Abuse Of Office & Power!
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By Che Oyinatumba
March 08, 2008
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Before the Amazon saddled and
tamed the bronco called NAFDAC, the only drug I know that was abused, is volume
5 and 10. This drug was the companion of the rich who cannot sleep for the poor
are hungrily awake, plotting how to undo the rich man or where they can’t, main
the master’s favourite goat.
Another drug I use to know that was abused is cocaine. Once one is referred to
as drug user/abuser, my mind drifts to the rich man’s son, who schooled abroad
and acquired the white man’s mannerism of constantly sniffing, hugging his
chest, with darting eyes like a rat ready to pounce on a piece of funeral meat.
Dr. Dora Akunyili, came on board and broadened my understanding. The use of any
drug, be it Vitamin C or paracetamol without certified medical prescription, is
drug abuse. Suffice to say that, anything done improperly, or properly without
consent of the recipient, is abuse, even if it is for the common good of all or
the recipient. When is the tenure of Dr (Mrs.) Akunyili at NAFDAC due and
expiring? Or is she in abuse of office?
Nigerians like a performing official and quick to build a personality cult
around such, as depicted by “coming soon” soap opera being advertised in AIT.
Most Nigerians have failed to understand that any drug, no matter how potent it
is, has an expiration date. A date beyond which its potency is of no effect and
its continuous use is poisonous. In social circle, it is called point of
diminishing returns or a plateau, where the brain runs in auto mode and cannot
generate fresh ideas to attack fresh problems. At this stage in a carpenter’s
life, every problem is seen as a nail and solved with a hammer. Gradually, Dr.
(Mrs.) Akunyili is degenerating as the Director General of NAFDAC and if nothing
is done, her failure from the exalted height we hold her, will be a sore on the
nose, used by the international community to ridicule the black race.
Her spiral dance to questionable efficiency was noticed during the campaign
tours of Yar’Adua/Goodluck. She was obstructively visible and some of her fans
excused it by blaming the highhandedness of OBJ, whom they reasoned must have
“commandeered and threatened” all appointees and hangers-on, as was evident
during the PDA convention to support Yar’Adua. Another faithful claimed that she
was drafted to make sure that the cold drug to be used by the PDP presidential
hopeful-as he then was befitting and not the one produced at the request of omo
nna, fit only for a donkey in the country of production.
After the emergence of Yar’Adua as president, one had thought that Dr. (Mrs.)
Akunyili, will face the illegal drug marketers at Head Bridge Onitsha and the
kingpins she alleged wanted to kill her. There are other issues to be addressed.
The locally made Vitamin C tablets (chewable) are rough and despite having a
NAFDAC approved number, tastes like chalk! Same applies to other across the
counter drugs. The clamp on importation of certain drugs in the absence of a
local industry to cater for the hunger induced medical condition of Nigerians,
should be reviewed. The few industries, cannot meet local demand, the comatose
power supply under Yar’Adua’s government, makes mincemeat of this noble attempt.
Through out November/December 2007, I could not find an infusion water-drip
anywhere in Kubwa Abuja. Phone calls I made to other cities, confirmed the
scarcity. This is ordinary sterilized water how much more other drugs?
Rather than tackle these problems, to our dismay, the strongman of Ibadan
garrison, while facing trial at magistrate court Wuse Zone 6 Abuja threw up Dr.
(Mrs.) Akunyili into the murky waters of PDP backstabbing. In an interview with
journalists Alahaji Adedibu said “Having lost appointment as minister, she is
going about abusing everybody…” Further more Adedibu reasserted that during the
campaign tours that Dr. showered encomiums on him. One can dismiss this as the
ranting of amala politics, but the resurfacing of Dr. Akunyili at the judicial
abuse of Nigerians on Tuesday 26th February 2008 gave me a reason to worry.
Wistfully, an observer asked if Dora has come to support Buhari (Whom it is
believed recommended her for the job), or Yar’Adua, who wants to reshuffle his
cabinet once the tribunal gives him a reprieve. Another opined that she came to
stop the jurist from abusing the faith Nigerians have reposed in then.
Nobody denies that this great woman has done well, but any dancer who fails to
leave when the applause is loudest, is doomed to be booed out. There are others
in NAFDAC, who can push this Akunyili’s success story a step further. If she is
interested in Politics and if her tenure has “expired”, let the Senate or
whatever body is responsible for acceptance of her resignation letter/removal
step up and perform its duty. Until Nigerians see that governance cum service to
our fatherland, is slavery determined by constitutional, Civil service rotation
based on competence, age on the job and not godfatherism, the younger generation
will be worst than this generation. A firm example should be shown that once you
have expired your constitutionally allotted time to do your best for the good of
all; you are elevated to senior citizenship to allow others contribute their
quota. Some thought Nigeria would have collapsed if the constitution was not
adulterated to contain third term, but here we are, celebrating the dismantling
of the criminal dispossession of Nigeria's heritage under “due process”
It will be recalled that as a build up to the fever pitch Tuesday, the lower
tribunals have shown courage in dismantling the fraud by Iwu’s infamous INEC. As
prelude to the Supper Tuesday, David Mark, the senate president, was unmarked by
Abubakar Usman (young Alahaji). All Nigerians were ready for a landmark
judgment. But the Court of Appeal ruled as though they are not Nigerians and
illogically affirmed rigging.
Mark you, the David Mark election that was unmarked, was conducted on the same
day that Yar’Adua’s (s)election was done, same time, same returning office, and
same political party. Could PDP have rigged in Mark in two LGAs and fail to
deliver a PDP presidential candidate? How can non numbering of a ballot paper
not be substantial non compliance with the provisions of Electoral Act? Even in
common UME, the test questions are marked and grouped to avoid cheating. Haba
oga judges!
The tribunal has given the sought after temporary reprieve as the battle ground
shifts to Supreme Court but the PDP convention at the door step, is giving the
presidency a nightmarish dream of Chairman Mao while in China.
The needful cabinet reshuffle may be a donkey years away. Apart from the
ambition of those who showed crocodile support at the tribunal, there is need to
drop some of the baggage this administration of strange bedfellows is dragging.
What is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) doing in tourism industry? Learned
men, is mastery of African traditional legal system a condition precedent to
conferment of SAN? What is a distinguished SAN, who served as Attorney General
of a state for 8 years doing as a junior minister in the comatose power sector?
This is grouse abuse of the silk.
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