For stories, adverts, & ENQUIRIES, wHATSAPP US @ +2347036240302
A Scripture For Father Kukah
ARTICLE
By Peter Oshun
8/18/20153 min read
Far be it from me to preach morality to a priest. That would be as impertinent as trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs. However, when an ordained clergyman goes on national television to warn a country still reeling from the devastating effects of rapacious looting of its resources and development opportunities against the pursuit of recovery and restitution, one cannot help but question either his moral compass or his grasp of Nigeria's current predicament.
This is a country still grappling with American revelations to the new president that between $10 and $20 billion have been lost annually in the oil sector alone, spanning years. And Father Kukah believes it is a distraction to hunt down that money? This is a country whose citizens had virtually abandoned hope that the public service would ever fulfil its mandate to serve the public. Incompetence and corruption are rampant, abetted by a feckless president who famously declared that Nigeria's corruption was "over-exaggerated." Abandoned projects paid for with public money number in the tens of thousands, each having consumed millions of dollars. And Father Kukah thinks retrieving diverted funds amounts to some sort of witch-hunt?
This is a country whose main export commodity, oil, has suffered a plunge in global prices for over a year with no upturn in sight. Government must be funded somehow. If some looters have kindly helped us to "save" our money in overseas accounts for rainy days such as this, what exactly is Father Kukah's interest in demanding that the man who presided over such monumental thievery be granted a free pass? And if former President Jonathan is given a free pass, what moral right do we have to prosecute his subordinates, presumably acting on his orders, for theft?
Perhaps Father Kukah fundamentally misunderstands what is happening. Call it probe, investigation, fact-finding or inquiry, so long as due process is followed and the constitutional guarantee of fair hearing is upheld, this can only be a good thing for Nigeria. It can only be a good thing for our institutions. We claim not to want strong men, do we? Good. Let us start strengthening our institutions by interpreting the "Rule of Law" for the first time as also meaning beaming a relentless searchlight on criminals instead of shielding them.
It can only be a good thing for Jonathan himself, if indeed Nigeria did not make a mistake in electing him president. If he is investigated and found clean, the ugly rumours will be silenced. His supporters will stop damaging their consciences by defending him in the face of mounting evidence. You want justice for Jonathan, sir? Fine, so do I. Then fight, like I would, not for him to be spared any probe by threatening that his probers would be probed—which would actually be a very good thing—but by insisting that any investigation be conducted transparently, impartially and in accordance with due process.
You cannot advance the private interests of Jonathan to the detriment of the legitimate claims of Nigeria for transparency and accountability. I paraphrase the Socrates of the Supreme Court, the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa: "Justice is not a one-way traffic. It is not justice for the accused only. Justice is not even only a two-way traffic. It is really a three-way traffic: justice for the accused person accused of a heinous crime; justice for the victim, whose blood is crying to heaven for vengeance; and finally, justice for the society at large."
Giving account of one's stewardship is something Father Kukah should be preaching to Jonathan at this moment, not jesuitically trying to evade the issue by claiming he is absolved from investigation by mere reason of not breaching the constitution by handing over power having lost an election. The example of Samuel, who handed over power to King Saul in Old Testament times, is apposite. He personally, publicly and directly called for evidence against his own government after having handed over power. That is what you do if your hands are clean. The scripture is justly famous:
"And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. Here I am; testify against me before the LORD and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you."
They said, "You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man's hand."
And he said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." And they said, "He is witness." (1 Samuel 12:2-5)
Surely Father Kukah has read this scripture somewhere before? Please let it reflect in his preaching.