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Senators Mohammed/Anisulowo issue
The media is
inundated with comments, analyses and informed/uninformed write-ups calling for
Senator Isa Mohammed’s head on the reason that he slapped a follow
senator. I have followed these write-ups with interest.
Though there is
conflicting reports on what actually happened. Some say he really slapped her,
some say it was a hot misunderstanding, while others say that he merely
prevented her from entering her vehicle until she had answered to her question.
It is regrettably that
most of the comments on the issue are, with due respect, utterly superficial.
For those who read in between lines, who have the capacity to look beyond mere
appearances to the fundaments of this, they ought to realize that slapping,
fist cuffs, preventing from entering her car, etc are all mere tributaries to
the mean river, which is the issue of accountability.
The Senate as it is
presently constituted is not the Senate that Nigerians, you and I, looked
forward to. Even the man at the helm was said not to have been elected, but
made it to the top because the executive wanted him. To further the bidding of
the executive, loyalist senators, that is those beholden to the executive, were
appointed to chair various Committees. Knowing that they are representing
powerful interests, they carry on as they wish without due recourse to
propriety. This is how senator Iyabode Anisulowo became a Chairman of a Senate
Committee.
Powerfully entrenched, I
understand that they no longer listen to the counsel of those who are perceived
as opposed to the meddlesomeness of the Executive, that is, Senators that are
said to be independent-minded, who insist, against parochial ties, that the
Senate should be left alone to carry out its constitutional issues for the good
of Nigerians.
Consider the money said
to be in contention - 1.2 Naira. Senator Isa Mohammed is one of the
Senators that made money before venturing into politics, to whom 1.2 million is
nothing. Have you asked yourself if his concern was just for 1.2 million. The
fact is that he was for accountability, that explains his exclamation “Is
the Committee’s money your father’s money?” This is a
powerful statement and an instructive one to those who govern the states or
those, because of their privileged access to the public kitty, play with it as
if it were their private money.
Now that the dust raised
by the misunderstanding is dying down, Nigerians should call on the relevant
bodies to investigate the matter properly. To be determined: (1) Whether money
was withdrawn arbitrarily (2) What the money was used for and (3) The
punishment to be meted if 1 and 2 are confirmed to be against the rule.
Like Isa Mohammed, now
is the time for Nigerians to ask questions, to demand that things should be
done appropriately. This is the bigger lesson from the misunderstanding and not
the sentimental demand for Isa’s head.
Victor Mbabuogu
Lagos
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