TUESDAY TRENDS – ABDULRASHEED MAINA
When Aisha Buhari and Shehu Sani did the whole Animal Farm analogy with Nigeria, their intention was different, but with what Abdulrasheed Maina, Dambazua, Daula and Malami have done, they’ve finally proven that truly “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others“.
So, Maina was boss of a Pension committee, accused of embezzling about 2 Billion Naira. A court found his associate guilty of the crime and fined him 250,000 Naira which he gladly paid without batting an eyelid while Maina was indicted in the judgment.
The EFCC began investigating further and Maina, realizing he might now truly have to pay for his crime immediately jet off to Dubai in search of asylum. The Interpol was involved and his extradition was being sought.
Fast forward to about five years later, a government whose number one promise while seeking election was to fight corruption then reinstates him into the civil service. While the EFCC still have him declared as a wanted man, and a valid arrest warrant is out on him.
I remember the whole talk about how when you fight corruption, corruption fights back; in this case, I doubt if we are fighting corruption at all, cos corruption is winning left, right and center. Left being the NNPC and it’s 25 billion dollars contract awarded without due process. Right being the fact that a hospital that has a budget of 3.8 billion Naira lacking syringes and x-ray machines. And center being Abdulrasheed Maina And his Audacity of Thievery.
Reports are emerging of Maina enjoying Secret Service protection when he reentered the country during this “reinstatement drama”. I don’t know if that is a perk that comes with the office, but I do know that if it is true, then they should have been the one to arrest and hand him to the EFCC for prosecution when news of the reversal of his reinstatement broke.
I want to believe that the Muhammad Buhari led Federal Government is working hard to “kill corruption before it kills us“, but every Maina and his kind is just making me realize that the belief and hope might be wasted. Instead, I should just keep it on the Super Eagles winning the World cup, a Kunle Afolayan movie winning the Oscars, or a Cobhams Asuquo produced 2Face, Asa and Nneka collaboration winning the Grammys (just maybe 9ice can get to do the hook along with Skales, cos they’ve been on this “road to the Grammys” ish for a while now).
Wilson Joshua is a Video Editor, Content Creator and Creative Writer.
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