By Tonye Clinton Jaja
Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN has recently called upon Nigerians to forgive former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB). According to Prof. Ozekhome, SAN, IBB has demonstrated remorse as evidenced by his recent confessions about June 12, 1993 elections
It is instructive that Prof. Ozekhome SAN used a religious word or parlance: “forgiveness”.
Therefore, it is important to understand the meaning of “forgiveness” in the religious sense of the word and the pre-requisite requirement before forgiveness is granted.
“Absolution is a declaration of forgiveness, while benediction is a declaration of blessing.”
Absolution
In Christianity, absolution is a pronouncement of forgiveness of sins by a priest.
It’s a declaration of God’s promised forgiveness to those who repent
It forgives the guilt associated with sins…
Benediction
A pronouncement of God’s blessing upon us”.
So what is the pre-requisite requirement before forgiveness is bestowed upon IBB?
“In the Bible, Jesus told Zacchaeus to repay four times the amount he had stolen. Zacchaeus was a wealthy tax collector who repented after Jesus visited his home. (Luke 19:1-23)”
IBB needs to pay restitution to Nigeria before true forgiveness can be bestowed upon him.
Out of the ₦17bn that was realised from his recent book launch, he can submit a portion (₦10bn) to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (PBAT) to utilise for distribution to the 87 million Nigerians that are classified as multi-dimensionally poor!!!
The foregoing is just being lenient for IBB in comparison to the abject poverty that IBB inflicted upon the majority of Nigerians during his tenure.
I was not even yet ten years of age when IBB introduced “the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), which was a series of economic reforms in Nigeria from 1986 to 1988. The program was a response to an economic crisis caused by low oil revenues and high foreign debt.”
Yet I still remember the effect of SAP on our family.
Before SAP, my mother who was a school teacher on a salary of about ₦100 in the years before 1986 used to buy groceries for our house in wholesale quantity. Carton of peak milk, carton of sardines, big tin of bournvita, carton of St. Louis sugar, carton of frozen fish. All these were bought once in a month or so.
Then we lived near a bakery at Rumuokuta area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State and I used to buy a penny loaf of bread every once in a while to eat with a tin of sardines. I enjoyed dipping a chunk of bread inside the oil of the sardine and wash it down with a cup of warm bournvita with enough peak milk.
But when SAP started all that stopped. I still recall my mother cooking what she called groundnut soup, with grinded groundnuts instead of the usual egusi. I recall that garri was so expensive that we had to substitute with ground corn meal which was never as strong as garri!!!
As a precedent in restitution in the context of Nigeria in this regard, let him emulate the members of the House of Representatives, National Assembly whom it was reported took steps as follows:
“The House of Representatives will, on December 31, 2024, present the sum of N704.91m to President Bola Tinubu for the use of vulnerable Nigerians owing to the economic hardship occasioned by the removal of the petrol subsidy.
Recall that on July 18, the House resolved to slash 50 per cent of their salaries for six months to address the challenges faced by ordinary Nigerians following the adoption of a motion moved during a plenary session.
Following a motion by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, the House, in July, resolved to donate half of their salaries to meet the hunger needs of Nigerians as part of efforts to stop the end bad governance protest.
While moving the motion, Kalu said, “This government is doing its best, but one year is not enough to address the challenges of this country. I want to plead with our colleagues to sacrifice 50 per cent for a period of six months.”
Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja,
Executive Director,
Nigerian Law Society (NLS).
