The Trial of Brother Nuhu Ribadu,By Issa Aremu

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu will always be remembered for the courage and sense of official purpose he brought to bear in apprehending and prosecuting many a rogue public officer and scores of economic criminals. In record time of four years, (from 2003 former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him to the chairmanship of the EFCC and 2007) he was globally acknowledged to have commendably put not a few rogue private and public economic criminals on celebrated trials (with reported 270 convictions!). Paradoxically it is this bagful of worthy official efforts that has put my friend and brother Mallam Nuhu Ribadu the pioneer Executive Chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a trial unusual. It is saying the obvious that Nuhu Ribadu’s unusual trial of a life time is certainly not about any financial or economic infraction. The trial is moral and political. Which also explains why the trial is not taking place in any court of law but in a foot loose “court” of public opinions. It is not clear as to which captures public imagination; economic or moral/political crime. But judging from the outpouring of commentaries after Nuhu Ribadu’s political migration from PDP to APC, it cannot be overstated to say perceived political misbehavior tasks the sensitivity of Nigerians more than some stolen billions by some public vandals. Yours truly had read more word counts/ arguments against Nuhu’s decamping to PDP than an argument for it. Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, Governor of Kano state, who ironically also politically migrated from PDP to APC as recent as December last year had likened Nuhu’s metamorphosis to a kind of “Political Suicide” as if to say Mallam Nuhu should only do what he (Kwankwaso) prefers not what he himself does and still waxing politically strong or at least it’s not been proven to be politically suicidal for him. Indeed the only star words in support of his sojourning to PDP are only attributed to Mallam Nuhu himself. The former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman had been hard put to justify his new political hideout.
According to his spokesman, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz ,Ribadu dumped the All Progressives Congress for the Peoples Democratic Party because there was no difference between the two adding that there was no political party that did not have its bad and good eggs, and that the APC was not necessarily better than the PDP. This singular statement of defense only further arms the skeptics of the wisdom in Nuhu’s partisan political summersault. They wonder aloud and ask the question as to when Mallam regained his political objectivity in assessing all parties given his past wholesome criticism of PDP as the party unworthy of governing the country. Whatever the merits and demerits of Nuhu’s new partisan nomadism from APC to PDP what is clear is that it is not just Nuhu that is on trial but indeed Nigeria’s democracy is on trial.
Certainly democracy is our national heritage. Often because of our current frustrations about the challenges of development, we forget to acknowledge our strength as a nation. Democratic heritage is one of our strengths. Nigerian independence in 1960 was fought for and won by clear headed principled civilian democrats not military adventurers who later years ruined the nation through coups and counter coups. These principled civilians deployed democratic methods; peaceful pressures, strikes, protests, persuasion, negotiations, referendums and elections. All Nigerian founding fathers and mothers were principled civilian democrats. They include Herbert Macaulay (1864–1946), Professor Eyo Ita (1904-1980s), Alvan Ikoku (1900–1971), Michael Imoudu (1900-2005), Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (1904–1996), Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1909–1987), Sir Ahmadu Bello (1910–1966), Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1912–1966), Sir Egbert Udo Udoma (1917-1998), Mallam Aminu Kano (1920–1983), Joseph Tarka (1932–1980) and Dennis Osadebay (1911–1994) among others. The troika of Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Ahmadu Bello remained the true faces of Nigerian democracy.
It was also the political parties together with mass organizations like trade unions that fought for the independence. The five major political parties that fought for independence were the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC; from 1960 known as the National Convention of Nigerian Citizens), led by Azikiwe, the Action Group, led by Obafemi Awolowo and the Northern People’s Congress (NPC), led by Ahmadu Bello. Others were Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) and United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC) . Up to the second Republic, we also had principled politicians who stood for ideas and did not just fall for anything as the present day politicians. Political parties are the major institutions of a functioning democracy. Today Nigeria parades high number of political parties in Sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa has about 15 parties in parliament. Electoral Commission of Ghana registered 23 political parties.
Nigeria has 26 registered political parties. However our parties are notorious for quantity than quality of their members and party programmes compared to South Africa. Nigerian democracy needs urgent quality control that must start with a stop to unprincipled political nomadism by politicians looking for offices (not necessarily service) and elected officials who jump their political boats and still seat tight as office chieftains.
ISSA Aremu mni