Last
week, Senators called for the indictment and prosecution of Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo, former president, over his activities concerning the
privatisation of government-owned companies during his presidency. In
July, the Senate had set up an ad hoc probe committee to look into
government’s privatised companies, how they were sold, and the
aftermath. The committee reportedly found out that sordid underhand
dealings took place in the sale of the companies, and that the National
Council on Privatisation (NCP), which oversees the Bureau of Public
Enterprises (BPE) the organ directly saddled with the sale, performed
woefully in many respects. Mention was made of Ajaokuta Steel which was
sold to a company that stripped it bare and carted off its equipment
abroad only to begin importing the same equipment at exorbitant costs.
More
damagingly, according to the probe committee, Obasanjo was found
culpable of supervising the sale of some of the companies directly to
some of his cronies and political associates. There are facts and
documents to prove this, the Senate said. But they are worried, indeed
despondent, that the government may lack the political will to pursue
the prosecution of the former president who has often acted as if he is
above the law. If, in spite of the facts unearthed by the Senate, the
former president is still not prosecuted, they said warily, someone
would come along in the near future to do it. It is not certain what
they hinted at; but it is clear they are saddened by some of the facts
they encountered in the probe and the lack of political will successive
governments have displayed in the past one decade or more.
This
column shares in their apprehensions and grief. That their probe is
impartial is not in doubt, for reports had tended to suggest that the
former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was the culprit in the
sordid sale of the companies. The Senate was indeed surprised to find
that contrary to impressions, the person responsible for undermining the
privatisation process was in fact Obasanjo. But as to whether the
government would have the political will to bring the former president
to book, no one is sure. It is recalled that the House of
Representatives at a time tried to probe Obasanjo’s power contracts a
few years ago. That effort was subverted and the probe committee members
hunted. Even Obasanjo himself, citing some spurious and nebulous
concepts of African tradition and culture, mocked the House of
Representatives panel and declined to honour their invitations.
Since
1999, the ruling party has only demonstrated resolve when it comes to
hounding the opposition. It has shown contempt for the rule of law and
due process. It has affronted civilised standards and decent behaviour.
It has absolved its friends and cronies from criminal responsibilities
for their actions. Indeed, it has undermined the country and its laws
and made a mockery of modern governance. We are not sure it will find
the courage to bring Obasanjo to book, no matter what the Senate says.
But we must make no mistake that this general subversion of the
integrity of this country will continue for ever. It won’t.
No comments:
Post a Comment