If we underestimate the enemy and do not consider the meaning of his movements, we will lose" – Sun Tzu, The Art of War
TWO former Speakers of the House of Representatives— Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba and Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari have come to the sudden realisation of the excesses of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
It is up to Nigerians to decide what to do with this excuse. With Na’Abba and Masari presiding in the House of Representatives in the eight years of Obasanjo, the alleged abuses the former President promoted could not have been possible if the National Assembly did not encourage him.
The instances the House of Representatives upbraided Obasanjo were mostly for its own selfish purposes. No serious efforts were made to make him law-abiding. The House leadership was too consumed in such morbid fear of losing office that it did not understand the enemy it engaged in battle.
Said Na’Abba of Obasanjo: “The former President is someone who never wanted to be called to account. In any case, he never regarded the legislature as an institution that is part of the government.”
Masari defended the House he once led. According to him, the House was not responsible for the Excess Crude Account from which Obasanjo withdrew billions of dollars for the National Integrated Power Project. The exact amount is disputed.
He instead blamed state governors. “Why did the governors give the President the right to take the money meant for the local government? It is not only about the President but about the governors who gave the authority to take money for states and local governments, it is not fair,” Masari said.
It is not only unfair, it is criminal. The likes of Masari apply minimal standards in addressing constitutional breaches, resulting in probes that consume resources that should have been applied elsewhere. Constitutional infractions are criminal.
Masari headed the Speakers Forum, the national body of leaders of state legislatures. Did this matter ever make the agenda of their meetings? He would have scared a few Nigerians with his revelation that the Excess Crude Account was not under the control of the National Assembly. What did the House of Representatives do in eight years about the illegality of the account? Has anything changed?
Is it possible that Masari as Speaker was unaware of the exhaustive provisions of Section 80 of our Constitution, especially Sub sections 3 and 4 that forbid withdrawal of public funds, any public funds, without the approval of the National Assembly? It is no wonder that the country is in this miasma.
Obasanjo was excessive. Our Constitution expected excesses in our politicians, hence constitutional checks like Section 80 on public funds.
The likes of Na’Abba and Masari should apologise to Nigerians for failing them, instead of strutting around, clinging to democratic credentials that include silence in the face of brazen molestation of our Constitution, the very thing we keep the House — at great expense — to ensure it never happens.
