The many ‘gates’ of Buhari government (I)

Mike Ozekhome

It is no longer news that the PMB government is incurably afflicted by many “gates” – the “Maingate”, “Babachirgate”, “NNPCgate”, “IDPgate”, “Dapchigate”, “Adeosungate”, “Oilsubsidygate”, “Nairagate”, “Corruptiongate”, “Bokoharamgate”, “Herdsmengate”, “failedpromisesgate”, “etc gate”.

Let’s attempt a short discourse on some of them. The “MAINGATE”.

Abdilrashid Maina, was Head of presidential Taskforce on Pension Reform under president Jonathan. His disappearance from and appearance in Nigeria, caused a major uproar and hoopla last year and effectively dealt a fatal blow on the feigned anti-corruption war of the PMB government (an euphemism for onslaught against opposition and critics of government). Don’t forget that once a politician decamps from another party to the then APC (now APC and r-APC), he automatically dorns the toga of a saint. Like Naaman the Leper (Syrian-Army Commander), who was dipped into River Jordan seven times (on prophet Elisha’s command), and became clean, with a flesh as that of a child, having been cleansed of his leprosy, anyone who manages to cross the hurdle from one party to the then APC is anti-corruption, uncorrupted and incorruptible. Such is the hypocrisy and humbug of the anticorruption sloganeering.

Maina had fled the country some years earlier over N2 billion pension fund scam under GEJ. Like in a movie however, lased with Professor Peller’s abracadabra magic, Maina not only cruised into Nigeria from self-exile like a celebrity, he actually returned to the Ministry of Interior. As icing on the cake, he got double promotion. Popular public uproar forced the government to sack him. Maina vanished as he had come, with the EFCC looking the other way. The family cried blue murder. It told a bemused country and the world that Maina was in fact invited and given full security protection by the present government, operating through a very powerful cabal (a term popularized by late Prof. Dora Akunyili to describe those unseen hands that were Propping up an obviously ill President Yar’Adua, making the world to believe he was as fit as a fiddle). Like in all cases involving corruption within government circles, the Mainagate brouhaha was carefully swept off into the vehicle of historical oblivion with the APC broom.

The NNPC gate

The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, had pointedly, in an 18 page letter which leaked to the press, accused his successor as GMD, NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, of awarding about $24 billion major contracts without due process, and also engaging in acts of insubordination. For the records, PMB was then consigned to a London hospital bed. His Vice; Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, who was acting President, was not apprised of this national scandal. On PMB’s order to reply immediately, Baru countered that the law and the rules did not require any review or discussion with the Minister of State, or the NNPC Board. “What is required is the processing and approval of contracts by NNPC Tenders Board; The President in his executive capacity, or as Minister of Petroleum, or the Federal Executive Council (FEC), as the case may be”, Baru countered. But the catch here is that PMB was not in the country then. He was sick on hospital bed, in faraway London. He had actually transferred power to his vice, Osibanjo, under Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution. So, who approved

the humongous contracts, since Osibanjo said he did not? The APC broom swept this serious act of corruption under its thick mart of “protecting corruption within government circles with perfume, while fighting corruption against opposition with insecticides” (apologies Senator Shehu Sani). Don’t forget that the much trumpeted “Dasukigate” which the PMB government has anchored its entire anti-corruption war is $2.1b, less than 10% of the $23b involved in the “NNPC GATE”.

Babachir gate

Babachir Lawal (former SGF), was involved in a contract scandal, which later became “Babachirgate”. The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on monitoring humanitarian Crises in the Boko Haram ravaged North East, had in a 45 page report headed by Shehu Sani and signed by seven out of nine members, indicted Lawal, for being the alter ago of Rholavision Engineering Ltd which won a contract with over N500M paid into the company’s account. Rather than send the EFCC to pick up Lawal as the President would have done if Lawal were in the opposition, the presidency defended his integrity. Even with public outcry, the President gave Lawal a special treatment by setting up a three-man Presidential Panel headed by a whole Vice President, Osibanjo. Even when he was indicted, Lawal was ensconced in government warmth, until another round of public outcry before the President fired him. Yet, EFCC remained silent. Once more, the public rose up in righteous indication over this overt perversion of justice through selective war on corruption and elevation of some people above the law. It took many more months before the EFCC invited him. It was alleged he was “detained” in a well-furnished guest house. Till date, he has never been prosecuted or arraigned in any court of law. As usual, the APC –r-APC broom has swept the scandal under the mat.

Oil Subsidygate

In January, 2012, Nigerians were heavily mobilised by the opposition and civil society, spearheaded by “Occupy Nigeria” group, against GEJ’s decision to remove some fuel subsidy and increase the pump price of fuel. They all argued there was no subsidy and that it was a scam to satiate the heavy financial throats of our oil cabal buccaneers. GEJ government caved into mass revolt and announced partial subsidy removal, bringing up the Petrol price from N65 to N97, instead of the N141 it was originally.