Re: Before the president returns

Iam a regular reader of Daily Trust, and I also frequently read Mohammad Qaddam Isa’s column which I have always thought to be fair and balanced.

But frankly I was so disappointed by the article titled “Before the President returns” that I felt the need to respond. The article appears to be a whisper campaign against acting President Yemi Osinbajo, who I believe has held the country together well in the absence of our great leader Muhammadu Buhari.

Mallam Muhammad makes the following completely unsubstantiated allegations. First those losses of some corruption cases in court have been on account of compromises of prosecuting counsels, who may somehow have been influenced by the executive!

Secondly, he says that the acting President showed favoritism, because the head of the NHIS who was suspended by the Minister of Health claimed that he was suspended because he was unwilling to connive with the Minister to loot the NHIS.

And, thirdly, that the recent Boko Haram suicide bombings were somehow the fault of the acting President.

On the issue of commitment to the anti-corruption fight, is it not the same Osinbajo who has stood up to the Senate, refusing to sack Magu? Even with the threats of the Senate that they would no longer consider confirmation of nominees of the Federal Government?

In the Saraki case, a straightforward case of non-declaration of assets, corrupt practices as a governor was presented to Justice Umar who by the way has been facing an EFCC investigation for a bribe given to his assistant ostensibly at his direction. In Ademola’s case, Justice Okeke, who also is being investigated by the NJC, was presented with evidence that Justice Ademola’s wife received N30million, his son received a brand new car from a lawyer Joe Agi, who had cases before him and who the judge later gave an order to enforce a judgment of $3.2billion dollars against the Delta State government.

The judges decided in the respective cases that no prima facie case of corruption had been established. Meaning that there was nothing for the accused persons to answer for or to explain! How can these cases of judicial malfeasance be attributed to the prosecution or the Presidency?

By the way both cases have been appealed by the Federal Government.

But I suspect the real objective of the article was to try to blackmail the acting President on the case of the NHIS DG, who was suspended over allegations of corrupt practices by the supervising minister. Haba Mallam, so when a DG is accused of corruption he should not be suspended pending investigation? If you are truly concerned about corruption, one would have thought that you would support an investigation of allegations.

Recently both the SGF and the DG NIA were suspended because of allegations against them, while investigations were going on, so what is the big deal when a relatively lowly official like the DG is suspended? So what is the act of favoritism here?

The news we read in your paper the Daily Trust was that the Acting President directed that the DG must be given a fair hearing! And this is indeed the way to go.

The most absurd allegation is the Boko Haram one. A day after a suspected Boko Haram attack in Maiduguri the Acting President was there to launch the largest grain distribution effort yet for IDPs. He was widely praised for his courage. Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Buratai has repeatedly said that by and large what is left of Boko Haram are small pockets who by opportunistic raiding of villages can create panic. There is also the heartless use of underaged children especially girls as suicide bombers. This is the nature of asymmetric conflict, terrorism being its main manifestation, they may not disappear overnight no matter how great the army’s performance.

When a person from any part of the country does well, let us appreciate him or her, we undermine our nation when we promote ethnic interpretations of every action. This is really how President Buhari would like to have it.

In any event, we all know that most of those who hide under parochial cover when they are in trouble usually have something to hide!

Mujaidu Abdullahi Esq., Abuja.