Bode Goes to Jail: The optimists, pessimists and conspiracy theorists

My heart was filled with so much joy when I heard the news that the former chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Olabode George along with five other members of the 2001/2003 Ports Authority Board are to spend two years in jail. Bode George and the NPA Five were found guilty and convicted on a 47-count charge, which includes disobedience to lawful order and abuse of office by splitting contracts to the tune of N84 billion by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos High Court.

The public reaction that followed the court ruling can be classified into three broad categories. As expected, we have the optimists. These are people who believe that the jail sentence – albeit two years, will serve as a deterrent to other corrupt politicians. For this group of people, such a ruling renews the hope in the nation’s judiciary as an arbiter of the ‘rule of law’. Secondly, we have the ‘pessimists’. The pessimists are of the view that sentencing Chief Bode George to two years imprisonment for a N84 billion fraud is a mere ‘slap on the wrist’ and makes mockery of the judicial system. In fact, such people are of the opinion that the PDP chieftain will probably have the sentence reduced on appeal, after which he can relax and enjoy his ‘booty’.

And thirdly, we have the ‘conspiracy theorists’. The conspiracy theorists are of the view that the sentence is more or less a ‘smokescreen’ to create a distraction so that the Oligarchy can carry on with its business of ‘do nothing’ and protection highly placed powerful individuals from prosecution. And of the course, the recent action of the Attorney-General in the case of James Ibori and Co lends further credence to their view. They refused to get carried away by the euphoria of court judgement because they are not convinced (and rightly so!) that the anti-corruption campaign of the Yar’Adua administration is ‘genuine’.

Whichever way one looks at the issue, the antecedents of this government provides enough evidence to substantiate any of the viewpoints. However for now I belong to the group of ‘optimists’. Yes I agree that two years imprisonment seems laughable, just as the former Edo State Governor Lucky Igbinedion was fined for N3.5m for embezzling N4.4bn! Yes I agree that Chief Bode George and the NPA Five can afford to live in Kirikiri Prison for two years while their proceeds from the N84bn continue to yield interest in their bank accounts. Yes I agree that there are probably bigger thieves, who seem untouchable roaming around the corridor of Aso Rock.

However, we can take delight in a few things. We need to be appreciative of the fact that, despite the rot in the nation’s judiciary, we still few judges in the country who are willing to stand up for the truth against all the odds. We must praise the courage and sagacity of Justice Oyewole in delivering this landmark judgement. Secondly, with the court ruling, Justice Oyewole has effectively nailed Chief Bode George’s political coffin. Whatever be the case, Bode George is now a ‘convict’. Whether he gets a commuted sentence at the Appeal Court is immaterial. This effectively means he cannot hold any political office for the rest of his life! As someone said, even if sleeps one night in Kirikiri maximum prison, that is enough. Also, we need not to look too far to dig up his criminal records, unlike Messrs Ibori and co. There will be safely kept at the Lagos High Court.

Overall it is worth noting one fact on the ongoing saga. Truth be told, the camp of corrupt individuals and treasury looters has no ethnic or religious barrier. You need not to belong to a particular ethnic group or religious sect to be a member. In fact, you need not speak the same local dialect. The unifying factor of corrupt minds is ‘self-enrichment’ and the common language is ‘money’. When people want to collude to loot the nation’s treasury they forget about that ethnic group. The ethnic diversity in the list of the convicted persons is very clear (Bode George, Aminu Dabo, Olusegun Abidoye, Abdullahi Tafida, Zanna Maidaribe and Sule Aliyu).

We need to point out this fact before some ethnic bigots’ say that the prosecution of Bode George is an ‘ethnic agenda’.