The Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka,
has described the state pardon granted a former governor of Bayelsa
State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, by President Goodluck Jonathan, as an
act of impunity and a symbol of corrupt mentality. Also,the Nigerian Bar Association on Wednesday described the pardon as a bad signal in the anti-corruption campaign.
Alamieyeseigha, who was convicted of
corruption charges, was pardoned alongside other ex-convicts, including
Shettima Bulama, Lt. General Oladipo Diya, Major-General Tajudeen
Olanrewaju, the late Major General Musa Yar’Adua and the late
Major-General Abdukareem Adisa.
Soyinka, on Wednesday, lent his voice to
those of civil society groups, international community and individuals
who had stridently condemned the President’s action. He spoke in Lagos during a programme ushering in the Lagos Black Heritage Festival. Referring to a statement made by the
Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati, who
had, on a TV programme, described those who are criticising Jonathan
over the matter as suffering from “sophisticated ignorance”, Soyinka
said he did not mind being called such a name for bearing his mind on
the state pardon.
“On the state pardon granted the former
governor, I want to join the bandwagon of the ignorant persons. I am
happy to be counted among them. For me, this kind of impunity is not
unconnected to the controversy, which has been surrounding the N4bn
allocation being sought by the First Lady Mission. It is part of the
same corrupt mentality,” he said.
The renowned writer added that it was
also disappointing that some ministers had given contradictory
interpretations to the object of the pardon.
Soyinka said it was not right for
Jonathan to lump Alamieyeseigha’s case with those of the other people
granted pardon alongside him. According to him, the cases of other
ex-convicts were largely political, as evident in the antics of the late
Sanni Abacha junta that implicated them in a controversial coup.
The Nobel laureate said, “What is going
on right now gives the picture of a government that is floundering and
justifying the unjustifiable. It amounts to encouragement of corruption.
The felon is wanted by the United States Government. We have a case of
an officer of the law – a governor – who went to another country and
broke the law of the nation. He jumped bail.
“I believe that such a person does not
deserve a state pardon. So, I have joined the league of the ignorant
persons condemning the act. I criticise and deplore President Jonathan
for granting pardon to the former governor.”
Reacting to the development after
inaugurating the web-portal of the NBA in Abuja, NBA President, Mr. Okey
Wali, SAN, said the presidential pardon had sent a bad signal in the
war on corruption. But he also noted that Jonathan acted within his constitutional powers.
“It is no doubt a moral issue; it is a bad signal in the fight against corruption.”
Source: Punchng.com
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