By Oluwaseun Omomowo
Nigeria is once again in the news. The media has been awash with stories of the alleged massive fraud perpetrated by Ramoni Igbalode a.k.a Hushpuppi and his cronies. He is being charged with multiple counts of wire fraud in connection with a scheme that diverted funds meant for Covid-19 relief efforts.
He was arrested in Dubai, UAE, and has been extradited to the US. Interpol, the Dubai Law enforcement agencies and, lately, the EFCC have been touting this as a win for the good guys. Everybody wants a piece of the action. My focus is not on the crimes he allegedly committed or the vast amounts he allegedly stole. I am stupefied by the level of hypocrisy and posturing being adopted by my dear country.
An ethical dilemma is an issue that leaves the question of either following or breaking rules. Whether you as a person believe those rules to be correct and just constitutes a moral dilemma. Umar Ganduje, the governor of Kano State, was seen in a video stuffing bundles of dollars into his babariga pocket. There were claims that the video was doctored and the true scenario wasn’t captured. The most nauseating part of the story was the claim by a certain Magaji Ramindado, the head of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-corruption Commission. He stated that the commission could not investigate the allegations because they were not carried along in the investigation and there was an immunity clause that prevented them from doing so. He went ahead to win a second term as governor of the state. If that is not a clear case of an ethical conundrum, then what is?
I have no sympathy for Mr Ramoni. He is part of the systematic rot that has pervaded the country and has promoted the concept of get-rich-or-die-trying. The crisis of leadership we have in the country has added to this malaise.
Selective amnesia concerning looting and pillaging of resources by public officials places a burden of responsibility squarely at the feet of government and the leadership structure . You only have to scroll through various social media channels to realise that a cross section of the youth of Nigeria empathise with our modern day Pablo Escobar. And therein lies the moral dilemma. To whom much is given, much is expected, but to whom nothing is given, anything goes. To this persons, Internet fraud is seen as the self-help mechanism that will ostensibly pull them out of poverty and help them position their families to have a better life. However, the end never justifies the means. Until the collective mindset of the average Nigerian changes, we will produce more Hushpuppi’s and Woodberry’s.
The moral bankruptcy prevalent in our society today is a reflection of the putrid rot wafting down from the highest levels of governance and leadership. It’s not even a question of ethical codes or violations, it’s a question of moral integrity. We are good at playing the ostrich, expressing hypocritical outrage at a hushpuppy scenario, while keeping quiet when a Ganduje is caught on camera stuffing dollars in his pockets.
The justice system protects the high and mighty and sends a petty thief to life imprisonment for stealing a tuber of yam. That’s why the army of youths have the ‘me against them’ mindset and will do anything to get out of poverty. If an Orji Uzor Kalu can get out of prison on a technicality and go straight back to the senate, we should then reserve the mock outrage we have at Ramoni’s malfeasance. We have politicians wanted for crimes and fraud in the United States walking about freely and with police escorts in Abuja .Abeg, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it can never be a turkey. But, we can see the role exposure plays in the commission of a crime . A Diezani will have the foresight to buy the citizenship of a non-extradition treaty country, while Ramoni will spend all his time on Instagram flaunting Gucci and dollar bills. You can take a monkey out of the jungle, but getting the jungle out of the monkey is another issue entirely . We go dey alright finally abeg. At least, Hushpuppi didn’t need a visa to get to USA . He flew there first class sef. His Gucci jumpsuit is waiting for him.
