By KASSIM AFEGBUA
The All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government will not stop amusing us each day with ridiculous and often times, almost incomprehensible situation report in its attempt to implant itself in the consciousness of Nigerians.
Last week, the Federal High Court, Abuja, granted bail to Mr. Omoyele Sowore, after he was told to submit his international passport to the court. Barely 24 hours of meeting the bail conditions, his counsel, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) told the whole world that the Department of State Services (DSS) has refused to release his client on bail.
Before now, Sowore was arrested in August over the threat of REVOLUTIONNOW which attempted to prevail on Nigerians to reject the APC-led Federal Government and also draw attention to the parlous state of affairs across the country.
The group had catalogued all the indices of under-development that have characterised the Buhari presidency in the last five years while calling for a change of attitude towards addressing these abnormalities.
One of the charges against Mr. Sowore has to do with his appearance on Arise Television interview programme where he was accused of making statement that was capable of inciting the public against this non-performing government. He was also accused of insulting Mr. President, a thing which the DSS considered as treasonable.
God damn it! When has “insult” become treasonable? What constitutes an insult in the eyes of the DSS? Why should insult carry such heavy weight as treason especially in a country where government has failed woefully to protect and secure lives and properties of the citizens? Why should an insult become an article of treason in such whimsical manner? Is it an attempt to gag free speech? Is it an attempt to intimidate members of the public to be wary of what they say about their president or this is just another attempt to harass opposition voices to look the other way when their country is being pillaged with reckless abandon? What is the weight of an insult? How does an insult become treasonable? Our security agencies often times become so uncreative that one begins to question their competence in contending with everyday security issues across the country.
Reading the charges against Mr. Sowore reminded me of the nebulous charges put forward by the Nigeria Police on February 5th, 2018 against my humble self over a statement I issued on behalf of my boss, former President Ibrahim Babangida.
Declaring me a wanted man on national television on that fateful day was the most unconcionable piece of idiocy a security outfit could unleash on a hapless citizen. First, I was never contacted in any form or by any means.
I did not turn down any invitation, be it verbal or written to warrant such declaration as a wanted man. The then Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, was just paranoid about any criticism against government and its uninspiring agents.
He felt the only way to reassure his boss, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was to show public disavowal to the contents of my statement. That, to him, will earn him additional marks to score his overall performance and perhaps grant him another opportunity to be retained against the normative term of office.
The era of IGP Ibrahim Kpotun Idris was another sore thumb in the annals of policing the country and building a positive image for a force that suffers huge perception crisis. It was the era of “transmission commission”, or commission transmission, whatever that is, as the IGP suffered impaired delivery of a speech in Kano. Because of his engagement, the name Ibrahim Idris is lost in the crowd. Since his unceremonious retirement, nothing has been heard about him in public again. But the interesting thing about that era was the then Force Spokesman, Jimoh Moshood.
He had appeared on Channels Television on the popular morning show, Sunrise Daily, on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 where he said that my statement was tantamount to inciting the public against the government.
Nothing could be most nebulous. By the time I appeared the following day, Wednesday 7th February, 2018, Mr. Moshood was pacing up and down trying to find explanation to justify the self-inflicted public embarrassment. After a 10-minute chat with the Officer in Charge of the Legal Department, you could see the duplicity of a system that was at nerves-breaking point. Rather than confront me with the charges, they held a copy of Thisday Newspaper, of Monday, 5th February, 2018 where former President Babangida had endorsed my statement as coming from him.
Seeing their folly, they profusely apologised to me and declared in no mistaken terms that I was never under arrest nor declared wanted, that what I saw was a mix-up kind of, in the communication department.
The PR unit must always be the fall guy. Not done, I got another invitation from the DSS who behaved as though we were in an era of the jackboot. Having initially wasted seven hours of my precious time on Thursday, 8th February, I was made to report back on Friday, 9th February. This time, operatives of the DSS assumed the role of a complainant without extracting any brief from my boss.
They tried to justify why they reserve the right to invite me for questioning when I asked who the complainant was. Rather than spend precious time asking frivolous questions and carrying out unnecessary investigation, I had told them that getting serious with Boko Haram combat would do them more good that this citizen intimidation.
I left the premises after I was made to ascertain the authenticity of the statement even though they too held a copy of the Thisday Monday, 5th February edition. When security agencies are far-flonged from the citizens for whom they are meant, you are bound to see all manner of claims and counterclaims to rationalise their dithering pursuit. It is on this score that I see the allegation of insulting the president by Sowore Omoyele as laughable and utterly nauseating. It is uncivilised, barbaric and primitive.
First and foremost, any President that abhors insults, if any at all, is not deserving to be president of Nigeria. Only a mango tree with eye catching fruits will attract pebbles and stones. The moment any leader submits to the vagaries of political contestation, he should keep his respect at home.
It becomes worse when such a leader is unable to deliver on his campaign promises. In fact, one of the most “treasonable” offences any one could contemplate is having a president that fails to fulfill campaign or electoral promises. It is tantamount to breach of trust and convenant. It is synonymous to deceit.
The manifesto of any political party becomes its article of faith and the irrevocable convenant upon which the mandate was sought ab initio. Failure to implement the numbers of such convenant is tantamount to deceit, fraud and falsehood. Under such situation, whatever insult that is hurled at such a leader would be a sore reminder for failed and unkept promises. What the RevolutionNow group spoke about was part of the failed promises of the Buhari presidency.
The country is troubled by so many challenges and government’s response is like a drop in the ocean, amid a plethora of huge deficits on the political and economic sector. The moment the DSS is forum shopping for excuses to detain anyone or refuses to obey court order, be rest assured they are making efforts to cover up their inadequacies. In any lawful society, no interest should be greater than that of public interest which court verdict represents.
The court is the ONLY body that has the constitutional powers to grant bail to any one who is accused of flouting the laws of the land. This government has become notorious for refusing to obey court verdict. Former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, was denied bail several times even when the courts granted him same.
A “lawless” government that refuses to obey court verdict, cannot by any stretch of imagination, expect lawfulness from the citizens. When a government hurts the soul of the law, it hurts humanity and respect for rule of law. You cannot accuse an individual of treason on the one hand, and disobey court verdict on the other hand. There is no substitute for a lawful society.
The law is a leveler for all irrespective of status and socioeconomic standing in the society. Please convey to the president that any leader that does not want the infection of insults should sit back at home rather than come out to run for election. Nobody forced President Buhari to seek public office.
It was on his own desire and volition that he took the decision to seek for election to preside over the country. Whatever that motivated him to seek public office remains his personal secret. He has a choice to remain in Daura, respectfully in his home without incurring anyone’s insults. In the comfort of his home, he is the Lord, but in the inner confines of Aso Rock, which is our collective sovereignty, he remains our employee for the term of office so legally permitted. All this facial make-up to make the president looks like one leader that cannot be insulted or abused runs foul of democratic principles which guarantee freedom of speech. It is worse for a president that has failed woefully to deliver on the promises encapsulated in his party manifesto.
In an era of heightened socio-economic disconnections, insults are the spontaneous reactions to failed promises, poverty, hunger, deprivations and displacement. To see that as treasonable is to become the butt of jokes in the global arena
