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There were indications on Monday that
President Goodluck Jonathan had ordered the compilation of the names of
holders of national honours awards who had been convicted or were facing
trial for criminal offences.
Findings by The PUNCH showed that the directive was preparatory to having the honours withdrawn from such awardees.
The PUNCH learnt in Abuja that
Jonathan’s directive was contained in a letter to the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim.
A source in the Presidency confirmed to
one of our correspondents on Sunday that, “There is a letter to that
effect, with a directive to find out the names of those who were
indicted and who have (national) honours awards. I think the job is
ongoing and almost being concluded. The office of the SGF has been
mandated to find out the names of those who were indicted and have
national honours.
“It is not all the people indicted that
have national honours awards. For instance, you cannot strip somebody
of a national honours award when he has none in the first place, even if
he has been indicted. So the Office of the SGF is on it.
“Mr. President has given instruction
that the names of the people should be compiled to bring them out. As
soon as the list is out, the President will do something about their
case. The SGF is sorting out the names of those who were indicted and
have national honours.
“For instance, the former Managing
Director of Oceanic Bank Plc, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, falls within the
category. So also is the ex-MD of Intercontinental Bank, Mr. Erastus
Akingbola.”
Apart from Ibru and Akingbola, The PUNCH
learnt that those on the list of awardees to lose their national
honours include a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode
George; and a former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tarfa Balogun; as
well as other ex-managing directors of banks who had been convicted
after they were conferred with national honours.
George, a one-time Vice-National
Chairman of the PDP, was sentenced in 2009 to a 30-month jail term by
Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos High Court. Oyewole found George
guilty of contract splitting and inflation when he was the chairman of
the Board of Nigerian Ports Authority.
Balogun, however pleaded guilty to eight
counts of money laundering charges in 2005 and was sentenced to six
months’ imprisonment by Justice Binta Nyako.
Ibru, once feted in the nation’s banking
sector, was in 2010 convicted by Justice Dan Abutu of the Federal High
Court in Lagos of bank and securities fraud. She was sentenced to six
months’ imprisonment and made to forfeit over N150b in assets and cash.
The development came as three major
opposition political parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria, the
Congress for Progressive Change and the All Nigeria Peoples Party,
challenged Jonathan to withdraw honours bestowed on some convicted
Nigerians.
The CPC and the ANPP in particular said
it would be difficult for Jonathan to withdraw the honours because some
of the affected convicts used proceeds of their crime to fund elections
of top members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
Speaking in a telephone interview with
one of our correspondents, the National Publicity Secretary of the CPC,
Mr.Rotimi Fashakin, noted that if the Constitution could forbid
ex-convicts from holding elective office, then it must be deductible
that such people should also lose the privileges that previous national
honours conferred on them.
He said, “In some of the cases, like
that of Mr.Tafa Balogun; and a chieftain of the PDP, Chief Bode George,
they were just not what could be treated as a ‘family affair’.
“Under normal circumstances, if the
constitution forbids a criminal ex-convict from holding elective office,
it is deductible that the individual should also lose the privileges
that a previous national honour confers.”
In his own remarks, the National
Publicity Secretary of the ANPP, Chief Emma Eneukwu, said the government
of Jonathan was not serious about its claim of fighting corruption.
He said, “You must know that this
government does not have the will to fight corruption. Taking away the
national honours from these listed persons including George requires the
determination to fight corruption without regard to sacred cows.
“This simply shows that the present government is paying lip service to the issue of corruption.”
ACN’s National Chairman, Chief Bisi
Akande, called on Jonathan to immediately withdraw the honours from all
undeserving persons who had either been convicted or were facing trial
for crimes.
Akande listed Balogun, George, and some
former managing directors of banks in the country among those that
should lose their honours.
Akande, who spoke through his media
aide, Mr Lani Baderinwa, said, “If they are honourable themselves, they
should have dropped the awards once they are convicted but such a
courageous action is far from Nigeria.
“The President should do what is right. In civilised countries, honour cannot be given to thieves.”
Only on July 19, the House of
Representatives also passed a resolution, specifically asking Jonathan
to withdraw the national honours bestowed on former bank MDs who had
been tried or convicted for their roles in the collapse of their banks
in 2009.
The House had passed the resolution
after adopting the report of its Ad Hoc Committee on the Near-Collapse
of the Nigerian Capital Market headed by Mr. Ibrahim El-Sudi.
The report of the panel endorsed by the
House, stated, “That all former bank executives who are recipients of
national honours and who are currently being prosecuted for crimes and
unethical practices which led to the collapse of their banks be stripped
of their national honours by the President and Commander-in-Chief in
line with Section 7 of the National Honours Act, LFN and international
norms.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission/Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences
Commission and the courts should hasten their prosecution to serve as a
deterent and to help restore investors’ confidence in the(capital)
market.”
Efforts made to speak with the National
Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, were not successful
on Sunday as he was said to have travelled outside the country.
His deputy, Mrs.Binta Masi-Garba, did
not respond to calls made to her telephone. She also did not respond to
the test message sent to her.
But, the Senior Special Assistant to the
President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, told one of our
correspondents on the telephone that the claim by opposition parties
that Jonathan refused to strip indicted persons of national honours
because they donated to his campaign was a continuation of an
“orchestrated campaign of calumny” against the President.
Okupe said, “There is no evidence linking any of those people to donation for Jonathan’s campaign.
“How much do you need for a campaign?
Which of those mentioned has sympathy for the PDP? It is a continuation
of an orchestrated campaign of calumny against the President.
“Opposition parties in Nigeria are
mentally lazy and intellectually feeble. They don’t put efforts where
they suppose to do so. They only look for cheap things and malign
personalities.
“The President has shown capacity to
distance himself from such sentiments. Which of those people mentioned
can claim to be more important to Jonathan than Tukur when he is still
the chairman of the PDP and he will need his support if he wants to
re-contest? It is not true.”
The President himself, last year
expressed concern over the depreciating value of the national honours,
saying that it was high time government bestowed the honours on only
deserving persons.
He had said, “Two days ago, I presided
over the 2009 National Honours Awards ceremony where Nigerians from all
walks of life and every part of our country were honoured.
“I said the national honour was an
institution worth preserving but based on the critical observations of
Nigerians we will raise the bar so as to further challenge compatriots
to strive towards excellence and thus making it a greater national
idea.”
Culled; Punch
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