अ रिवार्ड फॉर SERVICE

A REWARD FOR SERVICE

“The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come”, Isaiah Chapter 57 verse 1. Nuhu Ribadu, former Assistant Inspector General of Police, sorry, Deputy Commissioner of Police is one of the most popular, or is it notorious Nigerian alive. The latest news about Ribadu is that he has been dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force. Ribadu offences that led to his dismissal include among others insubordination and disrespect to the force according to the Police, you know, the police are past masters in manufacturing allegations, offences and charges.

Now Ribadu is out of the force. Those charges, allegations and offences against Ribadu are just giving a dog a bad name to hang it. Ribadu stirred a beehive and the bees are out to get him. Ribadu in carrying out his duty as the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) strived to prove that no one is above the law. He went about his job with all amount of zeal and determination to succeed. In the course of his duty, Ribadu arrested former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun for alleged corruption and embezzlement of about N17 billion. Balogun was taken to court and sentenced to six months imprisonment.

Yes, Ribadu was doing his job of prosecuting corrupt officers but the arrest and imprisonment of Balogun sent shivers down the spines of corrupt police officers and other public officers. It was a red alert. Ribadu was a bull in a china shop, please pardon me the phrase. He must be stopped, and that, at all cost. Ribadu violated the age long espirit de corps by jailing Balogun, his superior and Inspector General of Police. The conclusion was simple; if Ribadu can go after Balogun then no one is safe. The place of corruption in the Nigeria Police Force is well known among Nigerians and if Ribadu is allow to run riot in the name of EFCC then very soon every policeman would be behind bar.

Ribadu anti corruption searchlight did not stop with the Police Force, he went after the political class, former Bayelsa State Governor D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha has a story to tell among other governors and political office holders who allegedly turned the commonwealth of their states into private wealth. The fear of EFCC became the beginning of political wisdom. Something must be done to stop Ribadu.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo while leaving office tried to compensate Ribadu for a job well done and promoted him to the rank of an Assistant Inspector General of Police. Whether Obasanjo was using Ribadu to hunt his enemies or not is a story for another day. Maybe Baba was afraid that Ribadu may not be promoted if he does not carry out the promotion before leaving office. But Baba played into the hands of those who want Ribadu out of EFCC and the police. Ribadu was quickly recommended for a one year course at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru near Jos, Plateau State.

As the controversy over Ribadu promotion as AIG and stay at Kuru was settling down, the Police Service Commission announced the demotion of Ribadu and reversion to the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police. This brought about another round of controversy whether or not Ribadu should remain at Kuru and complete the course. Nigerians are aware of the drama at 2008 NIPSS graduation ceremony which led to more unfolding drama, the posting of Ribadu to Edo State and his subsequent dismissal from the force he served diligently.

Just last Sunday I read in one of the Sunday newspapers about a Custom officer who claimed to have arrested former Liberian President, Mr. Charles Taylor. The Custom officer claimed that though his name was published in an in house publication among those dismissed from service he is yet to be given a formal dismissal letter. The officer claimed that he rejected hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly given to him by Taylor to buy his way through the border and escaped into Cameroon, and freedom. But he overcame the temptation, turned down the bribe and handed over Taylor to the Nigerian authorities. This saved the country from further international embarrassment arising from the controversial disappearance of Taylor from Calabar, Cross River State, where the Liberian former president was on asylum.

The story of the Customs officer reminded me of another incident years back at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar. At the height of the Bakassi ownership controversy, security staff with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has arrested a spy plane that illegally entered the country and landed at the airport. The security man rejected the bribe offered by a French pilot who was also the sole passenger in the plane. He handed over the pilot to the authorities and all he got as an appreciation for such act of patriotism was a sack.

There is this corrupt version of the Nigerian pledge I learnt during my National Youth Service year and it reads “I pledge to Nigeria my country/ To be unfaithful, disloyal and dishonest/ To serve Nigeria is not by force.” Yes, I don’t know whether Ribadu, the custom man or the former FAAN security man, were blinded by so-called nationalistic zeal and they tried to serve Nigeria with all their strength, “na nationalism, you go chop.” See what nationalism has done to Ribadu. These are the crop of Nigerians who should be given national honours and merit awards and not politicians who rigged, did I hear you say election malpractice is corruption; their ways into office are honoured with GCON, CFR among others. It is worth the trouble trying to serve Nigeria diligently, honestly and faithfully. Why should one serve Nigeria faithfully and in the eyes of your family and friends you who be declared the number one “mugu” on earth for refusing to do what others are doing and making money in the process.

Ribadu is not a saint; he has his weaknesses and shortcomings as a man. But the way he has been treated for prosecuting the anti corruption war is unfair. The message is clear do as they do and do not attempt to play holy or stop others from helping themselves with the public till if you do want to help yourself. Ribadu’ current travails cannot be divorce from his job at EFCC. He is paying the price for serving his country, for daring to fight corruption which can be described as another name for Nigeria. With the dismissal of Ribadu the federal government should go ahead and disband EFCC, ICPC, Due Process Office and every agency or organization that works against corruption. Government should stop mouthing all those anti corruption slogans. Like someone rightly observed the other day, after some people have corruptly enriched themselves from the public purse they now turn around to claim they are fighting corruption. This hypocrisy should stop; every Nigerian must be given the opportunity to loot the national treasury. Let corruption be nationalized and legalized. Make corruption a national pastime. National awards and honours should be given to the most corrupt or as the say “smartest” Nigerian.