THE book of John 1: 45 -47 where Jesus called Philip and Nathaniel
ia a fascination as Nigerians continue to ponder over the massive
looting of the nation’s common heritage by politically exposed
persons. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Investigations
into the Office of the National Security Adviser to former President
Goodluck Jonathan has revealed a can of worms beyond the $2.1 billion
that one office alone misappropriated.
Nigerians are still wondering how other offices such as the Oil and
Gas industry, the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Federal Island Revenue
Service would have been operated during the 16 years reign of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Many Nigerians and friends of Nigeria
believe that the problem of the country is corruption and they are all
dead right! If corruption is brought down by 60 percent, then Nigeria
would be a better place.
Today, much of the nation’s fortunes are in the hands of very few
people who are politically exposed or their cronies. People who have
amassed stupendous wealth from our common patrimony for their personal
enrichment. I am tempted to begin to find a leeway out of the current
war on graft from the scriptures and of course, as it is often said,
the scriptures can never lie. According to John 1: 45-47, Philip found
Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law
and also the Prophets wrote— Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip
said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and
said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”…
It is important to understand why my going scriptural in this
treatise. This tendency is nothing new; it went on in first century
Israel as well. People would be judged based on whether they grew up in
Judea, Samaria, or Galilee (cf. Acts 2:7), whether in more urbanized
areas or more rural areas. And, then as now, the more remote and less
urban the location, the more likely people were to look down on those
who came from there.
So it is with Nazareth in Galilee. Galilee itself was seen as remote,
away from the epicenter of Judaism in Jerusalem, not known for
erudition or much civilization. Within Galilee itself, Nazareth barely
registers, receiving no mention from Jewish sources before the third
century of our era. This insignificance led some skeptics to doubt
whether Nazareth existed at all in the first century CE, but
archaeological evidence does indicate the place was inhabited. It is now
believed that Nazareth was a village of no more than 500 in the days
when Jesus grew up there. Nazareth is about 16 miles southwest of the
Sea of Galilee; it is not near the Mediterranean Sea and would not be on
a lot of travel routes. It is evident why Nazareth would easily be
despised in the eyes of others: it is in the backwoods or out in the
sticks, a small village. In the eyes of more educated and urban Jews,
the Nazarenes would have been judged as ignorant at best and perhaps as
simple-minded sinners at worst.
As a member of the All Progressives Congress, I have always kicked
the ass of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of their childish
and alarmist form of opposition. But for the very first time, like it
was in Galilee and Judea, I see sense in the position canvassed by the
PDP. Recently, The leadership of the party reiterated its support for
an honest, holistic and total war against corruption and demanded the
trial and prosecution of all those involved, including those who may
have returned ‘loots’ to the government. The party called for the
establishment of a National Truth Commission to receive loot from all
those who emptied the nation’s treasury. It also said they are
completely against any one-sided public trial and mob conviction of
accused persons without following the age-long and worldwide legal
process wherein all accused persons are presumed innocent until the
contrary is lawfully proved and I completely agree with them. In my
considered opinion, something good has, for once come out from the PDP.
I fully subscribe to the call for the setting up of a National Truth
Commission as a more holistic way to tackle the mind-boggling corruption
that has destroyed Nigeria and its image for a couple of reasons.
The National Truth Commission if constituted would set a timeline
and a deadline for all those who looted the nation’s treasury to return
all what they looted, which from all estimations, run into hundreds of
billions of dollars, amount enough to repair the country within the next
ten years. All those who will respond within the timeline would be
pardoned and advised to go and sin no more.
At the expiration of the deadline, which will be about three months
period, and may be a grace period of two weeks, all those who refuse to
return their loot should then be traced, tracked and made to face the
full weight of the law irrespective of whatever office they occupy in
the land, irrespective of their status, and irrespective of their
political or ethnic leaning. They should be made on final conviction,
perhaps at the supreme court to forfeit all their loot and proceeds of
their criminal actions and be given the maximum jail sentence to deter
future political leaders from corruption.
A a non-partisan approach must be adopted to deal with corruption
in the land. It is an imperative for President Buhari to constitute the
National truth commission to be made up of Nigerians of impeccable
character to take on this important national task.
Depending solely on our cumbersome legal processes and criminal
justice system will not be sufficient to tackle the problem of
corruption in the land.
The suggestion of a national truth commission provides a veritable alternative to our long, and arduous criminal justice system.
Finally, the EFCC, ICCP and other anti-graft institutions need to be
strengthened urgently to ensure more credible investigations and
prosecution of suspects who would not want to take advantage of the
truth commission to return their loot for national development.
Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.
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