{"id":4374,"date":"2017-08-12T21:16:02","date_gmt":"2017-08-12T21:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=4374"},"modified":"2017-08-12T21:16:02","modified_gmt":"2017-08-12T21:16:02","slug":"and-diezani-dazzles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=4374","title":{"rendered":"And Diezani dazzles\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sufuyan Ojeifo.<\/strong>
\nSince I read the expos\u00e9 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the looted public funds that have so far been traced to the former minister of petroleum resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, I have been beside myself. \u00a0The Commission has advisedly used the words -so far \u2013 which means its investigation is still on and much more illicit funds and items of property procured with laundered money could still be traced and apprehended.
\nI have been optimistic that the anti-corruption agency is spot-on this time round on Diezani being the actual owner of the sums of money and items of property disclosed in a syndicated article by two staff members of its Public Affairs Directorate, Mr Tony Orilade and Aisha Gambari. On looking at the essential thread that runs through the property acquisition and money deposits, I was at great pains to doubt the Commission\u2019s narratives. \u00a0The modus operandi and modus vivendi of the acts appear the same.
\nAssuming arguendo, that only a half of the disclosed details of funds looted outright as well as money laundered was correct, Diezani would still have dazzled many of us. \u00a0What the elegant Amazon has proved in very clear terms is that she can do better; and, has, in fact, done better than a vast majority of men whose preoccupation in public office is believed to be looting of public treasury and conversion of our commonwealth to private estates.
\nThe Diezani persona that the EFCC has presented to the world has shattered the gender characterisation that has, in the annals of independent Nigeria, created a perception of men as being the only corrupt folks in public office. \u00a0It is sad that the gorgeous Diezani is the one trapped in the centre of the melodrama of diverted public funds, which stench is upsetting the sensibilities of all Nigerians. \u00a0I am sure that former president, Goodluck Jonathan, must have been terribly embarrassed by the emerging sleaze perpetrated by his petroleum minister.
\nThe dimensions of the alleged looting alone are benumbing. \u00a0What exactly was Diezani\u2019s problem? \u00a0Was she kleptomaniacal? \u00a0Or was she keeping money in trust for some extended interests in government? Anyhow, something must be propelling her to acquire, almost ad-infinitum, what she would not have been able to finish spending in her entire life, even if she were to live for 100 years on earth and if she were to be spending extravagantly every day.
\nLet us envision that former President Jonathan had won the 2015 presidential election; Diezani would certainly have been retained. \u00a0And for her, it would have been business as usual. I can imagine Diezani eventually becoming as rich as, or even richer than the state. \u00a0But if, indeed, her hands have been caught in the cookie jar of these crimes, then I concur with the view expressed by some friends that she is nothing but a disgrace to womanhood.
\nConsider what N47.2 billion and $487.5 million (well over N120 billion) both in property and in cash, could do to the infrastructure development of our nation. She has reportedly forfeited a skyscraper in Banana Island Foreshore Estate, which value was put at $37.5 million. A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos also ordered that the sums of $2,740,197.96 and N84, 537,840.70 realised as rents on the property be forfeited to the Federal Government. \u00a0More details are coming up.
\nI imagine the other hidden funds yet to be discovered and I cannot help getting more and more flummoxed as to what point Diezani was trying to prove. \u00a0Was she in competition with some persons in the cabinet of Jonathan or with some contemporaries in similar position in some oil-producing nations? \u00a0What niche did she want to cut for herself? Did she want to become a super woman by appropriating to herself the funds that belong to all of us?
\nWas Diezani aiming to be richer than King Croesus, the last king of Lydia (c. 560-546 B.C.) who was so famously rich that his name became a byword for wealth in the expression \u201crich as Croesus”?
\nWas Diezani planning to be the ultimate money-woman to whom all men and living beings must defer? \u00a0Exactly what was Diezani up to? She has splashed the alleged “stolen” funds, with the sybaritic indulgence of Adnan Khashoggi, on exotic items of property and jewelry. Khashoggi, who died on June 6, this year, at 81 was a Saudi Arabian billionaire who lavished his wealth on exotic parties, estates, yachts, etc. \u00a0In his heyday, he spent $250,000 a day to maintain his lifestyle.
\nDiezani has also reportedly kept the raw filthy lucre in some accounts traced to companies that allegedly have links to her, according to the EFCC. The Commission said that aside from jewelry and property, she has N23, 446,300,000 and $5milion (about N1.5billion) in various Nigerian banks. \u00a0The Commission\u2019s breezy narrative is widely published in the print and online media for citizens\u2019 contemplation.
\nAs for me, at what point did Diezani lose the good motherly nature that is purportedly innate in all women? \u00a0Women have become the quintessential reference point in humility, discipline, integrity and accountability? \u00a0Men have been known from the beginning of time to represent the good, the bad and the ugly of society, especially as far as public office is concerned. \u00a0The narrative is fast changing and Diezani is presenting a bizarre comparative complexity.
\nHas the EFCC almost completely unraveled Diezani? \u00a0Is there a correlation between the looted funds uncovered by the Commission and the allegedly missing $20 billion under her watch as petroleum minister? \u00a0Did the diverted funds come from other sources outside the controversial $20 billion to which former Central bank governor and now emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, drew public attention? There must be some nexuses at some points in time. \u00a0We keep our fingers crossed. \u00a0The Commission should also do well to disclose the sources of these Diezani\u2019s heists.
\nPersonally, there are no tears for Diezani for her overwhelming proclivity for the grotesque \u201clooting\u201d of our commonwealth and our patrimony. \u00a0She has, no doubt, dazzled us. \u00a0She should be given the opportunities to defend herself. \u00a0Justice must be seen to be done so that equity can also dazzle her within the purview of the essential element of quid pro quo. \u00a0Indeed, the entire episode is nauseating.
\n 
\nMr Ojeifo contributed this piece from Abuja via ojwonderngr@yahoo.com \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sufuyan Ojeifo. Since I read the expos\u00e9 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the looted public funds that have so far been traced to the former minister of petroleum resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, I have been beside myself. \u00a0The Commission has advisedly used the words -so far \u2013 which means its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5777],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4374\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}