A group known as the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, on Tuesday, claimed that the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori was one of those who allegedly inspired the comment of ex-British Prime Minister, David Cameron, when he said “Nigeria is fantastically corrupt.”
CACOL made the remark while reacting to the celebration that greeted Ibori’s return to the country last weekend.
The Oghara-born politician, who was recently released after completing his jail term in the UK, arrived the country on Saturday amid celebrations from people of Delta State.
Reacting to the celebration, CACOL described the ‘euphoria’ that greeted Ibori’s return as a “show of shame that debases humanism.”
A statement signed by its Media Coordinator, Wale Salami and sent to DAILY POST, reads, “It is sad and disheartening to see human beings so audaciously being ripped of their humanism; the very basis of their existence, out of the ‘inadvertent’ need to cope with the socio-economic and political reality of the society imposed by the incurably corrupt ruling class elements like Ibori. It is like the hunted protecting the hunter; victims celebrating their victimizers out of total dislocation with the empirical reality of their social existence and proper introspection.
“We are talking about an ex-convict that has through his nefarious and corrupt activities dragged the image of the country as a whole in the mud of global shame. Ibori, we believe, is one those who inspired the infamous statement of the former Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron that described Nigeria as a country that is ‘fantastically’ corrupt.”
The believes those openly celebrating the “ex-convict” are trying to turn him into a ‘hero’, so he could go back to “playing his so-called ‘Robinhood’ role while walking free and shoulders-high in spite of committing corruption crimes of incredible proportions.
“Beneficiaries’ as the celebrators may be; they do not represent the rule of law, the will or opinion of Nigerians about the obligation and absolute necessity to prosecute Ibori and others like him for their corruption crimes with deserving punitive applied where culpability is established.
“We also point out that the ‘welcome carnival’ is a manifestation of a tendency that can never spell any good for socio-cultural, economic and political development because the trend is predicated on corruption and abysmal disregard for core values and morals.
“So unlike of the spokespersons of that obnoxious tendency, who say ‘Ibori’s coming is a beginning of so many good things to come’, we say that his return can only mean good when he has answered to all the corruption cases against him judicially and gets penalized on all counts where his culpability is affirmed.
“The welcome carnival definitely defies logic and must be condemned. We should help the oppressed of Delta state to reach that consciousness where it will be possible to apply logic and introspection when dealing with the corrupt oppressive ruling class elements and the choices to make, so as not to further aggravate their already excruciating conditions of living. Ibori may be ‘rich’ enough today to give 1 million naira to each Deltan, and that may help in temporarily coping with the challenges of these hard times but the consequence is that, on the long run, the brunt of the largesse will further deepen the hunger, pains and pangs of the larger majority.
“Ibori, the ‘Robinhood’ is only giving rotten ‘fish’ which spells greater doom for the collective in the end, we condemn the tendency that takes advantage of the impoverishing social order it had imposed on the polity to dehumanize the poor further.”
CACOL call on the Federal Government to act immediately by “reopening the corruption cases against Ibori. That is the ‘carnival’ that the ex-convict deserves!”
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