The political storm in Nigeria is like a roaring lion. It can easily destroy. Only the brave and courageous can face the storm.
Storms are diverse in nature. There is the atmospheric storm, which is caused by change in weather; there are religious, economic and political storms. Facing the storm and being in the lions’ den are two examples of the most difficult human challenges in the country. Hardly has anyone been thrown before a lion and the person survived, unless he is a strong, fearless man who has God by his side. The Bible gives accounts of only a few personalities who come out unscratched after their encounter with lions. These include King David, Samson and Daniel. They were all victorious because God was with them.
Ibrahim Magu, the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is now passing through a storm. Despite all odds and efforts to derail his nomination for confirmation, Magu retains the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari, who appointed him. However, Magu’s assignment has placed him in a very precarious situation as he presently finds himself the bone of contention between the man who appointed him and the legislators who will approve his nomination.
Unfortunately, these are the same legislators that he had earlier indicated his intention to investigate. Some of these lawmakers were state governors whose records have many question marks. With such a setting, Magu became like a fox that had earlier created fear in the heart of an unsuspecting lion, only for the lion to find the fox inside its den. As it seems, the only thing that can save the fox is to invite other senior animals.
Universal law clearly provides that a man cannot be said to be guilty except the allegation against him has been proven beyond all reasonable doubts. This provision makes it possible for all the sides in an issue to be heard, for the accused to get the opportunity to defend himself.
The storm around Magu has been interesting. According to the story, the Department of State Security (DSS) had issued a report on Magu alleging that he was not fit to be considered by the Senate. The Senate turned a blind eye to the fundamental requirement for fairness when it did not put him in the dock for questioning, at least to hear his side of the story, which could have helped discerning Nigerians to make up their mind. The Senate simply relied on the so-called report they were said to have obtained from the DSS and promptly floored Magu. So, Magu became the most discussed issue in all the media for a while. After the hiccup, the Presidency refered the confirmation case to the Attorney-General of the Federation who was said to have found nothing wrong with the acting EFCC boss and advised the President to re-present his name to the Senate. Interestingly, the same DSS, at the 11th hour made a volt-face by saying good things of Magu. Based on the strength of all these, the President has stood by the nomination of Magu as he re-presented his nomination to the Senate.Hopefully, the Senate will now “do the needful” and reconsider its earlier position not to clear him.
lbrahim Magu is a Deputy Commissioner of Police who, out of dint of hard work and outstanding professionalism as an investigaor, won the heart of President Buhari, who was searching for a man to do a difficult job, to help him actualise his dream of fighting corruption to a stand-still in the country. Magu had the traits of the person the President was looking for.
All that had happened before the Senate on December 15, 2016, may turn out to be a good omen in favour of Magu. Today, he would stand tall before the Senate, supported by the letters from the DSS, Attoney-General and, above all, enjoying the full confidence of the President. A man of intergrity can, therefore, boldly walk into the lion’s den without fear like the fox in the narrative.
There are many lessons to take home from all this. In this country that our President has described as a corrupt country, it is good to note that the same President was still able to find a man who could still hold his head high as an incorruptible police officer.
If the question is asked, can anybody that is not corrupt come out of Nigeria? The answer is, yes! The same womb (Nigeria Police) that brought forth Nuhu Ribadu also gave out Ibrahim Magu. It can be said that, contrary to what many people think, various institutions in the country are not walking in line with the Buhari administration’s policies. l expect the Senate to investigate the role of the DSS in this Magu imbroglio. Areas of interest should be the two purported letters that came from the agency, signed by an a female official of the agency. Inasmuch as security agencies of government have the right to write and table a report of their investigation the way they received it, it behoves on the government to fully carry out a thorough investigation to bring to the fore the details of the investigation by cross-checking and interviewing any official mentioned. The DSS needs to apologise to the Senate and the Federal Government for this embarrassment, or how else could we explain two reports on one man, one report negative (when it was drunk) and another report positive (when their brain was fine)? If the latest report had been what the DSS submitted, maybe the furore created by the earlier report wouldn’t have been after all.