My busy schedules of late have not made me comment on the current hide-and-seek between the suspended Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and the country’s secret police, the DSS.
While driving from Nsukka to Onitsha, Mustafa said, Odilim, you know those who dance to impress the king must be ready to be done away with whenever the king discovers that they are no longer needed or should they discover that some illicit activities they did together could be used against the King.
In other words, the king wouldn’t waste his time in washinghis hands off them, including confessing never to ever knowthem in his entire life.”
As clever as Godwin Emefiele thought he was, he forgot that the king was Buhari.
Claiming to seek ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval on a matter as sensitive as currency redesigning and cashless policy projects, having been fully aware that there were no enabling laws of the National Assembly, and that the Buhari he was going, to seek his approval being financially literate should have been well informed about what he was approving for, and so would not be held responsible for signing some prepared documents.
Was Emefiele smart enough? He would have known that the law cannot punish Buhari when he may be deceived by the country’s chief banker.
Also, thinking that roping in as many powerful Nigerians as possible including politicians, businesses, clerics, academics, and royal fathers would make him escape the DSS hammer which could also be extended to those who might’ve been directly, or indirectly involved in his activities, only showed how badly fitted his thinking cap.
That, Emefiele underestimated these folks, and thinking that he is one of Nigeria’s System Lords, is what he is now payingdearly for.
As we can now see, DSS has taken a route that will never allow Emefiele to stand for trial along with the System’s Lords. So, Emefiele is now discovering that he wouldn’t have the opportunity to begin to name names.
Illegal possession of firearms is enough crime to be used in nailing him without allowing him to drag everyone else along with him.
So, ex-President Buhari and his boys are not only free but are now in London enjoying their loot while Emefiele is in the DSS cell, eating fried rice with one piece of meat and two sachets of water.
This is the avoidable tragedy had Emefiele listened to voices of wisdom; had Emefiele not been carried away by raw power and excess greed.
Yes, Emefiele openly told Nigerians to go and have heart attacks for disagreeing with his quest to contest for the office of the president. What’s happening to Emefiele today requires all eyes on him to prevent him from being the one having a heart attack or from trying to commit suicide.
Emefiele told his aides that since 2014 he encircled me financially. What Emefiele didn’t consider before encircling me was, whether was I criticizing him based on personal interests, or doing my civic duty.
Did Emefiele ever bother himself to ask am I right in encircling him? What if this man has superior spiritual attackers, can I bear their attacks?
There’s this fear–and can be true that given the kind of financial powers Emefiele has, it can’t be ruled out chances of him, planning a coup against the government.
When men are drowning they can do anything to save their lives. And no government in power will allow someone who could easily threaten and bring down that government to move freely to the point of carrying out their mischievous plans.
That Emefiele failed to learn from the battles I had with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, especially how the battles ended up, only showed why he’s in this mess.
When she did everything to block me in 2005, did she not end up humiliated and sacked by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006? Did she not go ahead to resign unceremoniously from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where Obasanjo dump her when she relocated to Washington?
When she returned in 2011 and decided to resume the fight once again, how did it end? How come she rushed back to Washington to write a book that, fighting corruption is dangerous?, but there, rather than answering my question about who was paid the $600 million consultancy fees, she preferred spending close to a page saying things I never said?
That she didn’t fight back my accusation that someone must have been paid a whopping $600 million for transferring the whooping $12bn as debt forgiveness payment to some faceless western imperialists was something Ngozi can never erase.
I pray that one day, Emefiele will also discover that rather than being his enemy I was only carrying out my civic duties.
May that day not be too late for him.
•Basil Enwegbara, a Development Economist writes from Abuja
