Bankole’s cross

An intriguing story was told in Robert Grave’s novel I, Claudius. In that novel, Claudius was an interesting, inquisitive character who asked his grandmother, Livia whether she preferred slow poison or quick and repeated doses. She reportedly replied that anytime she wanted to get rid of a rival, she preferred “repeated doses of slow tasteless poisons which gave the effect of consumption”.

In that novel, Livia was portrayed as a smart, but ruthless woman who ruled the old Roman Empire from behind the scenes. She did that through quiet mischief and manipulation of her older husband, Augustus Caesar.

Let’s bring this tale to modern politics. Politics may look subtle, but it is not an easy one for the politician. Sometimes, it has become a potent, most popular poison of this century to dispose of an “enemy”. Not only can it tarnish an image, it has what it takes to destroy one’s reputation. By the time the victim realizes what hits him, even though he may know who his poisoners are, he is done in.

This may be a moment of good feeling for the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and its chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri, a retired Assistant General of Police. In a manner of speaking, the commission has been ‘winning’ in recent times. It has been catching the “big fishes” of ex-public officials, sometimes making a big show of its ‘catch’, after a seemingly long slumber and inactiveness.

And for the immediate speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Dimeji Bankole, what a reversal of fortune, some say. A bizarre, sinking feeling must have set in since EFCC barged into his house in Abuja and took him away. It is like blood in the water kind of feeling for Bankole who has been slammed with multiple charges of offences, real, and outrightly imagined, at a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja. Few things have entertained the Nigerian public, and perhaps the international community about our politics and its politicians as the prosecution of the erstwhile speaker. This much is plain: Never in recent memory has one institution of government brought so much trepidation to so many people, politicians and bankers alike, as EFCC. It is not for nothing.

Corruption runs deep into the present democratic dispensation. If there is one potent force capable of derailing the democratic process, it is official corruption. And combating it is something that must be encouraged. But the strategic approach to combating the graft matters a lot. Any institution statutorily charged with this task can only discharge it in good faith when it is done to the greatest possible degree, with sincerity of purpose, fairness and without any scintilla of evidence, it is been influenced by forces outside its mandate. It follows that when EFCC does its work with some kind of theatrical effect as many have insinuated in the present charges against Bankole, the primary objective of anti-corruption may lose its essence. The result could create a voracious appetite for drama that inexorably leads to unhappy ending.

Though Bankole and his erstwhile deputy, Usman Nafada are now out of EFCC custody, courtesy of a tough bail conditions, however, suspicion of a possible witch-hunt is one of them. It is the kind of grave mistake that made EFCC under Malam Nuhu Ribadu to lose its “salt,” rhythm and that geography of trust that sustains any public institution and its personnel. After Ribadu and with Waziri in the saddle, the general consensus is that public confidence is gradually coming back to EFCC, so it seems. But to what extent?, is what Bankole’s family and friends are curiously asking. And Bankole himself has also raised quite a number of troubling questions about his present trial.

For instance, his father, chief Alani Bankole has alleged a well-orchestrated political motivation behind the son’s prosecution. He has not ruled out a death plot. One of the respected politicians in the South West and former governor of Ogun state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, told Daily Sun last week that the ex-speaker’s current ordeal has political undercurrents. Dr. Fedrick Fasehun has said the same. Osoba said it was a ploy designed o destabilize members of the House of Rep from advancing legislative autonomy and growth of true democratic principles that culminated in the election of Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as the new speaker of the House.

If this is one angle to Bankole’s present travail, National Co-cordinator, corruption watchdog, Mr. Obinna Emecheta sees the entire saga as a witch-hunt. Nothing less. Otherwise, Mr. Emecheta alleges, that the Public Procurement Act 2007 “is very clear in who should prosecute a breach of any section(s) of it”. Many of the charges against Bankole bordering on the alleged purchase of office items and cars for House committees. The beef here, according to some anti-corruption organisations, is that prosecution of offences under this Act ought to be instituted by the Attorney General of the Federation. It is like saying that the Department of Customs Service can prosecute drug offences.

As I write this morning, the former speaker and his deputy are still fighting the battle of their political career despite the bail granted them last Thursday. Bankole still maintains his innocence of the charges against him. Beyond that, the choice of his prosecutor, Mr. Festus Keyamo to exercise that all-important prosecution power reserves for the Attorney General of the Federation is one grouse that should not be overlooked in Bankole’s trial. As everyone knows, Keyamo without controversy, is like a doughnut without a hole. As a lawyer who made his name from controversial cases he has handle, the matter against Bankole is one that Keyamo has more than a passing interest. It dates back to October 19, 2008, when he authored a petition titled: Open Request for Explanation regarding Allegations of fraud in the House.” Keyamo’s petition was with regard to the purchase of Peugeot 407 cars for committees of the House of Representative following a report in Newswatch Magazine.

