Joe Igbokwe 

A fierce battle is going on in Nigeria today between the Agents of Change and the Agents for the maintenance of status quo. It is one of the worst battles I have witnessed ever in Nigeria in recent times. It is a fierce battle for the soul of Nigeria between those who want their original country back and those who want to keep Nigeria as the conquered territory to be pillaged and milked with reckless abandon. It is a war between truth and falsehood, a war between darkness and light, the war between reason and unreason, and war between the brains and the brainless.

I saw this dangerous war coming even before last year’s Presidential elections when it became obvious that PDP was gone. I alerted APC leaders to be prepared for it. I did not know then whether they took notice of my warnings. It took the bizarre, the most outrageous, and the most treacherous betrayal inside the hallowed chamber of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Senator Saraki and his gang for APC leaders to pay attention. Today the resultant effect of this betrayal is telling a big story in all nooks and crannies of Nigeria, laying ambush on this government’s monumental fight against corruption. PDP leaders, Senators, Lawyers, Judges, Petroleum Product Marketers, Civil Servants, Electricity workers, etc. are hitting from all corners to circumvent government efforts to take back Nigeria.

In far away Panama, a consortium of lawyers using their law firm Mossack Fonseca founded by Ramon Fonseca, have been able to generate 11.5 million papers that linked government officials and looters across the world who siphoned money to Tax Haven in Virgin Island.

This leak, the biggest ever in recent history has led to the resignation of the Prime Minister of Iceland, Sigmundur Davio Gunnlaugsson. In Nigeria, one of the persons mentioned in the criminal deal is the present President of the Senate of Nigeria, Senator Bukola Saraki.

While the Mossack Fonseca lawyers worked tirelessly for years to do this great work for humanity, Nigerian lawyers, 90 of them are following the same Saraki to Code of Conduct Tribunal to render court process nugatory. Their professional colleagues in other climes are helping their countries to stop corruption but not these Charge and Bail lawyers here. They are neck deep into corruption and proceeds of corruption. They are worse than infidels.

The lawyers have been very busy searching for their birds of identical plumage in judges whether in High Court, Appeal Courts or Supreme Court to help truncate Saraki’s case. The corrupt Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are not left out in this show of shame. From 81 right from the onset, the number of Senators following Saraki to CCT has reduced to 12 as at Wednesday. Even with the heavy and weighty evidence before CCT, these woeful and useless Senators are still chasing shadows, making a mockery of themselves and people they represent. But the bigger they come, the harder they fall.

In the oil industry, the marketers and subsidy fraudsters are holding sway, gripping Nigeria by the throat and ready to squeeze without caring a hoot. In the power sector, the looters and their agents are working round the clock to reduce power generation to zero megawatts. If they are not pulling down transmission towers, they are busy blowing up gas supply to the power stations. I see this as an attack on the corporate existence of Nigeria as a political entity. I see this as a threat to national unity and cohesion. I see these attacks from all corners as acts of treason.

Now I do not think President Buhari and his cabinet need to offer any more excuses. I do not think it is necessary now. What is needed is a concrete and practical solution. President Buhari needs to use the enormous power of the presidency to do the needful. The economic saboteurs are so powerful, so rich, well connected and potentially dangerous to set the people against the President if President Buhari still treats them with kid gloves. These people must be identified, crushed and defeated. Nigerians voted for President Buhari to fight corruption, stop the drift in Nigeria, restore hope and build a new Nigeria. I know that the President is doing his best, and I also know he can do more. President Buhari must not fail. If he fails, Nigeria may not recover again. We must kill corruption or corruption will kill Nigeria. 

APC leaders must move now to help their President to succeed. This is not the time for blame games, this is not the time to point accusing fingers, this is not the time to look the other way. This is the time for collective responsibility and concrete action. Let us fire on all cylinders now that we have a budget. Let Nigeria become a huge construction site. Let the power sector work. Let petrol flow endlessly for now. Let us secure Nigeria. I know that the change but let it start now to manifest. No further excuses, no blame game. Let the change begin with us now.

Now we must protect power installation by all means possible. We must defeat saboteurs, fraudsters and enemies of Nigeria. Yes, we must clear the Augean Stable for Nigerians to have breathing space. I trust this President and like Dr. Tony Momoh, I offer myself to be stoned if President Buhari fails. Case Rested!