Jonathan: A Rape Of Justice...

It appears that the current administration under President Goodluck Jonathan is never shy to stir the hornet's nest, instigate public criticisms and stoke the fire on the roof top of sanity. It was a notch above incredulous to fully realize that the Federal Government with the approval of the Council of State, has granted State Pardon to former Bayelsa state governor and ex-convict, Dipreye Alamieyeisegha, alongside some six others. As if the insolence and wreckage were not enough to bury our face in perennial shame, the Presidency in a desperate attempt to justify their shenanigans opined that Alamieyeisegha deserves the pardon on the premise that he has suffered for too long. So much for fighting corruption! It should be said here that this was the same Alamieyeisegha whose corrupt instincts and fraudulent stunts knew no bounds. As a matter of truism, he is one of those politicians that has contributed to our dirty image home and abroad. This is the latest portrayal by the current administration that it's fight against corruption is one that starts and ends with lip service. Such decision will only fan the embers of sheer lottery, and it is a big pat on the back for corrupt politicians. While it is the privilege of the Presidency to dole out such pardons, plausible reasons should at least be given, and it is not too much to ask that common sense be applied. It is believed in some quarters that the pardon was mainly for Alamieyeisegha, and the rest of the bunch were mere facades. It should be remembered that Alamieyeisegha and Jonathan were former acquaintances at the State House in Bayelsa state, where the latter was the deputy of the former. Now, Alamieyeisegha is free to hold any political office in the future. Do the decision makers ever take a second thought before they make crucial decisions as this? Or are we simply seeing evidences of a soiled presidency? The odds favours both. The lessons this will have on the nation as a whole is inimical. Corruption has been exalted, and justice has been raped without reprieve. If Alamieyeisegha deserves such 'fresh air', then it beggars belief why any other armed robber does not. Except it is a case of double standards. This is not good for the our fledging democracy, neither does it help the battered image of the Jonathan presidency. Whoever it was that hatched such decision, is an enemy of a better Nigeria. It is a verdict that deserves all the knocks it is currently getting, and one that lends credence to the saying that we are truly transforming as a nation, all be it, in a downward progression.