“To reframe a quotation on Washington DC by Scot McClellan,
Abuja has perfectly become the home of the permanent campaign, a game of
endless politicking based on the manipulation of shades of truth, partial
truths, twisting of the truth, and spin. Governing has become an appendage of
politics rather than the other way round, with electoral victory and the
control of power as the sole measures of success. That means shaping the
narrative before it shapes you. Candor and honesty are pushed to the side in
the battle to win the latest news Cycle”.
With the above citation, a democracy focused non-governmental
organization – HUMAN Rights Writers’ ASSOCIATION of NIGERIA (HURIWA) has
dismissed the Presidency criticism of the Nuhu Ribadu-led crude Oil Revenue
special Task Force Report just as the rights group accused the federal
government of manipulation of facts in a bid to perpetually allow the wheel -of
-corruption and monumental economic crime to continue to run in government.
In a statement jointly endorsed by the national coordinator Comrade
Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National media officer, Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA warned
the federal government that the patience of the long suffering and impoverished
citizenry is running out even as the group expressed optimism that Nigerians
may resort to civil unrest and disobedience if the monumental corruption going
on in government is allowed to continue.
HURIWA wondered why a government that claims to have the
popular mandate of the people to govern transparently has now transformed
itself and the organs of government serviced with tax payers money to become
veritable defender of the corrupt officials who have successfully and brazenly
stolen Nigeria blind of the nation’s crude oil revenue.
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA stated that; “We
are ashamed that a presidency official speaking on behalf of the President who
has sworn an oath of office to promote transparency and accountability, has
become the one openly castigating the well considered findings of a special
task Force headed by an incorruptible man (Nuhu Ribadu) and who indeed has in
spite of several threats, blackmail and intimidation proceeded to present a
report whereby it was discovered that over $180 million disappeared from the
public fund in the petroleum sector under the watch of the current
administration”.
HURIWA said that the anti-transparency stand of the Jonathan
administration may sooner rather than later be challenged by the brutalized
long suffering masses who are disdainfully dismissed as docile and indecisive.
Senior Special Assistant to President Jonathan on public
Affairs Dr. Doyin Okupe told newsmen that the Ribadu committee did not meet up
on the terms of reference of its assignment.
But the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
dismissed the Presidency’s criticism of the Ribadu panel report as “deceptive”,
“manipulative”, “unpatriotic”, engaging in semantic dramatization/equivocation even
as the Rights group said the anti-accountability stand of this government
amounts to a great disservice to Nigerians’ collective quest to kill corruption
before the menace kill us.
9/11/2012
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