By Tonye Clinton Jaja
John Kayode Fayemi (JKF), a former governor of Ekiti State, a former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recently confessed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) owe Nigerians and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan an apology for not delivering on the promises of economic uplifting of Nigeria which the made in the year 2015!! He confessed that former President Goodluck Jonathan was correct to have tried to remove fuel subsidy which the APC then protested against!!
His confession is the latest in a series of public confessions by members of the APC who staged the take-over “coup” against former President Goodluck Jonathan in the year 2015.
Coincidentally, Yakubu Dogara, and Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi (RCA) who have earlier made their own confessions are also amongst the 2015 set of “coup plotters”!!!
This article makes the point that although we commend them for their confessions, we need them to take the extra step of making restitution!!!
“Conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it”-Uthman Dan Fodio.
This is a metaphor meaning that when someone has a guilty conscience, it feels like a painful, exposed injury that needs to be addressed and healed, often implying that only truth or honesty can truly mend it; this phrase is often attributed to Islamic scholar Uthman Dan Fodio.
Key points about the metaphor :
Painful reminder:
The “open wound” represents the ongoing discomfort and nagging feeling of guilt associated with a wrong action.
Need for healing :
Just like a physical wound needs to be treated to heal, a troubled conscience requires addressing the issue and taking corrective action.
Truth as remedy :
The idea is that only by confronting the truth about one’s actions can the “wound” of a guilty conscience be truly healed.”
In the past few weeks, it appears that some former public officials have “pangs” of a troubled conscience which is troubling them like a festering wound!!!
It appears that their open confessions are a way of assuaging their troubled conscience.
However, it is not sufficient to just reel out confessions about their past misdeeds and indiscretions that resulted in both financial losses that Nigeria has suffered.
They must take the extra step of making a restitution to the coffers of the Nigerian economy.
Such refunds can be made to the bank accounts of Nigeria that is available at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) or the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in case they want to refund gold bars or investments in the form of stocks and shares and bonds!!!
The practice of restitution is the final step in the journey of true repentance. Confession is the first step, but restitution provides the conclusive evidence that the person making the confession, has truly repented!!!
This is obvious when one examines the Bible story below:
“Yes, in the Bible, Jesus told Zacchaeus to repay what he stole.
Zacchaeus was a wealthy tax collector in Jericho who repented after meeting Jesus.
Explanation
In Luke 19:8, Zacchaeus tells Jesus, “If I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold”.
Jesus responds to Zacchaeus’s repentance by saying, “Your repentance shows that today life has come to you and your household”.
Zacchaeus’s actions demonstrate true repentance, which involves changing one’s heart and actions.”
In recent times, in the year 2022, we read the real life example of restitution as follows:
“Baba Aji Mamman had foreboding about his life hereafter while he was sick. Then he decided to set his fate in order.
Before his death on March 28th, 2020, he instructed his family to calculate the salaries paid to him for the days he wasn’t at work, and refund the money to the Yobe Rural Electrification Board.
So when he died, the family calculated the unearned salaries for 11 years, adding up to N11 million.”
So we are awaiting the restitution by these latter-day Saints, and the EFCC needs to go to work, where persons have confessed to criminal use of public funds, as in the case of Yakubu Dogara!!!
Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja,
Executive Director,
Nigerian Law Society (NLS).
