Editors note: The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki is facing a 16 count charge for alleged false and anticipatory declaration of his asset while serving as governor of Kwara state.
Bamidele Ademola-Olateju in this article says that the Senate president is the superintendent of a certain class of Nigerians who have taken the people for a ride, for far too long.
Bukola Saraki
Who can help Bukola Saraki?
Dr. Bukola Saraki, the indicted Nigerian Senate President cannot help himself and neither can he be helped. It is alleged by many that when he is not appropriating depositors money in his family and state owned banks, he is converting public funds to personal use. When he is not considered to be buying corrupt judges, he is neck deep in money laundering. No Senate president in the history of Nigeria seems to have flouted the law with so much frequency, impunity, and arrogance.
He has turned the Senate into his personal fiefdom, where senators appear to be bribed with sport utility vehicles, juicy committee positions and the freehand to insert pork into the budget for their loyalty. It has never been this bad! The Senate has become the chamber of errand boys, bodyguards and jokers, whose allegiance to Saraki far outstrip their patriotism.
READ ALSO: CCT: Saraki delaying trial to avoid final judgement
The Senate president is the superintendent of a certain class of Nigerians who have taken us for a ride, for far too long. They think they can do anything at all and get away with it. Is it not Nigeria?, they seem to be saying. They are typically very self-absorbed. The masses count for nothing other than pawns to be manipulated and used. When it comes to manipulation and subterfuge, Bukola seems in a class of his own.
The money stolen from Saraki’s home
N300 million has been allegedly stolen from his bedroom in Ilorin. The money was reportedly taken to Saraki by the state government in different foreign currencies. This must be Kwara State money that he was going to distribute to his supporters in Ilorin as Ramadan gifts brought to him by the man he installed as a surrogate. Last year, it was reported that a huge amount of money being transported by a bureau de change operator to Saraki’s house was tampered with and stolen. Nothing happened after that. The story died. All these sorts of public infractions show he is unfit to lead, and a bad example. His serial violations underline a serious abuse of power and utter disregard for the laws of Nigeria.
Whether N300 million was stolen as alleged or N12 million as confirmed by him, keeping such huge monies is in violation of the amended Money Laundering Act 2011. It is a criminal offence for anyone to accept or make cash payments of sums exceeding N5 million unless such funds are remitted through a financial institution. By keeping “N12 million” in his house, he must have accepted a cash payment in excess of what is allowed under the Money Laundering Act. This means Saraki has committed yet another crime by admitting to keeping N12 million in his house.
Unfortunately for Nigeria, impunity is a way of life for those who make laws and even those who interpret them. Saraki and his Senate are a nightmare. For a country in desperate need of salvation and rebirth, the Senate president and his minions make daily mockery of law and order. Under his “leadership”, the Senate has been known less for their ability to perform their constitutional duties and more for other things, often bad.
The impunity with which they act casts a grim shadow over the credibility of Buhari’s administration and democratic governance. With each step he takes on his unfortunate path, precedents are demonstratively set to encourage more improprieties by others, now, and in the future. That is clearly not good for Nigeria. He and his supporters can label his self-inflicted wounds as politically motivated but make no mistake about what is at stake here; it is the survival of real democracy where no one is above the law, and lawmakers are true representatives of the people.
READ ALSO: Saraki speaks about his trial
As Saraki’s trial wears on, we are waiting patiently to see how his case will end at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. That judgement will define Buhari’s presidency and show us the trajectory of the anti-corruption fight. Saraki appears to have committed cardinal sins and his atonement cannot be complete until the courts deliver justice properly and he is made to serve time if found guilty, or is barred from partaking in politics for a time commensurate to his sins. Saraki must be made to answer for all the crimes he is found liable of.
This opinion first appeared in Premium Times.
This article expresses the authors’ opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Naij.com or its editors.
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