By Musa Isa
OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR. MR PRESIDENT SIR, YOU ARE NOT FIGHTING CORRUPTION, BUT CORRUPTION IS THRIVING UNDER YOUR NOSE
Thursday, May 19, 2022.
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Dear Mr President,
May I remind you that you came to power at a time when Nigerians were fed up with the then ruling party, People’s Democratic Party, PDP as results of its overt misgovernance and unbridled corruption, impunity and callousness to the plights of Nigerians and lots more.
You came onboard at a time Nigerians were anxious to send former president Goodluck Jonathan packing from the Villa when it became clear that everything was going haywire under his watch.
So when you entered the 2015 presidential race with your triopodal points agenda namely; to fight against corruption and insecurity and creation of employment, be that Nigerians were at a crossroads desperately looking for a Messiah who would take them from the woods, so, they gave you their overwhelming votes.
Your Excellency, for the records, I never voted for you neither did vote for former president Goodluck Jonathan. My reasons were simple. I never saw you as a Democrat and as for GEJ, I saw him as man who was careless with power. So, I voted for Martin Onovo of the National Conscience Party and I never regretted it.
Mr President sir, in this letter to you I choose to address your inability to fight corruption because it was the loudest of your triopodal promises to Nigeria and Nigerians. Sadly, nor only do you fail to fight corruption but corruption becomes a thriving business under your watch as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. With due respect Mr President, the APC government you lead is encouraging corruption to thrive thereby sending a clear signal that to be corrupt is not punishable but rewarding.
Examples are abound to justify the glaring fact that you support corruption. We saw how Council of State led by you, with ignoble audacity, granted presidential pardon to Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame former governors of Plateau and Taraba states respectively who were sentenced to different jail terms for stealing billions of Naira meant for the development of their states.
By the consequences of that single act, you wasted money and time expended in the criminal litigation that led to their convictions. I understand that Nigerian Constitution under S. 175 (1) empowers you to do so, but as a man with alleged zero tolerance for corruption, that single act gave you out completely.
Just recently, we saw how the police Authority promoted Ibrahim Magu to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of police. A man who was undergoing probe for allegations of corruption under presidential panel headed by Ayo Salami set up by your government- a probe whose outcome is not known to Nigerians till today. Again, this happened under your watch, and you told the world that you would fight corruption to a standstill.
Your Excellency sir, under your nose billions of our common wealth is being stolen by politicians with reckless abandon without dire consequences from institutions responsible for fighting corruption- the ICPC and the EFCC. Lately, these two institutions now major in arresting and parading of Yahoo Yahoo boys while they only specialize in inviting and granting liberal bail conditions to politicians having corruption allegations on their necks.
All these things are happening under your watch and yet, you told the world that you would fight against corruption. Mr President, you’re not fighting corruption at all!
Mr President, your ministers told Nigerians that there was no money to settle ASUU’S demands to enable Students return back to school, but your appointee in the person of Ahmed Idris, the embattled Accountant General of the Federation was able to steal a whopping sum of Eighty Billion Naira (8, 000, 000, 000) Naira.
What about Forty Seven Billions Naira ( 47, 000, 000, 000 ) allegedly stolen by Nsime Ekere, Ex NDDC Managing Director? Again, this happened under your watch. I can go on and on.
Sir, you’re not fighting corruption and corruption is not fighting back as your media advisers always tell Nigerians. Rather you’re supervising ethronment of corruption from all indications.
As a president of Nigeria, the buck stops on your table. You take commendation for a job well done. Just as you also take backlash for bad jobs. So, know now that Nigerians will remember you for how your government ends.
Fortunately your Excellency, you still have ample opportunity to redeem your image as a president who supervises ethronment of corruption while in office. You can commit the remaining part of tenure to that task. You have the choices to make to determine what posterity will remember you for. Make the choice now!
Your Excellency, permit me to leave you with immortal lines credited to Edmund Burke when he said, ” the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.
POSTSCRIPT
Please settle ASUU’S demand so that Nigerian Students can go back to school. You have the presidential powers to do so. Please do, sir.
Musa Isa is Law Student at Ambrose Alli University. He can be reached@09032381018
