Bruce Fein’s “busy body” letter to Buhari
<p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Bruce Fein, the American lawyer, embarked on a fool’s errand last week when he sought to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to recover Nigeria’s stolen money and punish corrupt public officials. Bruce Fein’s open letter questioning Buhari’s sincerity in the fight against graft and published by the Washington Post might have well […]
<p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Bruce Fein, the American lawyer, embarked on a fool’s errand last week when he sought to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to recover Nigeria’s stolen money and punish corrupt public officials. Bruce Fein’s open letter questioning Buhari’s sincerity in the fight against graft and published by the Washington Post might have well been written by Olisa Metuh or his friend Sambo Dasuki. In Fein’s reckoning, Buhari’s anti-corruption seeks to bypass the President’s allies and penalise others based on their “political affiliation or opinion.” Fein didn’t supply the names of those being penalised for their “political affiliation or opinion”, beyond his disguised sympathy for the mammy oil. <br /> However, this agent provocateur is not properly informed about Nigeria’s current situation. Firstly, he misses President Muhammadu Buhari’s correct address. He writes: “President Muhammadu Buhari, Aso Rock, Abuja, Nigeria”, but Buhari doesn’t stay at Aso Rock; he resides at Aso (Presidential) Villa. In his haste to address his letter to Buhari and raise the reMr Bruce Fein, the American lawyer, embarked on a fool’s errand last week when he sought to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to recover Nigeria’s stolen money and punish corrupt public officials. Bruce Fein’s open letter questioning Buhari’s sincerity in the fight against graft and published by the Washington Post might have well been written by Olisa Metuh or his friend Sambo Dasuki. In Fein’s reckoning, Buhari’s anti-corruption seeks to bypass the President’s allies and penalise others based on their “political affiliation or opinion.” Fein didn’t supply the names of those being penalised for their “political affiliation or opinion”, beyond his disguised sympathy for the mammy oil.
However, this agent provocateur is not properly informed about Nigeria’s current situation. Firstly, he misses President Muhammadu Buhari’s correct address. He writes: “President Muhammadu Buhari, Aso Rock, Abuja, Nigeria”, but Buhari doesn’t stay at Aso Rock; he resides at Aso (Presidential) Villa. In his haste to address his letter to Buhari and raise the required dust, Fein probably telephoned some displaced Peoples Democratic Party big wig who gave him the wrong address which he absent-mindedly used.
Having been voted to the Presidency on the strength of his commitment to fight corruption, the vast majority of Nigerians are unable to see the value of Fein’s academic and obscurantist arguments on whether Buhari’s current attitude amounts to “zero tolerance for corruption” or not. Contrariwise, Nigerians attach great importance to and are waiting with bated breath as investigating authorities reveal horrendous acts of skulduggery perpetrated by our erstwhile public officials.
As a lawyer, Fein is well aware of the importance of the integrity of evidence and the assembling of witnesses with unimpeachable character. Here then is where the American lawyer lost it: “You (Buhari) were reminded of your dubious past by former Major General and President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who succeeded your military dictatorship.” Quoting Ibrahim Babangida, Fein added: “On General Buhari, it is not in IBB’s tradition to take up issues with his colleague former President…. we are conversant with General Buhari’s so-called holier-than-thou attitude. He is a one-time Minister of Petroleum and we have good records of his tenure as minister. Secondly, he presided over the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, which records we also have. We challenge him to come out with clean hands in those two portfolios he headed. Or we will help him to expose his records of performance during those periods.”
First of all, Buhari is not yet in court with Babangida; secondly, even if he is, Babangida will lose, always. But more importantly, Fein quoted the wrong person; Babangida is never a credible witness in anti-corruption cases, irrespective of where they are judged. He therefore doesn’t have the moral gumption of holding up Buhari as a corrupt person even by the slightest shred of culpability. I mean your case of corruption against Buhari collapses if Babangida is your most valuable witness. Buhari is, morally speaking, Babangida’s superior; and in any case, the latter’s outburst against the people’s President has not gone beyond showboating. The so called “good records of his (Buhari) tenure as minister” are imaginary. Obviously, Fein is in cahoots with Buhari’s adversaries to distract the new administration and ridicule the President.
Nor does Fein, who served President Ronald Reagan’s administration, bring any superior argument regarding the application of justice to the people who require it. Reagan’s Iran-Contra scandal during which profits realized from arms sales to Iran were used to fund anti-Sandinista forces in Nicaragua is still fresh in our memory. The American assassination of Osama Bin Laden in faraway sovereign Pakistan, the bizarre acquittal by the American court of the accused who murdered Trevor Martin, among other cases, have left the world feeling that the course of justice has not been served. Justice is never even handed, not even in America where wealthy people contract the best lawyers to defend and help them escape punishment. At home or abroad, America holds the record of the most unjust country.
