IBORI: HERO OR CRIMINAL

The question of whether IBORI is a hero or criminal has been settled by a British court. Following his conviction  and sentence for money laundering and related financial crimes, it is no longer open to debate that he did not commit crime. However, IBORI has served his prison term. He has atoned for his crime and is open to reintegration by the society. That is what those planning a grand reception for him are hoping to achieve. There are many worse than IBORI in this society who are still roaming the streets of Nigeria as public officers. Are there no  serving and former Governors, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and other head of parastatals who bled the country dry that have not been tried in Nigeria or else where? Is there no senator who escaped from  criminal trial in the UK and still serving as a senator? Are there no Nigerians who are covered with perpetual injunction of Law Courts, from being investigated for any crime committed while they served in public office? Why are we so worried about Ibori who has received his fair share of punishment on earth for his sins? Our people often say that if a man sees a snake and a woman kills it, it is good as long as the snake is dead. If the legal system in Nigeria could not deal with Ibori and the Uk system did, blame our system. IBORI cannot be subjected to double jeopardy. His case is closed. Those who want to celebrate him are free to do so. There are people who worship the devil on earth. It is their right in a circular state like ours.

Why are some worried that IBORI  is being celebrated by his own beneficiaries? One man’s meat is another’s poison. He certainly is not a model of moral excellence. There are many deltans who consider him their best governor since 1999. He did well with infrastructure, community relations, geographical spread of political offices and so on and so forth. He is still preferred  by many to Uduaghan and even the serving governor, Okowa. Others like me see him as a political Robin Hood who stole from government to empower a lot of people. A friend of mine lamented recently, that since the regime of Ibori, he had not been awarded a penny’s contract from Delta State Government despite being a registered contractor with proven records. He said that the irony is that he did not  and still does know IBORI in person. His good will is enormous and  he is politically sagacious. In many ways he is s political convict. He was convicted because he tampered with public funds as a political office holder. He got conviction because he was not favoured  by President’s Jonathan regime and ran to UAE where he was nailed by international police. Those who were worse than Ibori  but were lucky with the President Jonathan remained in Nigeria and continued the business of public looting. If Ibori had been a darling of the same regime, there would have been no need to go to Dubai. He too would have remained here like a political lord of the manor that he is in Nigeria. This is the truth. Hate it or like it.

Ibori has been dealt with. Let’s face the grass cutters of change. They are in this Government making and implementing policies that deny IDP’s  needed funds to keep them alive arising from our failure to deal with needless insurgency early enough. Let’s deal with monetary policy makers who have turned FOREX to the new deal and creating billionaires from doing nothing other than trading in scarce foreign exchange to the detriment of our local manufacturers, importers of high technology, foreign students,  life saving medical trips etc. let us secure the conviction of those genuine thieves who are standing criminal trial in our courts based on the rule of law; not the horde of innocent persons being tried for their past political roles on the pretext of having committed financial crimes. There are some real economic criminals in Nigeria today and are making our economic recovery efforts difficult. Government should get them and put them behind bars. Some of them are Ministers  in the Government while others are in the Central Bank, NNPC, Customs, FIRS and so on. This is the job at hand ,  not James IBORI.

Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa.

( Lawyer and former member of the House of Representatives1999-2011).