“Nothing is politically right which is
morally wrong”- Daniel O'Connell.


The Senate is the highest law making body
for this country. It is supposed to be
hallowed chambers for men of integrity. It
is supposed to be a reflective body consisting
dignified men of accomplishment. It is supposed
to be the moral barometer for the country and
every public servant who seek to serve. It is a
place where you are supposed to find statesmen,
who seek the best for the country and would
even welcome self denials as part of the price to
move the country forward. The Senate is
supposed to be a sanctified and sacrosanct
chamber.

But the Nigerian Senate is everything that is not
supposed to be. Without doubt, there are few
men of honour in the morally castrated body. But
unfortunately, few men of honour would not do.
The evidence of this is the macabre dance that
has been eviscerating the Chamber since the
beginning of this administration. The coronation
of a born-again swindler as the Senate president
is another attestation to this. It was an act that
has made the country a laughing stock
internationally and inflicted unqualified
opprobrium on the Nigerian psyche.

For this reason, the time has come for Nigerian
to begin to ask questions: What kinds of people
are gallivanting around the hallowed Chambers
of the Nigerian Senate? Are they the kinds of
people who should be there? Do they have the
moral qualifications to be members of that
body? Do they have the integrity and dignity that
such a body requires? Are these reputable
leaders or notorious leeches? What threats do
they constitute to this country? Or at least, what
threats do they constitute to the present efforts
to clean up this country of undesirable elements
in our public space?

It is time for Nigerians to begin to ask questions
about what kind of “Senators” are offering
support to this kind of man identified as and
called “Senator” Bukola Saraki? What are their
trajectories? What are their backgrounds? Are
these Senators moral reprobates? Have they at
any point in time defrauded this country? Is their
solidarity with “Senator” Saraki “a solidarity of
thieves?” Why are they so emboldened to foist a
notorious swindler as the President of our
Senate? Did they do this to cover their own
tracks hoping to use the system to protect their
fraudulent past?

What kind of shameless “Senators” would follow
Bukola Saraki to justify corruption and
kleptomania? What kind of Senators would
solidarise with Mrs. Toyin Saraki for being
questioned on issues of fraud and corruption?
What sort of integrity do they claim? What moral
authority do they project as members of the
highest law making body of the land? Could they
not even wait until the dust of these corrupt
trials settle? Why are they in a hurry to throw
their support behind Saraki? Did they even get to
ask themselves whether Saraki deserves their
support or not? Or is this just a blind support no
matter what? Do these “Senators” have any
dignity at all?

Or is this still all politics? Is the politics of these
Senators, that which has no conscience? Is it the
type that has no feelings? Is it the type that
props injustice? Is their own politics the type
that flaunts corruption and care less about the
people? Is their politics so insensitive that it
cares not about the cries and tears of the
people? Is their politics aimed at further
destructions of the society? Are they playing
politics of “you all be damned”? What breed of
politicians would be so brazen, blatant and
brassy about immorality in the public space? Is
the emergence of this genre of politicians a sign
of the death of conscience and dearth of shame
in our society?

Yes, politics is conventionally described as dirty.
But Awoism contends that politics really is not
dirty but only its players are dirty, and politics
could be clean, honourable and dignifying to the
extent to which its players want it to be. It is
the task of the people of any polity to sanitise
their politics and make it what they want. This is
of great pertinence because it is impossible for
any society to subsist when it has no moral cilia.
No society would be fit to live without at least,
an attenuated integrity. No society would be
worth the effort if dignity is not part of its ethos.
It is now time for the institutions of the state to
begin the task of ridding our public space of
undesirable elements. It is time for the EFCC and
the ICPC, The Nigerian Police and the Judiciary
to begin cleansing the society of undesirable men
who seek to govern us. It is time for searchlight
on the Senators who are blatant in their support
for corruption and decadence. It is time for some
of these senators to come out and declare
publicly their worth to the Nigerian people.
Nigerians want to know how they came up with
their stupendous wealth and riches.

There is need for a corrupticide to cleanse our
public space of corrupt elements. Anyone who
has given public support to corruption should be
quizzed. Even those who have offered covert
support for corruption should not be let off the
hook. Such a person or group of persons would
definitely know one thing or two about the
whereabouts of some of our commonwealth.

