SpicyTricks

I know that among critics of Goodluck Jonathan, impunity comes after corruption in ranking. But other less charitable critics of that administration also say impunity was as a matter of fact, a state policy.  As that government floundered, particularly at its twilight, it descended heavily on its enemies with impunity and made decisions that diminished the presidency and the political actors at the time.

All said, Jonathan did something that had not been done before with impunity and it is important to remember. He actually exported this unusual made in Nigeria lawlessness when his government took impunity in its raw form to South Africa. On September 16th, 20014, the Jonathan government in a most flagrant manner, laundered $10 million under the pretext of sourcing for arms with the private jet of controversial pastor, Ayo Oritsejafor, President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN.   

The South African episode reverberated across the world and revealed how far the government had drifted. But for the same government to have defended such a shameful action also showed how low and reckless it had become.

I believe corruption thrived under Jonathan mainly because of impunity. When there are no consequences for ignoble actions of public servants, there is the tendency for such dishonourable acts to continue. 

And so, under Jonathan, impunity flourished. For example, under Jonathan's watch, unemployed Nigerian youths were duped in a phantom immigration recruitment scam that also left scores of youths dead. Till date, no one was prosecuted. That is impunity! 

Some of his ministers even carried on as if there was no tomorrow. These ministers routinely disobeyed summons from parliament and acted as if Nigeria was their personal estate. The most voluble among the ministers was Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Minister of Petroleum Resources.

I know that Alison-Madueke holds the unenviable record as the most arrogant female minister in Nigeria's history. In those days, when she ran out of official impunity which her office and closeness to the First Family conferred on her, she turned to the courts to stop parliament from inviting her for questioning.

But while impunity flourished at the federal level under Jonathan, the First Family did not also spare there real and perceived enemies, especially in Rivers and Bayelsa States. The story of former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipreye Sylva's harassment, intimidation and finally, his exit from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is well known.

For us in Rivers State, the experience of impunity under Jonathan and particularly his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan was unprecedented. It actually started early in the life of the administration during a two-day visit by Mrs. Jonathan to Rivers State. While Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the then governor was making a point on his school project which naturally necessitated demolition of some buildings in Okrika, home town of the former First Lady, Mrs. Jonathan interrupted and grabbed the microphone. She shouted at the bemused governor, warning of dire consequences if any further demolitions were carried out. Mrs. Jonathan had her way as the governor hurriedly left Okrika. 

Unsurprisingly, that encounter set the stage for an epic battle that almost consumed Amaechi who endured persecution, known to have been plotted from Abuja. First, police commissioners who were posted to Rivers State, had specific instructions to undermine the governor and where possible, support any unlawful effort that could lead to his impeachment. This emboldened a clear minority in the House of Assembly and they contrived an impeachment of the Speaker in a bid to get to the governor.  In fact, Mrs. Jonathan declared war on Amaechi and the entire people of Rivers State with events that followed.

Nigerians watched as these acts of impunity continued unabated in Rivers State. But it did not end there. We also remember how the Presidency took impunity to Nigeria's Governors Forum, NGF election in a bid to challenge Amaechi's second term bid as chairman. Again, they failed and divided the NGF.

By far the most horrendous acts of impunity took place in Rivers State particularly in the run-up to the 2015 general elections. Every day, we were in both local and international media for all the wrong reasons: assassinations, attacks, arson, intimidation and threats. The All Progressives Congress, APC which was then in opposition at the centre was at the receiving end. Even though an APC governor was at the helm in the state, rallies were routinely called off for fear of attack by thugs of the ruling PDP.

On many occasions too, APC offices and party supporters were attacked across the state. The harassment came to a peak with the attack on APC's governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside and the entire APC campaign train in Okrika during their state rally. The Okrika experience however further showed that even citizens without real executive powers can also commit impunity.  Though the Okrika rally was postponed several times on account of security concerns but for those weeks, some people warned APC to stay away, apparently because of the First Lady who, it was alleged, gave instructions that on no account should APC campaign in her town.

So those who turned Rivers into a killing field did so either because they were directly ordered to do so or because they read the body language of those in Abuja. And some of those who actually perpetrated these acts of impunity characteristically boasted openly and sometimes speculated on postings of both senior and junior security officials. The drama of redeployment and interrogation of some very senior police officers on the morning of April 11 governorship election gave credence to stories of the First Lady's involvement in the postings of security personnel. In such an atmosphere of impunity and lawlessness, no political contest could have been fair, and we know it.  

But there was also another shape of impunity closely associated with Mrs. Jonathan. For instance, anytime she visited Rivers State, which became more frequent as elections drew near, Port Harcourt, the state capitally would literally be shut down by nearly a battalion of troops across the services. Usually, her presence in the state came with reports of harassment and intimidation.  

 Nyesome Wike, Amaechi's successor is also doing the same thing as a worthy protégée. Wike is currently harassing and persecuting those who served under Amaechi. He is even personally supervising acts of impunity in a most vicious manner. The height being the recent raid on the house of Mrs. Ibim Semenitari who served as Amaechi's Commissioner for Information. Can these acts of impunity continue in a country with laws and institutions?