I have been watching the unfolding drama regarding the demotion of former EFCC Chairman to his previous rank before he became AIG. And to me it portends a very serious omen for what this present administration has been known and will be remembered for.

Mr. Yar’Adua, the current President of the Republic has always struck me as too deliberately slow and inept. One can understand that he wishes to steer away from the confrontational and hands-on approach of his predecessor but Nigeria as a country does not need a leader who stays away from the helm. Nigeria do not need a leader who leaves the main bulk of the job to his underlings, Nigeria as a country is still very far from such concept and thus must be guided by a firm hand. He must be seen to be in control always.

His approach to this problem of leaving the merits of Mr. Ribadu’s promotion for the courts to decide seems to me a disturbing sign of weakness when decisiveness is needed. It is wonderful if we have become a land that observes the sacredness of our laws yet we cannot pretend that this is the case. Anybody acquainted with the history of the EFCC will agree that despite its inherent short-comings that it was when Mr. Ribadu was in office, that a part of our Justice system gave us at least in some measure the worth of our money. It brought to our consciousness the destructive effect that the cancer of corruption has had on our country and still does.

It brought us face to face with the sad realities and hypocritical nature of our leaders, both religious and secular. It made us aware of the immense burden that we bear for the sake of our young ones when we fulfill our obligation as citizens during the elections; a burden that we should in all earnest take more seriously when selecting our future leaders.

It performed admirably well given the circumstances and odds that confronted it from onset. In a nation where apathy, uncaring attitude emboldens the corrupt establishment and where corruption have become a Statecraft leaving the citizenry so jaded that they have forgotten what morality and decency look like, it did what it could no matter how minimal.  It was in such atmosphere that they existed and function thereby creating many animosity and ill-feeling towards them. In a land where injuries are nursed and hardly forgotten, sometimes for centuries, it is expected that some kind of pay-back time will be allotted to the organization and whoever personifies it.

I as an individual and a Nigerian expected the President to step in [given that the promotion was effected by the special order of the presidency] and re-enforce that privilege. Now, I am not a huge fan of the Obasanjo’s administration given the fact that he lost many chances to introduce meaningful changes that would have impacted the current and future existence of the Nigerian people [and actually blocked introduced laws that took us back almost a century back and blocked some that would have transformed the way that country is governed] by fighting too many small battles despite his obvious Big Uncle figure but I think that it was a wise decision to reward Mr. Ribadu for a job well done. Whether he used him as a political tool for witch-hunting remains an issue for next day. He performed and did his job with utmost conviction and zeal and that was evident.

In every developed and civilized part of the world, one thing that one observes is that they owe their current pre-eminence in many aspects of human history to this: the ability to allow those that possess the mind and vision that is needed at any time to lead them. This does not have anything to do with patronage or “connection” but because those individuals have demonstrated considerably well that they have what it takes to lead.  This is simply called “Meritocracy”.

Many of the officers by-passed by the promotion that made him an AIG must have in their line of duty been faced with such dilemma between doing what is morally and constitutionally required of them by the law but must have demonstrated their lack of Will and compensated that with mere lip-service. Yes, being a law enforcement officer in a lawless country as ours come with an enormous price and that includes a complete deadening of your conscience. Their lives are wretched and often have to go by with out-dated crime fighting tools and techniques yet is it not in such condition that heroes are made? One can only seek for perfection from an imperfect condition or situation.  Mr. Ribadu was given a task and he found a way to do that without re-coursing to the old well-rehashed pattern of “this-is-not-my-father’s-business’.

Due process may not have been followed but it was legitimate. Any actions taken to diminish his contribution to the society must be seen as a very great act of disservice to the country. In every land, heroes are made not because they are perfect but because their contribution was recognized, amplified and duly rewarded while their human failings were relegated to the background. That’s why the young ones will want to look up to them as source of inspiration. In present Nigeria, where true heroes are either vilified, killed or non-existing, it will be act of great importance if we can be seen to say ‘thank you’ for a job well done.

In a land where there is too much desperation, frustration, tears and death, that won’t be too much for those that try to let us stand even for a day. If those at the top choses to go on with their insensitivity to the plight of those they govern, we can at least gently remind them that they cannot govern us without our consent. Oh, when can we grasp the immense power in our hands and use it?