Dokpesi’s Greek Gift

By Joseph Edgar . . .

I saw the pictures with shame. I was so ashamed for Dokpesi that I could not even bring myself to finish reading the story. Christmas Card to the President for what purpose, this is taking sycophancy to another level.

Did he think the size of the card would go a long way to achieve whatever was its intended purpose or that by sending his son who had at first sent out a very aggressive Press Statement on his father’s continued incarceration would in any way help his current situation.

If I had any doubt as to his culpability in the mess, this incident has wiped it all out. This action further reveals his misreading of the situation he finds himself, and his utter lack of understanding of the person of the President and complete misreading of events.

Buhari has never been known to be moved by such trivialities and inanities. This is a person that is very strict and uncompromising especially where it concerns corruption and indiscipline. This man can jail his own mother if she were found guilty of any inanity. I may not agree with his style of fighting corruption where court rulings are not respected, but things like this have continued to justify his ways.

I am beginning to agree that he may not win this battle fighting it traditionally. Just as we expect him to think outside of the box to repair the economy, in the same vein the man is thinking outside of the box in fighting corruption. This is a painful pill that people like Dokpesi is making democrats like myself see reasons with Buhari.

Why for heaven’s sake would you be sending the tallest greeting card in the world to the President when you are still facing graft investigations? Whoever advised him really cannot wait to see Dokpesi in Jail as if I was the President, I would use this card as evidence of him trying to pervert the cause of justice. Instead of him putting heads together with his advisers on how they can fight this matter, they are busy going through all the markets in Nigeria looking for the biggest card to buy for the President. While they are still at it, they should go buy cards for the Judge and the Chairman of EFCC.

Buhari cried out that the judiciary was frustrating his fight against corruption. We must agree that this was the major platform for his election and if the judiciary does not allow him deliver on this promise then we are toast as a country.

I did not vote for him, nor believe that he has any ideas on how to repair the economy. What I however know is the fact that he is the best person alive to help us fight the cesspool that is corruption, and to fight it, all those who have sinned must be brought to justice.

Read also: Buhari’s media chat – NO COMMENT

I saw a video of the former DG of NIMASA being bundled into a van by the EFCC. You see these acts reminds me of the Gestapo, but then again how do we get justice as Nigerians when those who have stolen us dry would just run to the courts and get injunctions when the whole world knows that there are answers to be answered. This attempt to frustrate the course of justice would lead to such jungle tactics. Now I am seeing the reasons why these spurious court rulings are being ignored by the government.

Even as I say this, I am also very mindful of the need to protect the liberties and human rights of people. That is the thin line we should never cross. But when ‘criminals’ hiding under human rights and the constitutional obligation of innocent until proven otherwise especially in the face of overwhelming evidence of theft then some level of jungle justice needs to be prescribed and no matter the height of the greeting cards all efforts must be put in place to ensure the Nigerian people get justice.

I fully give this administration my support in its fight against corruption and may not agree with some tactics in some cases like the lifting from the ground and throwing into a waiting van of a Nigerian who was waiving his bail documents, I still realize the need to fight this malaise with all we have in our arsenal.

The fight should be directed at the judiciary. That is where we should have started in the first place. We should have weeded out the corrupt elements in the judiciary, put highly principled Judges in place so that we avoid spurious injunctions for once a citizen has obtained an injunction by a competent court of law, spurious or not, we have no other choice but to respect it as law abiding and civilized people.

So finally, Dokpesi have you sent the greeting card to the First Lady? Please hurry up and send. You just might need a container load at this rate.

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