Might as well release Evans

I had no idea Tahir was in my room until I said the salams after my forenoon prayer was over. His voice cut through my thoughts as I raised my hands in supplication. 

‘The first time I saw you deep in a long sujud, in the middle of the day was when you learnt about that satanic Al-Faatiha group. You know, the US based association of so-called Muslim lesbians, gays and transsexuals. Then a decade later, I saw you in a similar situation and you said you were praying against the menace of an openly-gay, mosque Imam in America, who was trying to justify his sinful lifestyle in the light of Islamic scriptures. Now I fear to ask you what you are praying against, for I can see that you have just done an elongated sujud in a forenoon prayer.’ He observed.

‘Kudos to your great memory hubby dearest but this time around the problem is local. I mean I just did an elongated sujud, like you’ve noticed but it isn’t against a foreign problem. This problem is Nigerian, through and through but it also represents a clear and present danger.’ I replied.

‘Really?’ he asked, intrigued. ‘And what could this problem be?’ He added, sitting on my bedroom couch.

‘I just prayed against the equally satanic forces at the National Assembly who are trying to pass a bill that will ensure that treasury looters get full amnesty from the government. I can’t believe our elected representatives, people who are there to be our ears and eyes in the pursuit of our collective interests will dare to contemplate something as horrible as this.’ I explained.

‘You are right, it was truly disheartening to hear our lawmakers proposing something so unpatriotic. I mean treasury looters are unscrupulous and greedy Nigerians who deserve all the naming and shaming they get. They also need to be forced to bring back all they selfishly stole, to the detriment of the nation. How can our lawmakers consider it a priority to seek amnesty for these thieves? For sure they are no better than thieves. Indeed, thieves work even harder because they have to break into homes or waylay people on highways, at some personal risk to themselves. But these pen thieves just sit in their offices, and devise ways to divert what is meant for public use to their private pockets. They are evil people who deserve no mercy.’ Tahir concluded, heatedly. 

‘That’s what I thought dear hubby. And impressed by the reaction of civil society organizations, I decided to help the cause with prayer. We must do everything to see that this proposed bill does not see the light of day. It will be a mockery of all the anti-corruption efforts we have seen recently. Why would people who so mercilessly robbed the nation blind and denied us so many of the things that we deserve, as citizens of a wealthy nation, be spared the punishment they earn for being such unpatriotic thieves? Why should they be so protected by a law that will keep them anonymous, prevent them further prosecution and also enable them to remit only what they feel like because the source of their looting will not be proved and therefore the real amount they stole will never be known? Why are our lawmakers even interested in helping them, in the first place?’ I queried.

‘But that should be obvious Bint. The lawmakers themselves are trying to save their skins. Many of them have cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. How else will they ensure they escape prosecution, keep most of their loot and save their reputation from the public, if they don’t come up with a law like this?

Already you’ve seen how their elders, the senators, have twice rejected the EFCC acting head, because his agency has case files against most of them. The other day they even had the audacity to threaten the Acting President, by saying he should either sack the EFCC chairman or face certain consequences. Can you imagine this? All Nigerians must rise against this corrupt and self-serving move by the National Assembly, before they kill the fight against corruption and drag us back to square one.’ Tahir emphasized.

‘Yes we must rise against it because it’s in our best interest to fight such a law. I will get through to the Ladies’ Parliament and make sure we come up with ways to campaign against this move. Otherwise, we have no justification to arrest and prosecute petty thieves, robbers or even kidnappers. They are all doing it for the money. So if we decide to create a soft landing for treasury looters why don’t we do the same for other criminals? We might as well  release Evans, the kidnap kingpin because, despite his despicable crimes, he has not harmed this nation as much as treasury looters. Our hospitals are without drugs, our roads are mostly unmotorable, leading to accidents and deaths, our schools are dilapidated without the necessary infrastructure for a conducive learning environment. All because the necessary funds had been stolen by looters. And someone dares to tell me that these people are better than Evans, the kidnapper?’ I asked, rhetorically.

‘Right on Wifey dear, you’ve got the right quotes for this campaign.’ He applauded, patting my hijabbed shoulder in the process.