What The Papers Say
Awo's futile defence
National Concord
Of all the findings so far made about the financial malpractices of ex-governors under the defunct civilian administration, hardly any has rocked the nation with greater consternation and astonishment than the revelation last week, that between themselves, some three governors from the flock. confessed receiving N2.8 million as kickbacks from just one of the many contracts awarded during their tenure.The cause for public dismay, beyond the amount involved, lies in the fact that the three governors all held office under the umbrella of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), a party which in the sincere perception of some Nigerians, had constituted a singular beacon of integrity, in the ocean of fraud to which the entire nation had degenerated, under Shagari's four-year dispensation of decadence.
Shortly after the revelations concerning these three ex governors were made, the grand guru of the defunct UPN, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, rose to the occasion, and in a desperate attempt at salvaging the good names of his lieutenants and the good ghost of his party, from the latrine of public shame into which he saw them sinking, offered the nation an explanation.
But ugly as the case was in the first instance, Chief Awolowo's unsolicited explanation has only aggravated it, opening up a pandora's box of allegations and refutals which have more than slightly dented the supposed integrity of the old man.
Dismissing Brigadier Idiagbon's statement on the N2.8 million kickback as ill-informed, Chief Awolowo claimed that the said amount did not really go to the private pockets of the three ex-governors, but to the coffers of the UPN. And that apart, the amount was not really a kickback as alleged by the Federal Government, but a "donation" which the French construction company, Bouygues voluntarily offered for the welfare and longevity of his defunct party.
Even if the public were to accept Chief Awolowo's explanation as authentic and credible, a great deal of questions would still be left unanswered. What service did the party render to the company to merit such a huge donation? Considering that Bouygues has never made pretensions to being a public charity, what was its business interest in the UPN as to have prompted such a gesture of unsolicited generosity? If indeed Bouygues made such a donation to the UPN, did the chief include it in his zealously rendered account of the party's finances? If Chief Awolowo condones financial deals of this nature, then what exactly was his grouse against the NPN which was being similarly financed? And if as Chief Awolowo said, the "donation" was actually paid into the defunct party's accounts, could the ex-governors involved have really promised to return the money out of the UPN's frozen account?
As it stands for now, Bouygues has flatly denied ever donating any amount to the defunct UPN, but claimed paying N2.8 million for sub-contracts. The company's denial, besides knocking the bottom finally out of Chief Awolowo's story, has entangled the managers of the project for which the contract was awarded, namely Messrs Shote Dawodu and company. We expect the Federal Government to thoroughly investigate and soon make public its findings on this extra dimension of that fraudulent transaction.
Prodigal sons
Peoples' Daily Graphic
There are many parables upholding the spirit of reconciliation - the father who killed the fatted calf to celebrate the return of the prodigal son; the rejoicing of the shepherd on finding the one sheep which had gone astrayWe hear frequently, these days, of sons of Ghana who ran away into exile after December 31st 1981, and who are responding to the government's offer of reconciliation and returning home.
We hear of them being given safe conduct by the Committee set up to deal with this new breed of returnees, and returning to their home-towns to take up their former occupations.
What we do NOT hear of is the promised action to vet these people before the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (formerly the CVC).
We are not so naive as to think that all those now returning rushed into exile for no reason at all. In some cases they ran away precisely to avoid facing the CVC.
The essence of the government's reconciliation package, as we understand it, is that these people are free to come home but that they must face investigation and either clear themselves, or pay the necessary penalties for any anti-social activities which they have committed, before being accepted back into their communities.
The most recently announced returnee is Alhaji Sumani Zakari of Tamale, described as a rice farmer. He has made a statement saying that he ran away (first to Upper Volta, and then when that became too "Hot" to Lome) because he was harassed by the military. He said that whilst he was away on his farm, soldiers seized his property, including his Benz car and other vehicles, buildings and agricultural machinery. His statement makes it sound as though he was a hard working farmer, suddenly stripped of his belongings and victimised for no reason other than, perhaps, the greed and jealousy of people using the revolution to cause social disruption.
Yet the people of Tamale remember him as plain Mr Sumani Zakari, a driver at the Regional Office, before his meteoric rise to riches as the front-man for the farming operations of his former political masters.
They remember how his assets were seized pending investigation by the CVC, and how he tried to have the enquiry shifted to Accra. They remember that it was when he was told that it must be held in Tamale that he vanished into exile, presumably unable to face the people who had watched, day by day, the manoeuvres which brought him his wealth.
If the government is to avoid demoralising those genuine revolutionary cadres who care deeply for social justice, the public investigation of return exiles must take place promptly. And they must take place in their regional capitals where their activities are known to the people.
Those who are found to be clean by their Regional Investigation Committees will be welcomed back into the community. Those who have penalties to pay, and who pay them and show a real desire to live as part of the new society will be welcomed also.
But the concept of reconciliation must not become tainted with doubts and speculations. It must not undermine the gains which the revolution has made. It must not become an avenue for the insidious return of the old days.
