By Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja
Those who attended public schools in Nigeria between the 1980s and 1990s would be familiar with the novel entitled: “Eze Goes To School” written by Michael Crowder and Onuora Nzekwu.
It tells about the adventures of an African child who is determined to attend secular education in the face of very daunting challenges and obstacles.
I am adapting this title to write this article which is subtitled: “Buhari (PMB) GOES TO PARIS COURT”.
Already it is a headline because in the history of former Nigerian Presidents, it has become a tradition that none of them is dragged to appear before any Nigerian court.
So it was and has been a screaming headline in major Nigerian online newspapers, that PMB is to appear in court in far-away Paris to give testimony in respect of the Mambilla Power project.
The Nigerian Government has already written a disclaimer that its President did not compel PMB to attend or testify in the said court in Paris.
There was this rumour that was repeatedly repeated during the regime of PMB (2015 to 2023) that nine out of ten times he often had no idea what was happening during his regime. The rumour was that his Ministers and other top aides would take decisions on his behalf unbeknownst to him.
And to lay credence to this crap nonsense, they would allude to his taciturn nature and say Buhari’s “body language”.
In the comity of civilised nations, it is only in Nigeria, and during the regime of PMB that such nonsense was repeatedly repeated until it became gospel truth.
The principle that all buck stops at the table of the leader, the principle of “collective responsibility” that a leader takes responsibility for the actions of his Ministers and appointees never seemed to apply.
But during the tenure of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Nigerians were blaming him for each and every action and inaction of his Ministers and other appointees. There was no day that Nigerians didn’t have one blame or the other to heap: “Jonathan did this, Jonathan is incompetent, Jonathan is a woman”!!!
But during the regime of PMB, it was the Ministers that were to blame!!!
Our collective selective amnesia is frightening!!!
So now it is a foreign court in a far-away country, that is reminding us of the principle of collective responsibility in governance by inviting both former Presidents PMB and OBJ to testify about the Mambilla Power project.
I hope the said court can resuscitate the memories of both former Presidents and jolt them to take responsibility for the wasted opportunity that was the Mambilla Power project which could have delivered regular electricity for the majority of Nigerians.
Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja,
Executive Director,
Nigerian Law Society (NLS).
