“Democracy lets all voices, even those against it, be heard.
Democracy’s true strength is its ability to incorporate the needs and
desires of a diverse population into a governing consensus over a long
period of time.”
(VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOATIONS, VBQ , p 36)
Last week, this article started with a defence of the rights of Mr
Kanu – the pro-Biafra leader. This is only a continuation of that and
other instances in which the DSS might be exaggerating threats to the
country and exacerbating crisis.
Incidentally, the over-kill adopted by the Army in Zaria against the
Shii’te Muslims is another example of exaggerated threat leading to
inappropriate response likely to deepen crisis. I do not approve of the
conduct or aims of Mr Kanu or Zakky Zakky, but there must be other ways
of dealing with the issues they present than violence.
Referendum is the best option to handle self-determination issues and
inter-denominational meeting can be explored to manage the Shii’te
matter. At all costs, we should avoid violence. The first to pick up the
gun might not see the end of the violence unleashed.
The treatment meted out to Mr Kanu, even after being granted bail by a
competent court of law can only be excused in a country ruled by the
Gestapo. So far the DSS has not been able to establish any major crime
against Kanu to warrant his detention and their opposition to his bail.
This is not one of the changes for which we voted and there is no reason
the DSS should assume it is.
The third and fourth instances of deliberate DSS misinformation
involve the same man – Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd). As Nigerians would
recall, he was first arrested, on several charges made by the DSS,
including treasonable felony, as well as possession of huge collection
of arms, expensive vehicles purported to have been procured from
proceeds of crime and money laundering.
In the end our inept security agents settled for “illegal possession
of arms and money laundering”. Despite the fact that both are offences
for which people are routinely admitted to bail, the DSS still opposed
bail. After failing and finding that Dasuki also secured the court’s
permission to travel for medical treatment, the DSS laid a siege to his
house to prevent him from leaving Nigeria. Is this democracy?
To justify their vendetta, they then unleashed on the nation the wild
accusation that Dasuki defrauded the country of $2 billion in arms
deals. Like all Nigerians, I was alarmed. Two billion dollars (N400bn at
N200/USS1) or (N540bn at N270/$1) is a lot of money and anybody
stealing that sum should be hanged. But, unlike most Nigerians, I waited
for the DSS to prove that N400bn or N540bn had been stolen. Under our
laws, he who asserts must prove. If they claim $2bn was misappropriated
they must total up all the funds missing to that number. It will amount
to the wildest exaggeration to tell us that people are being prosecuted
for N31bn after alarming us with N400-540bn.
Wait till next week to find out how much the DSS has presented to
various courts and you will wonder if anybody in that office ever
attended primary school. And they must assume that the rest of us never
attended school as well.
Consider the evidence. The DSS raised an alarm that Dasuki was
involved in a $2 billion arms deal. That was used to justify disobeying a
court order granting the man bail and permission to travel for medical
treatment. Then, they proceeded to inundate the media with allegations
concerning transfers to various individuals and organizations associated
with the $2 billion scam. In all these, the DSS banked on the fact that
if Nigeria’s secondary school kids routinely fail Mathematics in the
West African School Certificate examinations, they must be chips of old
blocks. Their parents must also be deficient in arithmetic. And, the DSS
is almost right.
Unfortunately, they forgot those at UniJankara.
Unfortunately, they forgot those at UniJankara.
The minute somebody mentions figures we turn our thinking caps on.
So, as the DSS released one figure after another, our calculators
started clicking. Dasuki was eventually charged with misappropriation of
N31.2bn, Aminu Baba Kusa with N1.85BN, N584m went to Iyorcha Ayu, Jim
Nwobodo N500m, Dr Haliru Bello N300m etc. Some of the figures
represented double counting because they were part of the same N31.2bn
Dasuki was alleged to have misappropriated. Our calculators stopped
clicking when the DSS stopped dropping figures. Suddenly we were faced
with a total less than N40 billion.
We added again and the result was the same.
Then the questions started tumbling out. First, where is the rest of
the N400-540bn said to have been scammed? Was the DSS inadvertently or
deliberately exaggerating in order to scare justices from granting bail
or to terrorise Dasuki and receive public applause?
Then, we recollect that former President Jonathan had announced that
he never approved $2 billion to be spent on arms throughout his tenure
of office. So far, what has been revealed has not contradicted GEJ. It
is quite possible that far less than $2bn was spent on arms and we are
just chasing shadows and getting alarmed over only N40bn.
NSE SHEDS N2TR IN 2015; will shed more in 2016.
Readers of this page were warned to get out of the Stock Market last
year. They were told that another disaster looms. Those who listened and
those who failed to listen can now testify to the accuracy of that
forecast. Unfortunately, 2016 will be worse. Banks and oil companies are
going to receive a shellacking they will never forget. Once owning an
oil well was like owning your own mint. Today, it is like poison.
“Fortunes favors never last.” (Seneca).
Is the DSS misleading Buhari and leading Nigeria into political crisis? – 2
Reviewed by Spencer Reports
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