The pleasure of a dignified silence that has followed the daily contemptuous criticisms over some questionable names in the much awaited list of the recently confirmed ministerial nominees has left one question resonating. Is the Sheriff, who is reputed for his pathological disdain for corruption a study in contradiction?
The proverb— “What a father says when going to the farm is different from what he says when coming back”, aptly describes our present political realities.
Many had thought that under the new Sheriff, the Nigerian government would have been renting apartments as prisons because our already congested prisons would have been filled to the capacity with all those that contributed in institutionalizing corruption in our society.
For clarity sake, the renowned anti-corruption Sheriff is back for good with his political antecedents and reputation intact. But this time around not through the smoke of a gun powder— rather, he submitted himself to democracy and as a repentant democrat, everything must be done in accordance with the rule of law— fighting corruption inclusive.
Those that have been advertising their ignorance with their remarkable gaffes— on why PMB is identifying with those he would have clamped down and sent to jail without further delay are amnesic of the fact that PMB of 1983 is different from PMB of 2015.
The latter is a reformed democrat who submitted himself to democracy and after 3 attempts was able to get to the seat of the presidency and had solemnly sworn publicly to respect the sanctity of the constitution and would not allow his personal ambitions over rule that of the nation with the ever resonating quote, “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody”.
It is the prerogatives of our competent courts of law to prove those important but not impressive persons (regardless of political and ethnic affiliations) who have been described by public opinions as corrupt, guilty and not the president. And so far, our near moribund institutions are now waking up to their responsibilities.
It is preposterous and hypocritically ingenuous to believe PMBs emergence will precipitate our pandering expectations in the fight against corruption.
Why wear him a democratic robe and expect him to thread towards the threshold of untrammelled impunity in cleansing the carefully erected Augean stable of the old decadent leaderships when there are constituted rules to follow? That will be edging back to the dark days of military dictatorship.
Those who have been denied access to filth and corruption are already getting a dose of their bitter pills. In their myopic judgments, have rudely been hectoring at the achievements of PMB’s war on corruption.
Nigerians are unperturbed in the Sheriff’s slow pace in the fight against corruption.
When a tse-tse fly perches on your scrotum, it takes great skill not force to kill it.
If being a study in contradiction could sweep away the old corrupt political order, I can stick to my guns that PMB’s political will and perceived sincerity of purpose will bring a sea of change in our democratic development.