ZIK GBEMRE SUGGESTS JAILING PAST PRESIDENTS, SOLUTION TO ENDING NIGERIA’S INTRACTABLE CORRUPTION

I am not sympathetic to suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, for the trials he currently faces for biting more than he can chew, for assuming infallibility, feeling untouchable, self arrogating limitless powers with impunity while in office.

But it is sad that he is suffering alone. Immediate past President Mohammadu Buhari, the only boss Emefiele felt he owed respect while in office should have been held in detention first before Emefiele. Emefiele’s excesses, arrogance, and impunity, actions and inactions for which he’s being charged had expressed approval of Buhari.

Consider another analogy. Isa Yuguda does not deserve cheers for his holier-than-thou revelation of the fuel subsidy scam that may have well benefitted him under Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency. And by laying the blame squarely on Jonathan for not having the braveness or political will to fight the monster of subsidy at the helms of affairs at the time, Yuguda also tacitly indicted all presidents, before and after Jonathan, on the subsidy scam.

The point is, the nation’s presidents and Commander-In-Chiefs are the helms of the corruption chain in Nigeria. There has been a conspiracy by the political class to pretend like the constitution grants Ex-Presidents life immunity against prosecution, which is apparently is not the case.

The reason Emefiele will suffer unlawful incarceration for a long time without meaningful trial beyond bringing charges against him is because it is almost impossible to convict him without convicting Buhari, based on whatever charges levelled against him. And if Emefiele is allowed to open his mouth, Buhari and several hangers on will go down with the former CBN Governor.

When DSS made many attempts to arrest Emefiele in the dying minutes of Buhari’s administration, who ordered the soldiers to shield him, Buhari. Many would say Emefiele got the support of his brother, then Chief of Defense Staff, Gen Irabor to protect him, but could that have been possible without presidential approval?

Same way Yuguda’s revelation about the subsidy cabal would not attract any meaningful investigation and trial, because a former President is involved in Jonathan not pulling the political will to have prosecuted those indicted by the Yuguda committee as admitting being tired of ‘eating compromised subsidy money’.

This is the challenge before Nigeria. Until past Presidents start accounting for the corruption they institutionalised while in office, there will be no end to corruption.

In other climes, we hear and read in the news of past Presidents being jailed, in South Korea, South Africa and other countries. Former South Korean Park Geun-Hye and Former President of South African Jacob Zuma were jailed.

Until past Nigerian Presidents are jailed and punished, fighting corruption will just remain a waste of time. The fight against corruption in Nigeria has become entertainment. So Emefiele has been kept in prison without trial. The question is who approved his wrong doings as CBN Governor?

Unrestrained looting of the public treasury will continue as far as past Presidents and governors are not jailed and punished. It is like every past leader hands over to the sitting President the areas where in the state treasury they benefit for personal pocket, so the looting continues as usual.

There should be hidden spot of looting known by all past Presidents and handing down to successive Presidents.The war against corruption and nepotism will not end if EFFC, ICPC, DSS, Police refuse to arrest former Presidents for wrong doings.

The Presidents must be held responsible for wrong doings to teach others lessons if not corruption will continue.

When past corrupt presidents and governors are not sanctioned for corrupt practices then corruption is legally officialised and commercialised in Nigeria.

The focus to fight corruption should be on former Presidents and governors if Nigeria is determined to succeed in its war against corruption and nepotism in my opinion.

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