thieving Governor who is given a budget of N100 might first corner N80 to himself and try to spend N20 in the public interest.
We cannot bye-pass late Governor Ambrose Ali of the defunct Bendel State in a narrative of this nature. He was a simple man who lived for the people.
My first direct contact with him was when we brought home the remains of the Late Frank Oufoghe Iyayi, the man who represented the defunct Okpebho Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
At the Ikpokpan Street, Benin City residence of the Late Iyayi, the Governor joined us for the night wake-keep at about 8p.m. He came in his “ayepe” lace.
He personally drove his jallopee – sans pilot, sans escort, sans siren, sans able-bodied “egbe wedgers” and sans everything! He was alone and he remained there till the wee hours of the following day, dancing and spraying the same 5 Naira notes like we all did. That was then.
Talking of paucity of fund as partly responsible for the apparent honesty of the earlier Governors, one is quickly reminded of the case of the Late Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu of Benue State.
He came to the 1988 Constituent Assembly. It was almost clear that all he had was one rackety winter-like petty jacket, which he wore to the Assembly every day. That monkey jacket never saw any water or soap.
He later became the Governor of Benue State. In spite of the general austerity of the time, he still got a mansion which was the talk of the country to himself from that short-lived tenure. As they say in the colloquial, “Whether mellon produce or not, rat go get its own.”Such an isolated case, notwithstanding, the fact is that the world today has grown astronomically both in sophistication and in sophistry, in every ramification – in politics as well as with the Fulani herdsmen!
The latter day Ex-Governors went nuclear and in the process, they boxed themselves into some tight corners – men who once spoke and smoke emitted from their mouth are now posturing as if they might be willing to carry madam’s hand bag with her to the market. That’s how stealing can tranquilize a man. In the latter day Governors, the country has lost a fortune. Look at the scenario: Originally, they were vibrant young men whom the nation looked upon for future presidents and leadership. Invariably, they steal so much during the tenure. As soon as the tenure is over, the ruling party turns its attack dog on them.
They capitulate and melt down. A Master-Servant relationship springs up; and the erring governor begs to be admitted into the ruling party. Rather than go to jail, he would jump and pass. This has become a veritable source of membership recruitment for the ruling party. What a dividend for fighting corruption!
Even the few who are able to wriggle out of this recruitment catch are never the same again. Once you are bruised, it is over and out. Occasionally, the grasshopper could escape from fire but its body parts can never be complete anymore.
A few years back, The Rock was already in serious contention for the presidency of this country. He was smart. He pulled a fast one on the ruling party and its antigraft agency. See how he out-paced the EFCC? After tenure, he rushed to the courts to slap a perpetual injunction on the Federal government that no one should ever demand an account of his stewardship.
That injunction still subsists till date. But who is still talking about his presidential ambition today? Instead of thanking God for helping him escape from a lion, the small boy goes about, boasting that he almost killed the lion? That’s the very definition of foolery.
Our next door neighbor had successfully warded off the attack dogs at home. Unfortunately, what would kill a goat might not smell to it. Otherwise, that trip to Dubai where he walked into the dragnets of the British authorities was avoidable. He is still very popular among his people but it is also clear that this was not all he wished for himself. Stealing truncates a man’s ambition.
At the Western flank, the other one is still struggling with the attack dogs. Age is still on his side and his calculations are apt. Rather than submit to their blackmail, he reckons it might be better to remain in handcuffs until the EFCC expires.
In whichever direction we look, we see the remaining Ex-Governors submitting to captivity. They run into the waiting hands of the ruling party where they are readily granted a franchise and given the number of States they must maintain the party organs with the loot.
On their parts, it is a permanent fixture – if government changes, they will also change and begin to serve the new interest. They are conquered and like in any conquest, servitude is for life.
Vanity upon vanity is all vanity. Why would a man enjoy stealing into the future? In the process, he simply succeeds in destroying society and the people by eating their development seeds; and destroys himself and his family by rigging himself off line and bringing opprobrium into his linage. And stealing still remains evil!William Shakespeare remains ever relevant, “Honour and shame on no part arise; act well your part and there the honour lies.”
Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan is a public affairs analyst and former Chairman, Board of Directors, Edo Broadcasting Service. He can be reached at: joligien@yahoo.com
