The news came in that Senator Ike Eweemadu, one of Nigeria’s legislators, was arrested in London and later arraigned on charges of harvesting human parts. However, whatever the anger or anger initially provoked was tempered by the revelation that the allegation was in connection with the senator’s daughter’s deteriorating kidney problem, which was to be replaced. At that stage, nearly everybody’s sympathy went to Eweremadu and even till now the silent prayer is for a successful kidney surgery for the innocent and pitiable daughter of the senator.
As they are wont, some Nigerians seized the opportunity to express their frustration over the very idea of the senator taking the daughter abroad for treatment. Why not? When any family is struck with a medical problem, a major one at that, the instinct is to secure treatment anywhere in the world and at any cost, provided the family will bear the expenses. In many cases, the family or the patient (will) appeal to the public for donation to cover the cost. Even before the news on Ekweremadu broke, the need for reliable medical treatment, especially on major ailments, had been constant in Nigeria. And it would be wrong to either blame Ekweremadu particularly to cite the daughter’s ailment as the moment to instantly provide the facilities. No country is exempt from record of deaths from kidney, liver, heart, blood pressure, dementia, fibroid, cancer, prostate and sight.
Nigerians, therefore, got it wrong for faulting Ekweremadu for taking his daughter abroad for medical treatment. He must have been driven by desperation to seek treatment for the daughter and you don’t have to be a senator to realise the agony of a father in Eweremadu’s situation. To worsen matters for the Eweremadu family, the senator and wife got roped into a highly criminal offence of dealing in human parts. As it turned out, it was all in connection with the emergency treatment for their very ill daughter rather than any money-making venture. That in itself was an instant, if temporary, relief. But the case comes up at a London court next week. Even then, there is so much confusion on the details.
Briefly, is the alleged donor of the kidney (earmarked as a replacement for the damaged one on Ekweremadu’s daughter) a voluntary Good Samaritan who was lured ignorantly into an unsolicited trip abroad? How old is the donor? A 15-year youngster or a 21-year-old man as claimed by others or even 41-year old? Whatever his age, especially if only 15, how did the figure of such an age pass through the British immigration entry point for a man of 21 or even 41 as alleged in other reports Ekweremadu was cautious enough to disclose to British High Commission in Lagos, the purpose of his accompanying guest’s visit to United Kingdom, when applying for the boy’s (man’s?) visa?
It is, therefore, not as if Ekweremadu is already found guilty and convicted. Indeed, for all his problems, the man is so lucky he is appearing before the British justice system. Take it or leave it, the British legal system remains the best and fairest in the world and for any alleged crime the suspect can rest-assured of fair trial. The only reservation is on the facts of the case, which the prosecution may disclose in court, so far unknown to observers, especially Nigerians.
It was, therefore, panicky of the authorities of Nigeria’s National Assembly to have created the stupid impression that Senator Ekweremadu was somehow being persecuted. How many times in the past had the senator visited the United Kingdom on private matters either on Nigerian or (even) British passport? Was he ever unusually queried or arrested, let alone put on trial or refused bail? It all depends on facts available, which are still to be disclosed in court when the case resumes. What needs to be borne in mind is that whatever the status of a criminal suspect (yes, criminal suspect), Britain is not Nigeria where compromise in legal matters is neither strange nor distasteful to the sides concerned. On bail matters, it must also be remembered that a (then) sitting state governor, the late Dieprieye Alamieseigha, was granted bail in a criminal case in London only for him to abscond and (to) return to Nigeria. The current ordeal of Ekweremadu is better seen in that perspective. The simple truth in Ekweremadu’s case is that he is not being persecuted by the British authorities. As embarrassing as it is, his alleged criminal matter arose from his handling or mishandling of, unfortunately, a pitiable family medical problem. He should, therefore, have no issue in establishing his innocence.