The House Ethics committee was already investigating the Newswatch allegation when Keyamo took the gauntlet. Nothing wrong with Keyamo’s interest, even if he made a show of it as he did by distributing the petition to journalists before he delivered it to Bankole. Justifiably, the Ethics and privilege committee of the House consolidated Keyamo’s request with the Newswatch story and invited Keyamo to the House to prove his allegation. Keyamo did. The House after interrogation him said Keyamo’s price differential of the cost of the cars was N6.1 million instead of N5.1m. Issue of payment was another sore point in the alleged car scam. The Ethics committee had in its report noted that Mr. Keyamo did not “seek to authenticate the documents Keyamo relied upon and the interpretations of the content were taken out of context and totally faulty, and the annexures to Keyamo’s petition seriously questionable”

This is part of the content of Bankole’s application filed by his lead lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) on the charge on the alleged inflation of contracts. There are few critical issues EFCC must keep in view in its prosecution of Bankole. First, is the overriding need to avoid a miscarriage of justice. In that case, EFCC should not be overbearing in the current prosecution process that tends to give the impression that it is hell-bent on foisting a guilty verdict on the former number four citizen.
Transparency and fairness are two of the ingredient for any vital institution such as EFCC to remain relevant and sustain public confidence and trust.

Bankole is not be a saint (and few public officials are in Nigeria), but EFCC should not do anything to give the effect that the travails of Bankole is after all, a well-orchestrated and sustained plot, been waged in different flanks with different storylines – if one fails – try another. That, it must be said, had been on even before Bankole lost his bid for re-election in the last National Assembly Polls, April 9. If in the end, EFCC is seen as part of the plots, or the instrument to humiliate the ex-speaker, that will indeed be a sad goodbye to the fight against corruption in Nigeria, especially among public office holders. If that happens, sorry, history may be unkind to EFCC. But, all in all, a tough, new code of ethics is imperative in both chambers of the National Assembly. Bankole should not be made an scope-goat. http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/opinion/2011/june/21/opinion-21-06-2011-001.html

A very interesting piece of an article. Thanks for sharing this, as much I have not posted on Nairaland for a while, I think this article is worthy of commendation.

Actually the average Nigerian on the street does not care whether bankole is a scapegoat or not. whether the house of reps were seeking political autonomy or not. We are not that naive we know the efcc is compromised. We know corruption is only paid lip service, does that then mean that if a corrupt official is caught, because everyone is doing it we should let him go? All we care about is whether he is guilty and if he is guilty, he should be prosecuted and if he is the only one we can catch for now well so be it. It gives us hope that maybe one day we will be able to catch all of them.

That is true, but I dont know why I feel that corruption cant cure corruption. Like it is being proposed, it will be nice to have someone like Buhari on to of all anti corruption agencies such that EFCC, ICPC and any other one that is available can report to him.

Hopefully someday, we will get rid of the menace (corruption of all kinds) from our mist and then, can, move forward.

Everybody has got a cross. We should be sure we are carrying it for the right reason, but if someone put the cross on you or there are other peolpe that you are supposed to carry it together, then cry unto God for deliverance.

Nice piece of work, sir. It time we get objective about the whole issue. Our country needs to be rid of corruption and I totally agree with that. However, what the country needs least now is witch-hunting because it blinds a people. One of the most shameful eras American and European history is the witch hunting eras. Once, Supposed witches were burnt in the public square. There was a book that described how a house wives would allege their mothers in-law of witch craft so that they could have less mouths to feed when the poor women had been burnt. Likewise in the mid twentieth century, the American congress came up with this witch hunting committee to route out communist from the American society. Many innocent lives were destroyed in the process. Today films were made about this era to show how shameful the whole process was. Recently, the Wiki leak boss was arraigned over some spurious allegations because he leaked some vital shady deals of the American government all over the world. We should not bring this back into our politics. Abacha once did, Yaradua did likewise to the ex EFCC boss. Witch hunting in our politics will scare true reformists away and leave corrupt mediocre to run the show. Or why do you think someone like Soyinka would not get himself involved in Nigerian politics.

andromida:

Actually the average Nigerian on the street does not care whether bankole is a scapegoat or not. whether the house of reps were seeking political autonomy or not. We are not that naive we know the efcc is compromised. We know corruption is only paid lip service, does that then mean that[b] if a corrupt official is caught[/b], because everyone is doing it we should let him go? All we care about is whether he is guilty and if he is guilty, he should be prosecuted and if he is the only one we can catch for now well so be it. It gives us hope that maybe one day we will be able to catch all of them.

When you say 'a corrupt politician is caught', you are already concluding Bankole is guilty even before trial and conviction. We need to remember that he is innocent until proven guilty. And that EFCC itself is not entirely non-corrupt, hence we should proceed with caution. Third, there are always two sides to a story. Most people have refused to give Bankole a benefit of the doubt or listen to his side of the story before calling for jungle justice. Corruption [/b]can only be [b]cured [/b]when we employ [b]fairness and justice in dealing with it.