Before Ribadu Accepts This “Offer”

The author was not surprised when President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Nuhu Ribadu to Chair the Petroleum Task Force. Short and simple, the presidency is in desperate search for credibility, especially since the fuel subsidy removal and the monumental exposure of corruption surrounding the oil subsidy. To the author and many other Nigerians, the creation of this task force and many other committees are simply a duplication of responsibilities of some existing ministries etc and waste of scarce resources. We are never good managers of our resources.

Dearest Nuhu Ribadu, Olisa Agbakoba, and other prominent members of this task force, please before accepting this “suspicious offer” kindly obtain an assurance(s) either oral or written (the later will be preferable) from the Mr. President, that he nor the executive will not interfere or intervene with your work. There will be no point wasting your time and our resources if the government will end up interfering with your work. But I suspect, President Goodluck Jonathan is simply following the foot steps of past leaders, who brought in credible Nigerians into their government, only to dump them at last. Ex Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, brought Wole Soyinka, Tai Solarin, Humphrey Nwosu, etc, Abacha brought in late Prof Sam Aluko etc. These credible Nigerians were used and dumped. The author wants to be proven wrong, otherwise this is what President Goodluck Jonathan will do.

If you can obtain the assurances from Mr. President as mentioned above, plus your experiences at Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, I believe you will do well, knowing that our major problem in Nigeria is corruption. May God bless Nigeria.

Chinedu Vincent Akuta.
An Activist and Citizens Journalist.
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com