Still On Obasanjo's Questionable Crisis
Managing Capacity
November
9, 2006
Every day that passes, the
Nigerian President Gen Olusegun Obasanjo gives the impression that he has
become more desperate to silence all voices of reason that can muster enough
courage and patriotism to discuss the sordid state of affairs in governance
of the country under his administration.
The unfolding money
laundering and currency racketeering scandal involving the Special Assistant
to the President on Domestic Affairs, Mr Nnamdi Emmanuel Uba (aka Andy) is
supposed to be a thing of shame or rather disgrace to President Obasanjo
that he would have ordered a home-style probe or re-probe by the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Rather, the President is trying to
intimidate Nigerians who could aptly be described as well-meaning both at
home and in Diaspora. These are Nigerians who push for genuine
accountability and transparency in the running of the affairs of the nation
especially by a government that prides itself on its anti-corruption
achievements.
Obviously, the issue
of money laundering and currency racketeering by the President’s aide is a
matter of public concern and the Sahara Reporters was only fulfilling its
duties of accurately informing the public by carrying the U.S secret service
investigation report and the court ruling as news without interpretation or
insinuations.
From the first to the last
word, there was no place the Sahara Reporters’ publication made any
malicious allegations against President Obasanjo either in his personal
capacity or in his official capacity not even against Mr Uba. Sahara
Reporters merely exercised their right under the "Free Press Clause”
guaranteed by the First Amendment under both the U.S and international laws
to present the story word- for -word as revealed in both the court ruling
and the secret service investigation report.
President Obasanjo and his
crop of hire litigants should be duly informed that Sahara Reporters is an
independent media outfit and not a branch NTA or www.nigeriahouse.com. It
has a duty to inform and educate the general public about the activities of
public officers and to ensure that those who are entrusted with the
responsibility of government do so with sincerity of purpose and in an
atmosphere devoid of intimidation and hypocrisy. And with all intent and
purpose Sahara Reporters performed that obligation creditably well in the
professional manner the facts of the Andy Uba scandal were presented even
with a full word-to-word text of the investigation report. Their only
offence in this case was that they exposed the President’s aide and maybe
the President himself.
President Obasanjo should
be told, if he is not aware yet that While he has the full right to defend
his integrity and interests, he should not fail to realize or at least, take
cognizance of the fact that he is a public officer (and not an ordinary one
for that matter) whose actions and/or inactions would continue to attract
public interest especially as Mr President seems to be doing “very well” in
his self-styled anti-corruption crusade.
Except the President and
his aides exercise caution in the handling of the scandal, he may be
exposing both himself, Uba and even our national symbol- the presidential
jet that was duly established to have been running currency racketeering or
rather money laundering services for the Presidency and all its domestic
staff including “house boys”, women and girl friends.
The American authourities
do things differently from the way Nigerian or rather Obasanjo’s government
has been going on since 1999. Though the crime was committed in 2003 in New
York, so long as the issue has been thoroughly investigated and judgment
given in a law court, the Nigeria’s presidential jet 001 which was used may
still be impounded "over illegal importation of bulk cash into the US the
next time it lands on any territory where US law has jurisdiction". If the
President is in doubt, he should find out from U.S secret service agencies
particularly the FBI why his aide Andy Uba is being placed under
surveillance for money laundering and advance fee fraud whenever he steps
into the U.S.
President Obasanjo and his
aide should be challenged to publicly prove that the facts of the allegation
as presented by the Sahara Reporters on their site were “calculated
falsehood” engineered to smear his person or his office. Otherwise, the
President should look for better damage limitation or repairs option to
address this scandal that has chopped- off a very big chunk from whatever
integrity and credibility he has left in his government’s anti-corruption
campaign.
What would the President
say from the latest revelation from the US Federal District court in
Portland, Oregon that the case involving his “house boy” Andy Uba and his
fiancée, Loretta Mabinton had been "settled out of court" with the US
federal authorities. The money laundering case which was finally adjudicated
upon by Judge Marsh of the US District Court in Portland, Oregon with case
No: 05-1939-MA was closed on September 27 2006 with a "final out of court
settlement" with the US government after Andy Uba and Loretta Mabinton
agreed to forfeit $26,000 to the US government.
The current kill-everybody
approach in handling the Presidential jet money laundering scandal could
best be described as the worst damage limitation method. The President and
Andy Uba’s open-eye would only worsen their case because they are
even broadcasting the scandal far beyond the imagination of the
good-intentioned and professionally minded journalists of the Sahara
Reporters organization. More so, Sahara Reporters has promised to run full
text of facts of the case including the out of court settlement terms which
were not included in the original story.
SENIOR FYNEFACE WRITES
FROM PORT HARCOURT