On Thursday, a taped conversation that
Hammah had with someone, in which she allegedly said she would not leave
politics until she had made $1m, leaked. By Friday, she was sacked by
the government.
This is coming at a time that Nigerians
are impatiently awaiting a decisive step by President Goodluck Jonathan
over the role of the Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, in the purchase of
two armoured vehicles at a mind-boggling cost of about N255m.
Ghana’s decision appears to have
reminded concerned Nigerians that by geographical standards, their
country and Ghana are neighbours. They have also shared some historical
moments, so much that they can sometimes be regarded as political
allies. But despite such affinities, both countries are far from being
on the same page when it comes to the treatment of corruption.
Although Hammah had not carried out the
intention credited to her in the said tape, she was fired nonetheless.
In the tape circulating online, she appears to have said, “If you have
money, then you can control people.”
Interestingly, Hammah and Oduah are said
to have played similar active roles in the elections of their
respective principals. According to a BBC report, Hammah had,
ironically, also openly expressed disgust at corruption months back.
“In August, she said there was a lot of
pressure on her to steal public money because people thought that, as a
minister, she was rich. She described such demands as obnoxious,” BBC quotes Ghanaweb news site as saying. She is said to have added that “corrupt politicians are the reflection of a corrupt society.”
Apart from the fact that Oduah has
confessed to giving the approval when she appeared before the House of
Reps Committee on Aviation that probed her and other parties involved,
two other limousines bought by FAAN has been linked to her. Yet, she is
still a minister in the Jonathan cabinet.
The highest that President Jonathan has
done is to set up a probe panel in which many people have little or no
confidence.
PUNCH NG
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