Some National Assembly members (40) disagreed with this decision for various reasons, but a majority (65) passed a supportive resolution, on the basis that a tournament that generates such huge costs should not be regarded as necessary  at a critical time when our nation faces so many tough developmental challenges.

Earlier on this week, however, the President’s Special Advisor (Media/Publicity), Olusegun Adeniyi, announced that his Boss had, “after giving due consideration to the many representations made by the global football community and other stakeholders”, agreed to revert to Plan A and invite cadet soccer teams from 24 countries to strut their stuff on our home turf in October/November 2009.

But Adeniyi made it clear that the President was compromising rather than totally caving in, and still has no intention of approving the “outrageous” sum that was requested by the Local Organising Committee.

Apparently, he has directed that only N9 billion be provided for the sporting event in next year’s budget and is pressuring key protagonists to ensure that further savings can be achieved.

“The President,” Adeniyi firmly declared, “expects that with prudent management and complementary funding from FIFA and the private sector, the final cost to the Federal Government…will be even less than the N9 billion which the National Assembly will now be asked to appropriate…” I can’t tell you how happy I was when I read about this story!  

It proves that the President and the legislators who backed him to the hilt have correct priorities and cannot be deceived into over-spending on flashy jamborees that we can easily live without, if push comes to shove. It proves that insane levels of extravagance will not be tolerated. It proves that there is hope for Nigeria.  

ROUGH JUSTICE

My cousin just told me about an opposition candidate friend of hers who feels very ill-treated by the legal system because an election tribunal case he has been pursuing against a PDP Governor since May 2007 has never been heard by any judge

He has been formally summoned to court on no less than l8 different dates; but his lawyer has NOT ONCE been given a chance to speak, not even for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, this constant to-ing and fro-ing is gradually bankrupting my cousin’s friend because his lawyer, understandably, expects to be paid for the considerable amounts of time he invests in these frustratingly futile trips to court.

My cousin’s friend is convinced that he is a victim of foul play. He claims to have been assured by “a reliable source” that the Governor whose victory he’s querying is behind these interminable delays and is paying both junior and senior court officials to surreptitiously gag him by postponing his case until he runs out of money and can no longer afford to pay a lawyer to represent him.

Journalists tend to attract a steady stream of complaints from disgruntled citizens who want their grievances to be highlighted on the pages of newspapers, so I’ve heard many similarly depressing tales of woe before; and I’m tired of hearing about judges, court clerks, etc, who are – allegedly - extremely dishonest.

Some opposition candidates are deeply delusional and have extremely tenuous relationships with Reality. Even when they have no political clout whatsoever and can only secure a handful of votes from their immediate families, they still insist on telling anyone who will listen to their tedious fantasies that they would have been governors, senators or whatever…if they hadn’t been “cheated”, both electorally and legally, by rivals who are more credible than they will ever be.

But - let’s face it - this is a country in which muscle and money frequently triumph over integrity and genuine popularity; and it can’t be denied that some opposition candidates are solid and widely respected and were only trounced at the polls or in court because their rivals were more wealthy and/or crooked and/or violent.

Since I haven’t met my cousin’s friend or researched his allegations, I don’t have a clue which of the above categories he fits into, so will give the people he’s accusing the benefit of the doubt by saying that his case may have been delayed because of inefficiency rather than because juicy bribes have been offered and accepted.

But why on earth should any candidate – whether he or she is ridiculous or serious – have to wait for l7 long months to be heard by an election tribunal? Anyone who was cleared by INEC to stand for election deserves – even if his case seems to possess no merit – to be heard at least once and within a reasonable timespan if he wants to challenge the person who got the job he was seeking.  

For as long as the legal system appears to favour rich and powerful members of the ruling political party - and to sabotage their less affluent and less influential enemies – court officials will be strongly suspected of corruption.

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