Fraudsters in the National Assembly?

THE rage, as reported in the media, which enveloped the House of Representatives recently when angry lawmakers discussed the allegations by Senator Nuhu Aliyu that the National Assembly is full of fraudsters was indeed belated! Senator Aliyu’s allegation is almost as old as the nation’s current democratic experience. Why did it take the National Assembly all these years to take umbrage at the allegation?

SENATOR Aliyu had actually been relentless in the past years about the quality of the people in the National Assembly. He even once said that he was perturbed seeing the faces that had been familiar to him since his days in the police in the hallowed precincts of the country’s National Assembly. Senator Aliyu retired as a Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of police.

IN his days as a police officer, the Senator claimed he had had cause to interact professionally with many of those who later turned up as senators and members of the House of Representatives in much less dignifying circumstances as suspects of various offences. He alleged many of the lawmakers were gun-runners, armed robbers, advance fee fraudsters and so forth. For those who understand the dynamics of the search for leadership in a nascent democracy, it is possible to have people of questionable character finding their way into government.

IF election into the positions of political power had been characterised by heavy spending of money, thuggery and violence, as it was with the country, who else could have emerged as victors at the polls if not those who had access to limitless funds and whose lifestyles were in tune with violence? The presence in the National Assembly of such characters, as specified by the distinguished Senator, could not have surprised anyone but the members of the National Assembly.

MEDIA reports, however, recently claimed that the Senate President, David Mark, stopped Senator Aliyu from naming the alleged criminal-lawmakers on the floor of the Senate. Instead, the matter was referred to the Senate Ethics and Privileges committee. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dimeji Bankole, obviously displeased, even said that heads might roll. The House of Representatives at the end of the rage which enveloped it on that day unanimously adopted a motion which directed the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges to invite Senator Aliyu to substantiate his allegation without delay.

THIS, without doubt, represents the right and pragmatic approach to the issue at stake. This approach will put a decisive stop to Senator Aliyu’s incessant allegations and expose those lawmakers, if there is any, with an odious past finally. The National Assembly can then deal decisively with them in order to cleanse the Augean stable of the hallowed chambers.

IF the electoral process of the country had failed dismally to provide it with leaders who are not short on integrity, the National Assembly can, at least, proceed to cleanse itself. It is inappropriate for the country to have such characters as alleged by Senator Aliyu to be making its laws, especially for others who are on a higher moral pedestal.

BOTH the Senate and the House of Representatives should for the sake of the country and their corporate integrity take Senator Aliyu’s allegation seriously and the Senator should cooperate with the National Assembly by identifying those members with questionable past or hold his peace forever.

IN an interview granted a national daily recently, the distinguished Senator Aliyu discolosed that he had stopped further comments on fraudsters in the National Assembly because the matter had been put before the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the Upper House. In his own words: “As a loyal member of the Senate, I believe it will be unfair on my part to comment further on the issue since it has been put before the ethics and privileges committee of the Senate for investigations.” Newspaper reports also quoted the Senator as saying that he would only disclose the names of the alleged criminal legislators to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, breaking his earlier promise to cooperate with the ethics committee. We do not think there should be double-speak by the Senator on this issue of great importance.

NO one compelled him to make such a damaging allegation against his colleagues. What it means is that retired DIG Aliyu has his facts about those he is accusing of criminality. It is also possible that the case files of these individuals are still with the police. Therefore, it should not be difficult for Senator Aliyu to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt.

IT is now up to the leadership of the National Assembly to take Senator Aliyu to task. The integrity of the Assembly and that of its members is the one being called into question by Senator Aliyu. He should be made to substantiate his allegation or face possible sanction. It is not just enough to make such a weighty allegation and let it go like that. Senator Aliyu should cooperate with the committees in the investigations to protect the integrity of innocent lawmakers.

zuma and the faces of rape

Nigerians should count themselves lucky that they have people of honour like former Ghanaian president, Jerry Rawlings, and lately, Mr. Jacob Zuma, the former deputy of President Thabo Mbeki, to criticise them. Only recently at a public forum, Rawlings fell short of calling Nigeria a failed state or an example of an experiment that went awry, after analysing Nigeria’s leadership deficit

ZUMA, on his own part, labelled Nigeria as a bad example to other African states for organising a massively rigged general election in 2007. He said the election was not worthy of emulation. “It’s not a good example, if you’ve got the kind of infrastructure or method that allowed that kind of thing,” Zuma seemed to snigger.

BOTH Rawlings and Zuma have something in common. They are united by blood. Many Ghanaians would love to call Rawlings a murderer just as some South Africans, who do not like Zuma’s face, will insist he has blood on his hands. Or does blood not come out in the case of forceful entry or rape?

IT is a fact that Rawlings’ leadership cut a remarkable development path for Ghana, just as Zuma is giving a new direction to South Africans in their HIV/AIDS problem. Zuma recently wriggled out of a rape case, after admitting he had unholy alliance with the daughter of a neighbour. Zuma saw no big deal in sleeping with the HIV-positive lady. A shower after such a sexual adventure is the South African president–in–waiting’s antidote to HIV/AIDS.

SOUTH Africans surely deserve to wait for such a president like Zuma. With the country’s growing cases of paedophile, in the bid of the people to cure themselves of HIV/AIDS, they will have a president who has a ready answer to their HIV/AIDS problem. All they will need to do is just to take a shower to shake off the deadly effects of AIDS.

THE fact that Zuma won the African National Congress (ANC) election speaks volumes for the moral chastity of that great nation. But unknown to Zuma, there is hardly any difference between Nigeria and his country and between the leadership of both countries. Both countries are both morally deficient. As an acquitted alleged rapist, it is natural that Zuma should know the true rapists when he sees them. After all, rape is rape, whether of HIV/AIDS victims or of the ballot.