By Emmanuel Asiwe
He was a sacred cow, an untouchable. His name resounded loudly in the corridors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the House of Representatives. He was a garrison commander in Parliament.
One of the most talked about personalities in Nigeria, as a politician, he often talks of military tactics in achieving political ends to the consternation of his critics. His name is Farouk Lawan!
The Chairman of the House Ad hoc Committee Monitoring the Fuel Subsidy regime, Hon. Farouk Lawan waltzed around; calling the shots and was the man you needed to reckon with when it comes to matters arising from the fuel subsidy probe. Lawan was powerful. He is renowned for the prevailing “My-Mercedes-is-bigger-than-yours-mentality” that now prevails at the National Assembly!
That was Lawan then; until the unusual, the unbelievable if we may say so, but something that is familiar and taken for granted in Nigeria, occurred: Lawan was caught on tape taking bribe from an oil marketer; Femi Otedola, the Chairman of Zenon Oil and Gas, to doctor the panel’s report. Otedola had accused Lawan of extorting money from him to remove Zenon’s name from the list of companies that collected foreign exchange from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) without importing petroleum products. Lawan said it was Otedola who initiated the bribe offer.
Otedola had revealed how Lawan and Emenalo had collected $620,000 from him, as part payment of $3 million, in a sting operation masterminded by security agencies. He narrated how Lawan had allegedly approached him a few days before the report was to be tabled on April 18 before the House, demanding money so that Zenon’s name would be kept out of the report. Otedola also said the ad hoc committee’s secretary, Mr. Boniface Emenalo, collected $120,000 on Lawan’s behalf.
After days of prevaricating and making contradictory statements, Lawan, who had hitherto denied that neither he nor any member of the committee collected money from any of the oil marketers, told reporters in Abuja that he actually collected $500,000 from Otedola, whom he accused of offering him the money to influence the probe panel’s report. Emenalo admitted collecting money on Lawan’s behalf but said Otedola offered him $100,000.
Some stories are better told straight. This bribery scandal, embarrassing as it may be to the legislature is an annoying display of mindless acquisitiveness by Nigeria’s political elite and an abuse of office; it is indeed an insult to the Nigerian people. For all we care, and we guess many Nigerians feel the same way, the case against Lawan is so potent that he may not escape jail. Lawan is also known to suffer from incurable money-mindedness and he would stop at nothing in his quest for personal financial gain.
Nigerian lawmakers need be reminded that they have been elected, some insist selected, well whatever, to defend the interests of the Nigerian people. They collectively earn over N200 billion per annum. That is a lot of money. And yet what do the Nigerian people get in return for this huge investment (waste actually)? What they get is a navel-gazing National Assembly that is more interested in the alimentary needs of its members rather than the Nigerian people.
Apparently, while the House is considering how to deal with the scandal, when it resumes plenary on June 19 after a one-week recess, we make bold to demand the resignation of the two principal officers of the House of Representatives – Hon Lawan and Hon Emenalo – because of the clear case of moral profligacy leveled against them.
The House might either refer the matter to its Committee on Ethics and Privileges for probe or set up a special ad hoc committee to investigate the matter. We also hear that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, has promised that the Federal Government will take appropriate action when it receives the report of investigation into the allegation. No big deal.
For emphasis, if Hon Lawan is certain about his innocence, if he is concerned about the impact of this salacious affair on the integrity of the House members (not to forget his own patchy morality), he should step aside in order to facilitate an independent inquiry. An independent inquiry is guaranteed to produce one of two outcomes: a moral acquittal that should help to cleanse Hon Lawan of the stench that began to gush out of his committee since the scandal broke; or an indictment that would shred forever his name, his honor and his status in society. If he refuses to step aside, he can expect to preside over a disorderly Committee for the rest of his tenure.
The contention by Hon Lawan’s defenders that he should not step aside because he has not been found guilty is not in sync with established practices in democratic countries. The normal practice is that public office holders and political leaders who are accused of grave misconduct (as in this case) must step aside so that the process of investigation is not impeded. For clarity, stepping aside is not a guilty verdict on an accused person nor does it imply innocence on the part of an accused.
Any politician who wants to defend Hon Lawan’s discreditable behavior should be reminded that the evidence against him is overwhelming. Lawan said he had informed the Chairman of the House Committee on Narcotic Drugs and Financial Crimes, Hon. Adams Jagaba, through a letter dated April 24, 2012 of Otedola’s alleged persistence to bribe him to influence the outcome of the investigation. But when Hon Jagaba, was contacted to confirm receipt of Lawan’s letter, he denied receiving any letter to that effect. On why he did not raise the issue on the floor of the House, he said he declined to do so as not to divert attention from the essence of the fuel subsidy probe. This excuse is unconvincing and unacceptable.
It is possible that Lawan is wondering why all the noise about the bribe when it is common practice for committee members to fleece government officials and general managers of parastatals and public agencies whom they are called upon to probe. It is called business as usual! While we must concede to Lawan the point about his right to defend himself against the allegations of financial and ethical impropriety as a fundamental human right, it is not enough for Lawan to shuttle in and out of the offices in the House, in an attempt to douse the smoldering inferno that threatens to consume his political career. Hon Lawan has no option but to resign. He does not have the luxury of delaying a decision on when he should resign from the House because of a scandal that continues to taint his image and that of his colleagues. Go Honorable; go now and go in peace!
- Emmanuel Emeke Asiwe is the publisher of huhuonline.com and can be reached @ publisher@huhuonline.com