Posted by From AKEEB ALARAPE, Ibadan on
Former Nigerian high commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Dr Christopher Kolade, on Monday, decried the present travails of the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, describing it as the 'allergy of Nigerians for good people and good performance.'
Former Nigerian high commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Dr Christopher Kolade, on Monday, decried the present travails of the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, describing it as the 'allergy of Nigerians for good people and good performance.'
Kolade, who spoke as a guest lecturer at the Fourth Foundation Day Ceremony of Ajayi Crowder University, Oyo, noted with regret that Nigerians have a way of rubbishing her heroes.
'I refer to the curious allergy that our nation seems to have for good people and good performance. Whenever anything good happens or threatens to happen to us, it seems that we always find a way to turn the tables against ourselves. It is almost as if it makes us ill to endure anything good for more than a very short period.
'We once had a Chief Justice of the Federation who was highly respected everywhere in the world as a jurist of unparalleled excellence and eminence. We found a way of dismissing him from office in 1975, and he was promptly invited by the International Court of Justice to serve as lead jurist on that eminent panel.
'We had a Finance Minister who was universally acclaimed as one of those who masterminded the short-lived turnaround of our national economic performance between 2003 and 2006. She not only effectively improved our situation, she also gave our international friends cause to hope that, finally, they could rely on us again. When we could no longer endure such a healthy improvement of our image, we frustrated her out of the cabinet, and the World Bank was grateful to have her back in a position that was higher than that which she had previously occupied.
'We had a young police officer whose opposition to
corruption was manifestly effective and convincing,
and whose performance was hailed by all our real
friends around the globe. On top of all the
humiliation that he has been offered so far, we may
yet throw him out on his ear because we cannot carry
the burden of such excellent performance,' Kolade
stated.
Speaking on the topic, ‘The Uses of Curiosity', the
former envoy said Nigeria has missed several
opportunities, in all spheres of human endeavours, to
emerge as a leading light in the comity of nations.
The former managing director, Cadbury Nigeria Plc used
the occasion to challenge members of the Nigerian
academia to foray into politics and apply their
intelligence to the task of transforming Nigeria into
‘the country of our dream'.
Earlier at the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of the
University, Prof. Olajire Olaniran bemoaned the quest
for certificates by Nigerians and its attendant
implication in form of examination malpractice.