There is need to cleanse the Senate of corrupt
members. Reprobates like Saraki and his backer in the
former Vice President Abubakar Atiku should not
be gallivanting across the land unfettered. They
need to give account of their stewardship to the
people. What is the source of their wealth? How
did they come about their richness? What is their
source of fortunes? Nigerians would like to
know. Simply because a swindler is described as
“generous” does not absolve him from explaining
the source(s) of his wealth and riches. You
cannot steal us blind and then wear the toga of
“generosity.” Being “generous” with our stolen
commonwealth is not acceptable.

Swindlers like Bukola Saraki and Abubakar Atiku
could not be kingmakers in our society. They
could not be dictating the directions of our
society. They could not be calling the shots with
their reeking hands. They could not continue to
inflict our society with their questionable
morality. They could not and should not be
allowed to keep planting swindling sentries in all
the crannies and corners of our Federal and
State governments to continue the looting and
stealing. Internationally acclaimed crooks could
not be determining our destiny in this country. It
is time for them to be checkmated.

President Mohammadu Buhari should give us an
Attorney General (AG) as quickly as possible. We
need an AG that would institute investigations of
all those who seek to serve and are serving this
country. We are tired of people of questionable
wealth ruling over us. These moral reprobates
have become so confident that they even
threaten those who refuse to be part of them.
There are allegations of some of them having
hired assassins at their beck and call to take out
those they consider threats to their ways of
looting and swindling. They are bandits; ruthless,
merciless and dangerous.

Right now, nemesis is about to catch up with the
famously fraudulent “Senate President” Bukola
Saraki, an alleged certified bank robber and
reportedly, a criminal of repute and highly
respected crook. “Senator” Saraki, from all
indications, is a previously baptized scoundrel
who is now a born-again swindler. A scion of a
family of purloiners and plunderers that has held
an entire people of a state in economic bondage
and political subjugation through the
manipulation of the system, “Senator” Saraki is
laboriously trying to hibernate from the pursuit of
justice. It remained to be seen whether
“Senator” Saraki would succeed in this.

The sweat of those customers of The Societe
General Bank has refused to be dried. Their tears
are still streaming in search of succour. Their
blood is boiling for justice. Their souls are
sorrowing for consolation. The ghosts of those of
them who died of frustration as a result of the
heist of Saraki family are still haunting. Their
spirits are snivelling for vengeance. The curses of
the investors or shareholders who put in their
money for a legitimate return but were deprived
by Bukola Saraki and his family, are catching up.
The victims of Trade Bank, robbed of their
deposits, swindled of the fruits of their sweat and
told to go to hell by Bukola Saraki, might still
have justice. The pains of ordinary men and
women who through hard work, made a little
extra and saved them up for their time of
infirmities, and probably for their own children
are still pealing for attention and redress. The
original owners of Intercontinental Bank, their
customers and investors whose dreams were
derailed by Senator Saraki through blatant fraud
might still have the last laugh. We are all
anxiously waiting to see how it all pans out.
The battle to cleanse Nigeria of corruption is just
beginning. The failure or success of it would
determine the survival of Nigeria or its demise. It
is why President Buhari has to be courageous,
fearless but fair, balanced and equitable in
prosecuting this war on corruption. Its
prosecution is going to be a tough one. Without
doubt, it is a very herculean one. It is titanic in
nature. It is a monumental and vast task. But
regardless, if the survival of Nigeria, about which
I still have a serious doubt, must become a
reality, this certainly is the task that must be
accomplished.

In the course of this, lies would be glamourised
and spread around. Falsehood would be fine
tuned and peddled. Ridiculous justifications
would be put forth. Preposterous excuses would
be propped up. Rationalisations would be
vociferous. Obnoxious explanations would be
rendered. Grotesque counter claims would be
made to shift the focus. Parlous counter
accusations would be thrown around to create
diversions. But all of them should not deter
those who seek some sanity for the polity.

“In the long history of the world, only a few
generations have been granted the role of
defending freedom in its hour of maximum
danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility –
I welcome it.”
- John F. Kennedy, in his Inaugural Address
January 20, 1961
Please, follow me on twitter @OyeyemiRemi

Nigeria will rise again. Birds of a feather flock together that is the issue of Saraki and his allies in the senate, its either they are looking for a juicy house committee chairmanship seat or they wanted him free so that after him it will not be their turn. Whether they all converge at the tribunal or not justice shall prevail, if he is not guilty so be it and if he his no one is above the law let the law take its cause.