Bode George's triumphant return shocks Nigerians

By Ifedayo Adebayo and Peter Nkanga.

Nigerians have greeted the wild celebrations that accompanied the release of convicted leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, with anger and revulsion. Mr. George was released from the Kirikiri Maximum Prison on Saturday after serving a two-year jail term for mismanaging funds of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) while he was chairman of its board. The 15-month-old court case between Mr. George and others involved fraudulent awards of about 29,000 contracts worth N84 billion by the NPA's board of directors between 2001 and 2003.

His conviction, pronounced on October 26, 2009 by a Lagos High court, made him one of a few senior government officials that have been jailed for mismanaging public funds. Others jailed with him were former NPA managing director, Aminu Dabo; Olusegun Abidoye, Abdullahi Tafida, Zanna Maidaribe and Sule Aliyu.

While some thought Mr. George's release would be a subdued affair, the politician, who emerged from jail clad in a white agbada, was received by hundreds of political associates and supporters who turned the event into a carnival of sorts. The motley crowd later rode in a convoy of vehicles to the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos for a thanksgiving service.

Present at the service were senior PDP members including former president, Olusegun Obasanjo; minister of defence, Adetokunbo Kayode and Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel. Others were southwest leader of the party, Tajudeen Oladipo; the party's governorship candidate for Lagos, Ade Dosunmu, and a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose.
Mr. George, apparently buoyed by the effusive welcome by his supporters, some of whom wore T-shirts proclaiming him the ‘Joseph of our time,' said he was ready to lead his party to future electoral victories.

Opposition parties and sundry
Nigerians, however, told NEXT yesterday that they felt drained by the "public show of shamelessness" by Mr. George and the PDP. The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) described the event as a celebration of corruption. ACN's national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, said the PDP's actions sent a wrong signal to Nigerian youth that it was all right to steal or mismanage public funds, since it could turn them into ‘heroes' like Mr. George.
"There is nothing wrong in rehabilitating a prisoner," he said. "But turning an occasion that calls for penitence and soberness to a carnival of sorts is a disservice to Nigeria. It also ridicules Nigeria in the eyes of the world."

Mr. Mohammed said that despite the fact that Mr. George was jailed for stealing money meant for port management and development, "some clowns are now comparing him to Obafemi Awolowo or Nelson Mandela.
"Let us remind Nigerians that partly because of Bode George's grand larceny, it now takes five times the number of times it should take to clear a container; while the Apapa port can hardly handle some ocean-going vessels bringing in imported fuel, thus heightening the possibility of fuel scarcity," Mr. Mohammed said.
‘Nigeria in deep trouble'
A leader of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Supo Ojo, said the kind of fanfare that followed Mr. George's release from prison was a revelation that Nigeria is in deep trouble.
"It somehow makes Bode George the symbol of corruption in Nigeria and the extent to which corruption has eaten deeply into the system in Nigeria," he said. "We have been thinking that the situation is not so bad, but with what happened Saturday, it shows that even people in governmental position in this country are deeply corrupt and they eulogise corruption as part of their guiding principles, therefore we are really in trouble in this country."

Also condemning the revelry following Mr. George's release, the executive director of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Ibuchukwu Ezike, said the situation was a manifestation of the realities of Nigerian politics.
"Instead of a person known to have stolen public funds and convicted of a crime to hide his face in shame, we see him rejoicing and people all around celebrating him. This is a manifestation of what is happening in the political class. We have a very corrupt political class in Nigeria, and it is this, the world should be fighting against," he said.