THE images of Godwin Emefiele, flummoxed as he is chaperoned by state security agents from custody to custody, from courtroom to courtroom, contrast sharply with those of the man who, as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, bestrode, until just a year ago, the Nigerian financial and banking world like a colossus; the man who daringly wanted to run for president while still CBN governor.
Notwithstanding that allegation of corruption and misappropriation of billions of dollars swirls around a former president’s government, it is always functionaries of the government that are questioned, detained and even incarcerated. The former president himself is free as a bird, enjoying state largesse, gallivanting around the world and pretending as if nothing went wrong under his administration.
Professor Itse Sagay, President Buhari’s former anti-graft adviser, gave another reason why a former president cannot be tried in Nigeria. According to him, “putting a former leader on trial in Nigeria would be divisive.” Of course, he’s right. If any government attempts to try former President Jonathan, the Niger Delta militants would blow up oil installations and bring Nigeria’s economy to its knees.