LIKE RIBADU, LIKE ‘‘THE MAN’’-(There Must Be Morality In Politics- Emameh Gabriel) Here, ‘‘The Man’’, is picked from the novel, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah, written in 1968 where the author tries to capture a picture of the seemingly endless spiral of corruption, moral decadence and spiritual death in post-colonial Ghana. The book tells the story of a nameless man who struggles to reconcile himself with the reality of post-independence Ghana. Referred to throughout the book, as simply, “The Man”, he refuses to take a bribe, something that angers his wife. The Man keeps a humble job, and despite the constant naggings of his wife, he lives an honest life, even if that condemns him to a life of poverty, yet he feeds from corrupt proceeds his wife brings home daily. Because of this, his nagging wife often describes him as the proverbial bird, Chichidodo who refuses to feed on its prey but feasts on the maggots of their carcass. Ironically, when things turn against those in authorities, The Man finds himself going against his own wishes-entangles in a helpless web of corruption. He helps his friend, Koomson, one of the corrupt politicians wanted by the authorities to escape from the country through a faeces-ridden toilet-bucket crevice. He also follows Koomson through the ‘shit-hole’; an indication of the fact that even those who have avoided corruption could be affected by desperation or by those around them who engage in it. Nuhu Ribadu has taken the centre stage by playing the character of ‘‘The Man’’ in the Nigerian Political stage when he defected from the APC to the PDP. I quote Nuhu Ribadu in 2011: “Jonathan is one of the corrupt Nigerian I ever investigated while at EFCC and his level of corruption even as deputy governor is just disturbing. PDP is just a disaster and a total failure. Change is the only panacea“. What change is Ribadu talking about here? If he could not make a change in the APC he dumped, what change can he effect in the PDP where the president wields unlimited power? What changes can he bring to the PDP where the President plays god at will? I quote Nuhu Ribadu again on Sunday 17 August, 2014 after his defection as he acknowledged the fact that there is no different between the PDP and the APC in terms of character and composition and went further to agree with the fact that certain principles of morality must be broken to enable an individual joins the ranks of politicians in Nigeria. He said, “In Nigeria, especially in politics, you can’t say that this is an exclusive party for the people who are thieves or this is for good people. “If you are ready to serve the people, sometimes you will have to do something that is not even palatable to yourself.”
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 09:15:46 +0000
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