That makes it ridiculous the debate in the National Assembly in Abuja where everybody was falling over themselves in lamenting what they considered the unfair and perhaps humiliating treatment of Ekweremadu on his arrest over the purported harvesting of human organs. Ordinary, Nigerians are occasionally, if not often, quizzed at airports around the world. Nigerian legislators are not known to show any sympathy and they are not bound to. Instead, the much they engage in is mostly stricture poured on helpless Nigerians left to help themselves, unlike legislators who believe they exist to be served and pampered by Nigerians as a duty. One aspect of the arrogance of these legislators is their decision to clear the legal fees of Ekweremadu.
Was Ekweremadu on official duties when he was arrested for allegedly violating the criminal laws of a foreign country? Certainly not. In what capacity, therefore, is the senator’s legal expense to be footed from tax paid or forcefully deducted from the poor wages and salaries of struggling Nigerian workers? Does Nigeria pay the lawyer’s bill of the ordinary citizen? What makes the plight of a senator arrested abroad different from or weightier than that of the ordinary citizen? This is another evidence of the wastefulness of pampering these legislators on secret salary ever unknown and undisclosed to the taxpayers. Yet, these legislators insult Nigerians that they consume Nigerians’ wealth far less than the executive. Little wonder they corner and dispose of their expenditure secretly like telling Nigerians that renovation of the National Assembly would cost N25 billion only to give the contract to their favoured company for N40 billion, with the false impression they were saving Nigeria any huge sum. From such reckless expenditure they could afford the legal fees of an eering senator.
Would Senator Ekweremadu be the first Nigerian legislator to find himself trapped in legal problems abroad, such as to warrant total waste of public funds on his legal fees? There is no proof he requested for such assistance. Our legislators must, therefore, be ignorant of history. In the 1950s, top Nigerian member of the House of Representatives in Lagos, TOS Benson, stood trial in in London for trying to update himself on an old flame. In fact, TOS Benson was more on official duties as he was, as member of his (NCNC) party’s delegation attending one of those constitutional conferences. Benson yet bore his legal expenses. The House of Representatives, under Tafawa Balewa, never spent a penny on Benson. What, therefore, is so unique this time that the National Assembly must clear the legal fees of Senator Ekweremadu?
Worse still, some members of the Foreign Relations Committee of the National Assembly are to junket to Britain to show solidarity with Ekweremadu. That wasteful jamboree will cost taxpayers first class tickets, estacode in foreign exchange, in addition to their salaries/allowances in the National Assembly. Nigerians are starving while these senators are not only unconcerned but also lavishing. The Senate also announced its intention to liaise with the British High Commission in Lagos for whatever assistance. Nigeria is just being ridiculed. We now know the calibre of our legislators. Britain is not a country which interferes with the judiciary on legal proceedings. That will be the response from the British High Commission to Nigeria. That is the standard of Her Majesty’s Government. After all, only a fortnight ago, Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson not only that he (Buhari) would not release Nnamdi Kanu but also that he (Buhari) would not interfere with the judicial proceedings. Have we no shame?
Why is Nigeria hell-bent on compromising on this matter? It is straightforward. Senator Ekweremadu is either innocent of all the charges preferred against him, in which case, he will walk away from the court a free man. Why is Nigeria consciously or unconsciously complicating matters for the man who could regain his freedom on personal merit, if the prosecution fails? On the other hand, even if Ekweremadu were to be convicted for his criminal misadventure, Nigeria should not judge another country by its (Nigeria’s) standard. Britain does not interfere in the processing of matters in a court of law, whatever the status of the accused.
Why should Nigeria pay for the legal representation of Senator Ekweremadu? Did he complain of being indigent? Or is our foreign exchange just to be squandered because the man is a senator? The average Nigerian legislator is ever comfortable with tens or even hundreds of thousand of pounds or dollars at any time in foreign accounts. After all, when Senator Ekweremadu was arrested at London Heathrow airport on his way to Turkey, he was reported in British press to have up to £20,000 (twenty thousand pounds) on him. He can, therefore, pay his legal fee or every penny on his private trip.
On the Ekweremadu matter, Nigeria cannot exceed Britain’s effort on consular services over Nnamdi Kanu. Or is Britain settling the legal fees for Kanu?