Time will tell whether Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former minister of petroleum, is as innocent as Fein wants us to believe. In the meantime, she has a messy corruption case in the United Kingdom and it is up to Bruce Fein to lend her the legal assistance she badly needs. Currently, the Nigerian investigating authorities have in their net some of the biggest names engaged in economic and financial terrorism against our country. If the Buhari administration can quickly bring justice, hopefully in form of long jail terms for former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; former Governor, Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; proprietor of Africa Independent Television, AIT, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, etc., then our people will be very happy.
Aid or no aid, America or its citizens cannot determine Buhari’s agenda. Buhari will fight corruption and it is up to him to decide from which date. Our people are not interested in the debate over “judge, jury and prosecutor in the newspapers”; we are far more concerned with immediate gains of this battle against corruption because it can only be undertaken by Buhari. We don’t care who falls victim of this fight, we just want our resources returned, including those stashed away in America, as well as punishment for the criminals involved.
Sunshine is indeed the best of disinfectants and I urge Mr Bruce Fein to quit the American winter and come to Africa, nay Nigeria, Maiduguri, to enjoy the heat and light of the sun!
Abu Najakku
Twitter:@ComradeAbubakar
quired dust, Fein probably telephoned some displaced Peoples Democratic Party big wig who gave him the wrong address which he absent-mindedly used. <br /> Having been voted to the Presidency on the strength of his commitment to fight corruption, the vast majority of Nigerians are unable to see the value of Fein’s academic and obscurantist arguments on whether Buhari’s current attitude amounts to “zero tolerance for corruption” or not. Contrariwise, Nigerians attach great importance to and are waiting with bated breath as investigating authorities reveal horrendous acts of skulduggery perpetrated by our erstwhile public officials. <br /> As a lawyer, Fein is well aware of the importance of the integrity of evidence and the assembling of witnesses with unimpeachable character. Here then is where the American lawyer lost it: “You (Buhari) were reminded of your dubious past by former Major General and President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who succeeded your military dictatorship.” Quoting Ibrahim Babangida, Fein added: “On General Buhari, it is not in IBB’s tradition to take up issues with his colleague former President…. we are conversant with General Buhari’s so-called holier-than-thou attitude. He is a one-time Minister of Petroleum and we have good records of his tenure as minister. Secondly, he presided over the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, which records we also have. We challenge him to come out with clean hands in those two portfolios he headed. Or we will help him to expose his records of performance during those periods.” <br /> First of all, Buhari is not yet in court with Babangida; secondly, even if he is, Babangida will lose, always. But more importantly, Fein quoted the wrong person; Babangida is never a credible witness in anti-corruption cases, irrespective of where they are judged. He therefore doesn’t have the moral gumption of holding up Buhari as a corrupt person even by the slightest shred of culpability. I mean your case of corruption against Buhari collapses if Babangida is your most valuable witness. Buhari is, morally speaking, Babangida’s superior; and in any case, the latter’s outburst against the people’s President has not gone beyond showboating. The so called “good records of his (Buhari) tenure as minister” are imaginary. Obviously, Fein is in cahoots with Buhari’s adversaries to distract the new administration and ridicule the President. <br /> Nor does Fein, who served President Ronald Reagan’s administration, bring any superior argument regarding the application of justice to the people who require it. Reagan’s Iran-Contra scandal during which profits realized from arms sales to Iran were used to fund anti-Sandinista forces in Nicaragua is still fresh in our memory. The American assassination of Osama Bin Laden in faraway sovereign Pakistan, the bizarre acquittal by the American court of the accused who murdered Trevor Martin, among other cases, have left the world feeling that the course of justice has not been served. Justice is never even handed, not even in America where wealthy people contract the best lawyers to defend and help them escape punishment. At home or abroad, America holds the record of the most unjust country. <br /> Time will tell whether Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former minister of petroleum, is as innocent as Fein wants us to believe. In the meantime, she has a messy corruption case in the United Kingdom and it is up to Bruce Fein to lend her the legal assistance she badly needs. Currently, the Nigerian investigating authorities have in their net some of the biggest names engaged in economic and financial terrorism against our country. If the Buhari administration can quickly bring justice, hopefully in form of long jail terms for former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; former Governor, Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; proprietor of Africa Independent Television, AIT, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, etc., then our people will be very happy.<br /> Aid or no aid, America or its citizens cannot determine Buhari’s agenda. Buhari will fight corruption and it is up to him to decide from which date. Our people are not interested in the debate over “judge, jury and prosecutor in the newspapers”; we are far more concerned with immediate gains of this battle against corruption because it can only be undertaken by Buhari. We don’t care who falls victim of this fight, we just want our resources returned, including those stashed away in America, as well as punishment for the criminals involved. <br /> Sunshine is indeed the best of disinfectants and I urge Mr Bruce Fein to quit the American winter and come to Africa, nay Nigeria, Maiduguri, to enjoy the heat and light of the sun!<br /> Abu Najakku<br /> Twitter:@ComradeAbubakar<br /> a</p>