THE FORMING OF A LAY MAN IN A LAWLESS COUNTRY.
WRITTEN BY SALAUDEEN KADRI OLAYINKA
"You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time." -- Abraham Lincoln
Fellow Nigerians, on the issue of budget padding involving the speaker of the house of representative Yakubu Dogara and 13 others which led to the visit he paid to the president Muhammadu Buhari yesterday at the presidential villa.
Speaking after the closed door meeting. The speaker of the house boastfully confirmed the rumour in circulation and said he has headed many offices and never heard that padding the budget is an offence. He added by saying he is not worried about anything at all that we over 160 million citizens should go and read the provisions of the law padding is never an offence. After watching the interview I just can't stop laughing just because such statement shows how ignorant he is on legal matters.
The speaker of the house and other law makers thought being a law maker is an automatic way of knowing the whole law and can give it any interpretation of their choice. As a matter of fact and matter of law, as young as I am in the field of law, when it comes to legal matter I will sit him down to tutor him on what law is all about.
However, what the speaker of the house of rep and 13 others did is criminal in nature which is an offence against the state punishable under our law for just 14 years in prison. Being a lay man they are unaware of the fact that padding is not mentioned in our law doesn't mean it never an offence they can be charged for forgery. There are ways of interpreting the provisions of law and relating matters.
The most heartbreaking of this story is that instead of the All Progressive Congress to frown on this matter and issue a strong condemning statement they are talking of settlement. Are they unaware of the fact that what they did is an offence against over 160 million Nigerians (excluding their fellow criminals)? Are they unaware of the fact that for their party member who emerged under the name of "Change" to involve in such act is a slap on their face?
The truth must be said, APC disappointed the general pubic as they are doing contrary to what we were told before the election. They came in in the name of CHANGE got there and running after their personal interest the same way the last administration did.
The only solution to all these is finding a way to send our bad political leaders to prison and for us to start all over again.
For the purpose of record and before the sycophants hijacked my writeup and gave it another meaning, I never regret voting and canvassing for president Muhammadu Buhari as he has done to some extent what he promised to do and am pleased with that. All is know and strongly believe is that Nigeria will be great again. God bless my father land.
