Again, Chasing Shadows …That Call For Diezani’s Head

Apparently dazed by the sweet wine of democracy, lavishly served Nigerians by the Jonathan Presidency, many seem to have found so much reason to redefine what rights mean. One such is the new penchant, sorry right of some to decide for Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan who to sack and who to spare.

Surely, one of the real pillars of any democracy is the collection of freedoms of various shades and colours, key among which is free speech, which though free, is also carved in such a manner that the right behind its use, does not infringe on others’ right to have their integrity intact.

That right it seems, is now daily misused to torment other public officers and indeed question their integrity.

Last week, this column had cause to enlist in the debate over the propriety of the summoning of President Jonathan by the House of Representatives, with the caveat that he did so in person. At the forefront of that campaign was the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Zakari Mohammed who was said to have quoted relevant portions of the 1999 Constitution in the most irrelevant way by deliberately choosing favourable opening paragraphs without the exceptions duly spelt out.

And only last week, the same Zakari, swimming in the euphoria of an untouchable, covered by legislative privilege a ‘know-it-all’, and a scavenger of others political heads, started the call for the removal from office, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke over what he considers, her regime of ineptitude, which in his view, led to the distasteful running of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by its leadership.

The only reason deducible from Zakari’s argument is that the NNPC leadership was corrupt in the management of the oil subsidy regime because the Petroleum Minister is inept, unqualified and indeed compromising. This is in spite of the fact that the House’s Ad-hoc Committee which probed the subsidy regime did not expressly find Allison-Madueke culpable in any way.

If expanded, Zakari’s argument seemed to imply that the House’s Ad-hoc Committee chairman, Hon. Farouk Lawan, who probed the subsidy programme, and who is now facing accusations of demanding and accepting a $620,000 bribe from an industry chief, did so, if he did, simply because the House’s speaker or leadership is inept, unqualified and indeed compromising. Would it therefore, be proper to call for the removal of the Speaker of the House?

Curiously, those calls for Diezani’s head, made more headlines after, following recommendations of the presiding Minister, President Goodluck Jonathan sacked and replaced the Group Managing Director and indeed Board of the NNPC. That action, according to Presidency sources, was meant to inject fresh blood into the plans to implement reforms in the sector.

More importantly, the idea of an oil subsidy regime probe would not have been necessary, if President Jonathan, through the Petroleum Resources Minister had chosen to keep mum, as did many others before him, earn a little more from loots of key industry players and begin the search for other juicy avenues of wealth generation. But inundated with discrepancies in reports from the subsidy regime, it was indeed the Presidency that not merely proposed, but indeed announced the removal of fuel subsidy as a means of saving the country, the high level of waste through corruption.

But rather than earn the respect, commendation and indeed the support of notable Nigerians, particularly members of the National Assembly like Zakari, the opposite is what the gullible public is being fed with as truth, on daily basis.

Unfortunately for such arm-chair critics, many others have refused to be deceived by their campaigns of calumny because, as they want Nigerians to believe, if the Presidency was corrupt, intended shielding any corrupt marketing company or was benefiting from the subsidy, why would the same President move to cancel the subsidy programme? Would he not rather be quiet and reap billions from the programme by simply looking the other way?

Importation of refined petroleum products did not start with the Jonathan Presidency, neither did the payment of subsidy on such import. But unlike many before him, Jonathan instead, with the recommendation and support of Diezani Allison-Madueke elected to pursue the subsidy removal agenda to high levels before the ill-conceived nationwide strike called by labour early in the year.

This is why it is puzzling that some Nigerians, could buy the thorn kite flown by Zakari Mohammed to test the political waters. Or is it intended to force another change that would be beneficial to Zakari’s sponsors against the hopes, fears and yearnings of the oil producing South-South region?

Interestingly, penultimate Friday, President Jonathan announced the removal of the National Security Adviser, General Andrew Owoye Azazi (rtd) along with the Defence Minister, Bello Haliru Muhammed in response to similar calls, or so it appears. Expectedly, the Federal Government has since replaced Azazi, who hails from the South-South Zone with Col. Sambo Dasuki of the North while, two others from the same North are now being considered for replacement of Haliru Muhammed.

These changes, favourable as they are to Zakari and his ilk, are not so to others. Now, the agenda seems to be to arm-twist the Presidency into doing-away with Diezani Allison-Madueke. Should that happen, there is no assurance that the replacement will come from the same South-South just as Azazi’s did not source replacement from where the former left.

With all these, one expects that men like Zakari will commend President Jonathan for exercising the discretion to remove Gen Azazi, once mentioned to have been responsible for the president’s earlier leap from Director in OMPADEC to running-mate to former Bayelsa State Governor, Diepriye Alamieyesigha. Many before him, would naturally place such personal relationship far above national interest, but no. As usual, none of that would be mentioned nor heard from those whose only past-time seems to be calling for other’s jobs in the name of fighting corruption, an exercise that should require more introspective by those who sit in judgment over others.

This is why recent calls by a few, for the sack of Diezani Allison-Madueke as Petroleum Resources Minister must be viewed for what it is – misguided, selfish and unpopular and indeed surely, a demonstration of crass insensitivity to the yearnings of the oil producing Niger Delta.

Happily, there are still Nigerians, even from the Northern parts of the country who can still stand tall above the now familiar destructive North-South sentiments and who at all times still choose to voice only the truth and whatever can foster excellence and national integration.

One such is former Petroleum Minister, Dr. Rilwanu Lukeman who has repeatedly described the contributions of Diezani Allison-Madeuke to petroleum sector, as a great asset. Indeed Lukeman, like many other well-meaning Nigerians, including key players in the petroleum industry consider the current Minister of Petroleum Resources as qualified, diligent and very patriotic and thus, most suited for the much needed reforms now gradually unfolding.

This is why many are at loss over what informed Zakari’s views on certain issues: over-dose of democratic wine, the type Obasanjo denied many? Or merely sentiments intended to heat-up the polity; as earlier threatened by top-Northern politicians, to make Nigeria ungovernable, or does Zakari have his own agenda as distinct from both and by extension that of the House of Representatives?

These are challenging times when everyone should join hands with all well-meaning Nigerians and the government to defend the unity, (even in our diversity) of the country and not fan, recklessly, the embers of artificial divides. Democracy, it must be said, does not necessarily mean limitless freedom to voice any and every thing one wishes to voice on others. That right is also limited by the rights of others to defend their integrity and reputation.

More than that, membership of the House is no guarantee to determine what the executive arm should do or how to run the government. We must apply some civility in the way we castigate others for our own personal aggrandizement.

My Agony is that the likes of Zakari are unmindful of the reality that anytime one goes head down to spy on other’s under pants, his, is at once open to similar, if not more elaborate probe. That indeed is what the Reps themselves are battling to come to terms with over Lawan’s unease.

Soye Wilson Jamabo

President Jonathan and Diezani Allison-Madueke