The Expendable: Why is the CCT Spokesman being axed in place of his street wrestler boss? | #YNaijaCover

Imagine passing through a street in your cousin’s neighbourhood and you find a Judge sitting over a running case you have in court fighting messily in public. What are the chances that you would hold firm to your hope about getting justice under the watch of such person?

The above scenario is hardly any different from that of Danladi Umar, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) who threw decency to the wind and engaged a security guard in an open street brawl, to the astonishment of the bemused onlookers at the Banex Plaza, Wuse, Abuja.

Expectedly, a viral video which captured the ugly episode as well as the disgusting statement put up in his defence, drew the ire of Nigerians who called for his sack (amongst other punishments) as Chairman of a highly important court as the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). To stress the key point, where then is the justification for a person in such an exalted office to hold politicians and public service officials to account?

Typical of Nigerian public institutions where individuals appointed into office rise to a position of ‘untouchable prominence,’ it is Ibraheem Alhassan, spokesperson of the CCT who had to be urgently replaced after spending about seven years at the tribunal. Although Alhassan’s ill-fated statement littered with grammatical blunders and ethnic slurs in defence of his principal, is condemnable, it cannot be lost on everyone that he was acting the script of his boss.

Notwithstanding Alhassan’s claim (after wide criticisms) also, that the statement as an “unedited draft” yet to receive authorisation, anyone who has been around in Nigeria long enough can confirm that it may not be far from the usual ‘hand of Esau, voice of Jacob’ phenomenon.

It is becoming a rude reality that the long arm of justice in Nigeria only catches up with subordinates of erring and disgraceful superiors, and if we are keen on building a society that prioritises truth, justice and accountability, no one must be seen or heard of as untouchable(s).

From commissioners at the state level to cases like that of Olisa Metuh and Sambo Dasuki, we must let the big stick be wielded not just on the expendables but also on the so-called untouchables.

And so, when Abdumalik Shaibu, Chief Registrar of the CCT, confirmed his recall by the Information Ministry on Tuesday, you can imagine the disgust that such news would have brought before every well-meaning Nigerian.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail