By Adeoba Michaels (Adeobamich@gmail.com)
The caption of this article was the question I put across to someone who lives in Ikoyi just to double check the identity of one Babajide Ibrahim Obanikoro whose campaign posters flooded Ikoyi and its environs.
My suspicion was right! I was shocked to the marrow! He was the same guy whom alongside his brother Gbolahan allegedly laundered whopping N4.745b from the $2b domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria to procure weapons for soldiers when Colonel Sambo Dasuki was the National Security Adviser. Their father, Musiliu Obanikoro who was the Minister of State for Defence supervised the sleaze.
Obanikoro’s son is seeking to represent Eti-Osa Federal Constituency in House of Representatives on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congressflooded Dophine Estate and it environs.
By the way, Obanikoro had since admitted to the heinous crime and returned parts of the loot. And then told to go and sin no more by the anti-graft agency, the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Few thoughts rushed through my minds when I saw Obanikoro’s son’s posters. As the Yoruba nation degenerated to the extent that the ethos of Omo-Oluabi (virtuous one) is now extinct? It is not in the Yoruba culture to glorify and reward a thief with an exalted office. No matter who you are, once you are caught in the act of stealing like the Obanikoros, you are ostracized and face eternal shame.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and its leadership in Lagos had laid a terrible precedence that posterity will not forgive them. Rewarding Obanikoro’s son with House of Representatives ticket is an affront on the cherished ideals of the Yorubas. So, the moralist Adams Oshiomhole didn’t know that Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro was indicted in the DazukiGate, yet he cleared.
The culture of impunity of imposing characters with glaring overwhelming baggages on the people undermines development and political advancement. It is either the party has another formula for winning at the polls other than fielding a credible candidate with antecedence of honour.
If not that the party thought the peoples’ votes won’t matter afterall, it would not have handed is much cherished ticket to someone who connived with his father to undermine the security infrastructure by diverting part of the funds meant for procurement of arms into their private company, Sylvan McNamara Limited account when our soldiers were on warfronts.
If morality does not matter in the brand of politics of Lagos APC, the enlightened voters of Eti-Osa Federal Constituency should correct the error with their votes at the polls. Dasuki can’t be in detention for almost four years and Obanikoro’s son will be enthroned in the green chamber earning jumbo pay.
Babajide Obanikoro who is perhaps less than 40 and could be daring enough to conspire with his father to rob the nation is definitely a dangerous man. He could cut any deals even with Lucifer without batting an eyelid.
If the EFCC cannot do the needful by putting Obanikoro and his sons behind bars, the good people of Eti-Osa should not reward a rogue with a crown.
Adeoba Michaels, a Public Affairs Analyst writes from Lagos.
