Grandiose Parlor

There is ample evidence that the moral and ethical threshold for Nigeria’s political appointees and elected officials is just few notches above zero, if not an outright zero. Madam Etteh, the embattled and indicted Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shamelessly holds on to her job despite overwhelming evidence of wrong-doing is one good case study of executive moral insensitivity. The former Delta governor, James Ibori is another, and there are hundreds more. This writeup is on Mr Ibori whose asset in England is worth some $35 million. He even has a private jet!

Prior to being the governor of one of the richest states in Nigeria, Ibori has no significant track record, he was not accomplished in business, or any field, not even in politics. He has no significant family antecedents. However, rumor has it that he was a close confidant to the late Military dictator Abacha, and served as one of his numerous fronts. Others claim Ibori was also a front to Ibrahim Babangida’s, another former military head of state.

So Who is Ibori? How can a man with no traceable business accomplishment, well, aside from being a two-time state governor of an oil-rich state, command a personal asset of $35 million?

As much as the EFCC - the Nigerian anti-corruption agency in collaboration with the UK Metropolitan Police - tries to nail and prosecute Mr Ibori, somehow, he has always found ways to circumvent such moves. The drama continues with the UK court re-freezing his assets again. Ibori’s assets were frozen the first time in August this year, but the ruling was over-turned several days ago when Ibori’s lawyers “obtained a letter from Nigerian Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa stating that Mr Ibori had been investigated but not charged, tried or convicted in Nigeria “relating to money laundering or any other offences”, according to BBC report.

The involvement of the Nigerian Attorney General (AG) in Ibori’s case, coupled with the AG’s objection to EFCC activities and desire to curb the agency’s power, has further strengthened the belief that the AG may have been planted to do the biddings of Ibori and the ex-governors wanted by the EFCC. It is on record that Ibori played a very prominent role on the campaign-trail for the president, the same jet which is among Ibori’s assets seized by the British authorities, was used in flying the president around the country during the campaign session.

I close with this state from Sahara Reporters:

The Ibori case will test Yar’adua’s credibility. A source close to Ibori said the former governor continues to brag that Yar’adua has no option but to shield him, noting that Yar’adua’s stolen mandate was made possible by the N10 billion of Delta State funds that the former governor funneled into the
presidential campaign.