We must get rid of corrupt and compromised charlatans in the judiciary and must annihilate the odious spectre of religion in civil service and government. If we want to progress and grow at the rate we should, then we must also kill the weaponisation of religion as a means of evading justice.
These days, any events, stories or incidents that put Kogi state at the centre of public discourse rarely fill one with delight and hardly inspire hope. In fact, for a very long time, the country has earned a reputation for being an enclave whose leaders and residents engage in activities that hinder its progress and leave many of their compatriots confounded. By and large, the State has become a metaphor for the parlous and perilous state of the nation.
The latest in the never-ending cycle of mischief and rascality that the state and many of those who manage its affairs have undoubtedly become synonymous with involves the immediate past Governor of the state Yahaya Bello. Last week, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, granted permission to Bello to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the 2026 lesser Hajj. Justice Emeka Nwite, on Thursday, ordered the temporary release of Bello’s international passport, which had been in the custody of the court, to enable him undertake the religious exercise.
Recall that the governor has been standing trial for the embezzlement and misappropriation of billions of Naira when he governed the middle belt state between 2016 and 2024. From the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) claim of being powerless at arresting him despite knowing his location and having a valid court order to apprehend him to him being shielded from arrest and prosecution by his amenable successor, Governor Usman Ododo, his trial has been characterised by a mélange of unsettling histrionics. The decision by the court to grant Bello permission to travel for a pilgrimage during his trial is not only the latest in the litany of charades that high-profile corruption trials are known for but a troubling reflection of what justice now means in Nigeria.
The irony of a man standing trial for purportedly mindlessly looting the state he governed not too long ago, and who has been involved in many reprehensible and distasteful antics to consolidate power, now being given permission to embark on a pilgrimage is not lost on many Nigerians who are passionate about seeing a country that is well run and works for all. The vacuousness and hedonism of the Nigerian ruling and political class are known and a well-established fact, what many find disconcerting is the willingness of some elements in our judiciary to be part of the grand plot to protect the interests of these elites and cover up their abhorrent eccentricity and excesses at the expense of the nation and the very people they swore to protect. In Nigeria, when it comes to holding the influential and powerful accountable the blindfold of the Justice Lady falls off and he becomes partial and unjust.
For the Nigerian ruling and political class, religion is not an avenue to seek and find spiritual fulfilment, it has become a tool of subjugation, something they can use to shield themselves from accountability, a stout and dependable wall that can protect them from the wrath of the many forlorn and impoverished populace. Why should they bother doing the tough, hard and demanding task of real governance when they can easily make the people believe their socio-economic predicaments, their woes and challenges are spiritual and not as a result of the terrible and destructive actions of those they elected into public office.
It is already bad and terrifying enough that they think they can hoodwink many Nigerians into believing that the economic hardship they face is spurred by their refusal to deepen their ties with God and stay grounded in whatever Abrahamic faith they are adherents of. Lamentably, many fall for this cheap psyop. But for them to now think that by embarking on a pilgrimage to one of the holy lands, in the case of Yahaya Bello, Mecca, will somehow automatically cleanse them of their atrocities and diabolical crimes against Nigerians is a special kind of depravity.
What will the supplication and prayer of a man standing trial for looting, pillaging and plundering a state be when he journeys to the holy land for pilgrimage, a man who has been fingered in electoral violence, voter suppression, opposition intimidation and other vicious and despicable acts that not only undermine our democracy but elaborately stunt the growth of the state he once presided over its affairs. Until we start seeing corrupt public officials as enemies of the state and view their deplorable and unconscionable acts as existential threats to the people and the nation we will continue to have a society that protect unscrupulous and avaricious ruling class under the guise of religious right and freedom.
If there is anything we can copy from China, it is how it decisively and ruthlessly deals with corrupt politicians and public officials, it is the country’s deep aversion to corruption that enables it to pull over 800 million out of poverty and become an economic and military powerhouse in less than 30 years. We cannot afford to normalise a system that prioritises religious pilgrimage over conclusive prosecution of a corrupt politician. A judiciary a criminal justice system that places a premium on personal spiritual fulfilment over conscious and intentional prosecution of corrupt politicians needs an overhaul, a deep and total cleansing.
As late former president Muhammadu Buhari said, if we don’t kill corruption, it is going to kill us. But before we can kill corruption, there are other things we need to kill. We must kill corrupt and shady politicians. We must get rid of corrupt and compromised charlatans in the judiciary and must annihilate the odious spectre of religion in civil service and government. If we want to progress and grow at the rate we should, then we must also kill the weaponisation of religion as a means of evading justice.
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