Amana Online - Articles - Barka Da Zuwa

There has been palpable disquiet in the National Assembly since last week when Nuhu Aliyu, a serving senator raised an alarm that among the esteemed federal lawmakers are “419-ners”, a euphemism for fraudsters. (The term ‘419’ is derived from section 419 of the Nigerian criminal code which refers to the act of obtaining by false pretence). Sen. Aliyu dropped the hot potato while contributing to a motion on the "Direction and Tempo of the War Against Corruption" on the floor of the senate. It reportedly took the restraint of the senate president, David Mark, to stop the flustered senator from mentioning names.

In politics, a 'hot potato' refers to an issue which is controversial and which is, therefore, generally avoided. In business, a ‘hot potato’ often refers to a project or responsibility that no one wants to assume, usually because of the high probability of failure. This is the second time Sen. Aliyu would be making this allegation: a few years ago, he said the same thing. Similar outrage was expressed but nothing came out of it. Is the man crying wolf? Is he playing to the gallery knowing the profuse media publicity this statement is bound to generate for him each time it is made? Or is he a man with a conscience who, in a manner of speaking, sees the danger inherent in allowing rats to join cats in making rules aimed at controlling the excesses of rats? Just when everyone was waiting for Sen. Aliyu’s “419-ners in congress” allegation drama to reach a climax with his much anticipated revelations, the senator ate the humble pie: he withdrew his allegation with profuse apologies! The question on the minds of many people in the polity now is ‘what manner of man is Nuhu Aliyu?’

First elected senator in 1999, Nuhu Aliyu who represents Niger North is spending his ninth year in the senate. A retired officer that put in 35 years of service in the Nigeria Police Force, Sen. Aliyu is not only a recipient of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) as well as the Nigerian Police Service medal, Aliyu, he was state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Niger State before his election to the senate. As Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), he played “host” to many suspected felons during his tenure. As a senator and chairman of the Senate Committee on Security and Intelligence he created the impression that he had identified some of the same characters in the hallowed chambers with whom he was (presumably) compelled to sit. His discomfiture was assumed to have given rise to the outburst that put the nation on edge.

There is no doubt that the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is composed of men and women of impeccable character who have made outstanding accomplishments in private and public life. But, given our less than perfect electoral screening process, it is not improbable that unworthy persons could find their way into the sacrosanct chambers. Aliyu’s pronouncement that the national assembly is full of scammers merely confirmed an impression that has been on the minds of Nigerians. If members of the national assembly gloat over Aliyu’s volte face, will they not be playing the ostrich? Are there not strong enough reasons to suspect that within their fold are men and women who have violated the law? Allegations of certificate forgery, perjury and misappropriation by members have remained rife even after consuming former speakers and senate presidents; a speaker was forced out of office over a contract scam and a serving senator was accused of signing contracts with a pseudonym while serving as a public officer; an honourable member detained on 419 allegations sometime ago is known to have died in detention. There have been numerous allegations of corruption and even a public display of exhibits within the chambers; and former president Obasanjo named lawmakers in a bribery scam on national television! Some lawmakers have been arraigned for money laundering and embezzlement, and some others have been associated with multinational bribery scams. With or without senator Aliyu’s allegation, therefore, the image of the national assembly even in the best of times is a mixed grill of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

There is something inherently wrong in any society that allows a felon to sit among men of honour. For this reason, many shared Sen. Aliyu’s angst. The National Assembly is or ought to be the epitome of the best human resources that any democratic society can assemble through the electoral process. Lawmakers, without exception, must be seen to be above board. To any discerning mind, Nuhu Aliyu does not seem like a man that would ridicule the status of an institution to which he belongs. His allegation is worthy of proper investigation. Every citizen has a constitutional and statutory obligation to expose crime and criminals. But if a citizen – whether he is a senator or a peasant – brings forward information that will help the society to expose felons, he is duty bound to substantiate his information and must be encouraged to do so - not intimidated to recant. The public apprehension is that a primordial solidarity exists in the national assembly – that members protect each other in the spirit of “let’s keep our secrets secret”. Constant references by members to being “our brother’s keeper” seem to support this fact. Ostensibly, the rational for this is the need to protect the “image” of the national assembly. The Ethics and Privileges Committees of both houses of the national assembly still have an opportunity to make the best out of this situation. They must do a tidy job. The image of any institution is the perception that the public have of it. It cannot be a good advert for Nigeria that we have a national assembly that includes even one person of dubious character. One bad apple spoils the bunch!

For the war against corruption to be leveraged by this episode, we must imbibe the statement made by United Nations Undersecretary-General, Dr. Antonio Maria Costa, at an event in Abuja last year: “The key is to build checks and balances into the political system and ensure that corrupt politicians do not get into public office”. Meanwhile, the public waits for the game of hot potato at the national assembly to end. In a real game of hot potato, the loser is the one left holding the 'potato' when the music stops. (Uche Ohia, a lawyer and public affairs analyst, is a syndicated columnist and Director of the Centre for Leadership, Accountability and Productivity, an Abuja based NGO). uchebush@yahoo.com; 0805 1090 050

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