Senator Ningi And The Paradox Of A Country
By Ibrahim Dikko
Nigeria is an abode of paradoxes, most of them most-perplexing paradoxes obtainable in the human societies of the current times.
Nigeria professes waging a decisive war against corruption which, it laments with the severest anguish, has sapped its economy to the most-pathetic size and has bewilderingly stunted its growth and development, in sharp contrast to its prodigious resources and potential; but it fires the salvos at itself in the war.
It professes fighting corruption; but it bewilderingly fights any citizen, however, highly placed, who genuinely deploys the weaponry of his person and personality to the fight.
The government of the country, which had manufactured the acclaimed potent weapons of the ICPC and the EFCC to crush corruption, has enjoined all citizens across the various strata of the society, to squeal over the perpetration of any form of economic and financial corruption he or she has detected at any level of government; but it severely punishes any citizen who dares squeal at the perpetration of the crime at some sacrosanct quarters of government.
The government enjoins all the citizens of the country to, as a matter of genuine patriotism, fire their weapons at corruption; but it fires its own weapon at any citizen that fires his or her weapon at crime.
Corruption is the arch enemy of Nigeria; but, for the government of Nigeria, woe betides whoever fights this arch enemy, however highly placed he is in the society.
Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District at the upper chamber of the National Assembly, is, incontrovertibly, a highly placed personality in the Nigerian society, by virtue of his position as a Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic as well as the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum in the current 10th Senate.
This is apart from his track record of active participation in the political affairs and governance of the country since his first election at the House of Representatives in 1999, when he represented Ningi/Warji federal constituency and was one of the principal officers of the House as its majority leader – the third in the hierarchy of the principal officers.
By this enviable position, Senator Ningi is, therefore, one of the most-critical participants in the governance of Nigeria and, should, with genuine patriotism, be one of the country’s most-potent weapons against any crime that threatens its growth and prosperity.
Considering his strategic position in the purposeful and constructive governance of the country, in the discharge of his constitutional duties and responsibilities as not just a Distinguished Senator in the 2023 – 2027 tenure of governance, but as a patriotic Nigerian powered by sincere commitment to the country’s economic growth and prosperity, he recently squealed over the perpetration of a gargantuan financial corruption involving the two topmost arms of government – the presidency and the National Assembly.
The 2024 national budget has been bloated by N3.7 trillion. The appropriation signed by the National Assembly was N25 trillion, but the appropriation the federal government is working with is N28.7 trillion.
The national budget had been padded by N3.7 trillion. In utter bafflement, as a true patriot and one of the most-critical participants in the current government, he squealed over this in an interview he granted the BBC, Hausa Service.
The sound of the whistle Senator Ningi blew, was, however, unpleasant to the ears of the same government that had, all along, enjoined every citizen across all the strata of the Nigerian society to blow the whistle over such perpetrations.
Rather than praising Senator Ningi for his uncommon act of patriotism by firing at an unprecedented act of corruption, the Senate cursed and suspended him for what it described as rendering it to disrepute. It suspended him for three months.
This issue, which has attained such a high significance in the affairs of the current government as to be called Ningigate, has incontrovertibly launched the country into one of the most unfortunate and shameful phases in the anti-graft posturing of the Nigerian government.
The pan-northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, was swift in its condemnation of the three-month suspension slammed on Senator Abdul Ningi over the issue.
ACF posited that rather than suspending the senator the Senate should have instituted an independent investigation into the issue.
The ACF, through a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur-Baba, described Ningi’s suspension as “looking more on the messenger rather than his message.”
The statement read in parts: “The Arewa Consultative Forum has watched with keen interest the series of rather dramatic events, in the Nigerian 10th Senate, which culminated in the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi from the Red Chamber for three months.
“ACF does not wish to engage in debate with the Senate. Still, on the whole, the process appeared nimbly rushed, with concerns looking more at the messenger rather than his message.
“ACF notes that the allegation has since been denied by the 10th Senate as lacking in veracity. However, the interests of many communities in Northern Nigeria are at stake.
“Rather than the route of a rushed suspension of Senator Ningi, ACF prefers a thorough investigation of the allegation by some statutory or ad hoc committee of the Senate.
“ACF regrets that Bauchi central will be without representation in the 10th Senate for the 3 months and stands with Senator Ningi and his supporters in whatever constitutional means they seek to respond for a satisfactory denouement to this sad development.
“ACF also calls on the 10th Senate to act with more circumspection and sensitivity in processing criticism of its operations. Robust debates on public policy issues undoubtedly strengthen the development of the democratic project.”
Individuals and stakeholders and dispassionate watchers of the affairs of Nigeria obviously view the Nigerian Senate treatment of Ningigate as a dance of shame by a country that outwardly flutters the anti-corruption banner to the entire global glare.
The entire issue – the gargantuan budget bloating and the suspension of Senator Ningi for blowing the whistle over it, show a devastating paradox of Nigeria.
It would be recall that honourable Yusuf Shitu from Jigawa has in an interview with BBC Hausa, alleged that the budget presented to the joint committee of the national assembly was an empty budget box and urged Nigerians to rise of against it. Also, Nigerians, particularly from the northern extraction, have in some many instances alleged that North has been grossly shortchanged in the budget as no projects is substantially allocated with funds, while some northern states doesn’t have a single project like Zamfara compared to the Southern states.
It’s obvious that with the recent movement of some departments of the FAAN, CBN, and NUPRC to Lagos will further rise suspicion in the already fragile and volatile nation engraved with regionalisation, sentiments, and marginalisation.
The political setting where the President and the Senate President are from the same region will not augur well for the unity and stability of the nation, especially at a time Nigerians, irrespective of their tribe, religion, and ethnicity, are living in fear and trepidation while hunger and poverty are becoming the order of the day.
Dikko writes from Abuja.
