PRESS RELEASE
CAN CORRUPTION CLAIM ITS FIRST VICTIM IN OBONO-OBLA
The Paradox of a hunter being hunted in the fight against corruption in Nigeria is a classic example of the travails of Okoi Obono-Obla as chairman of the Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP). It will have been more graspable, if the fatal stab wound came from the enemy’s camp, alas this wound inflicted on Obono-Obla’s torso came from the poisoned weapon within his camp in furtherance of their political ambition rather than the interest of the nation as they would want us to believe.
It is the paradox of the dog eating the dog to survive under President Buhari’s administration. How else will one describe this scenery of government sealing its own office in a Gestapo manner reminiscent of the days of Nazi Germany preparatory to removing one man days before the letter removing him was written on the 14 August 2019? Can this administration frontally talk about certificate forgery as a crime upon which they could remove one of its dedicated disciples from public office, even as the PDP as an enemy canvases same point to dismantle the tripod stand of the APC victory at the last polls?
We therefore incline to ask ‘which government like a house divided amongst itself, will fight each other just to protect the corruptly infested ‘mighty ones in the society’ seen as friends? Since the inception of SPIP, amidst the perceived/alleged overzealousness of the Chairman in carrying out his duty, we have heard the daring and unimaginable exploits of the panel in frontally calling to book those seen as ‘Untouchables’ (owing to their privileged socio-political circumstances) and the attendant efforts by political big wigs to shield culprits from the long arms of the law in such cases. In due course, we shall open the Pandora’s Box to reveal graphic details of all such dirty cases and interferences from the mighty and powerful enemies of our land.
The lessons to learn in this saga of suspending Okoi Obono-Obla as Chairman of SPIP is the realisation that we should never touch some ‘powerful and connected’ persons in Nigeria in the war against corruption. As the picture gets clearer to the common man in Nigeria, we realise that the head of Okoi Obono-Obla was long demanded on a platter as a gift to the powerfully rich corrupt warlords in Nigeria, for daring to bring them to book on corrupt charges.
Another bitter lesson is that those in government can only use South-south Nigerians when they need them to do yeoman’s service and dump like a sucked orange. As Obono-Obla is tied to the stakes like a bear waiting for the chopping- off of his head as a present to the powerful corrupt class in Nigeria, we ask ‘who from the South-South will be the next victim?
Obono-Obla loved Buhari and his anti-corruption mantra fetching him many enemies. One thing you cannot deny this young man is his ‘loyalty to President Buhari and ‘bravery' amid adversity. PMB is respectfully advised to recognise and reward loyalty and dedication to duty by saving the carcass of Okoi Obono-Obla for a decent burial rather than let those vultures who previously regarded PMB as a political leper feast on the remains of Okoi Obono-Obla.

15th August 2019
Eteng Jimmy Ujong- Chairman
Cross River State Youth Assembly- Ugep Chapter