By Denrele Animasaun

“Now since shame is a mental picture of disgrace, in which we shrink from the disgrace itself and not from its consequences, and we only care what opinion is held of us because of the people who form that opinion, it follows that the people before whom we feel shame are those whose opinion of us matters to us.”   Aristotle

I do not know about you, but there is something fundamentally wrong with the Nigerian society today and it is nothing to be proud of when majority have lost their moral compass. We are losing the values and virtues that bind our society and instead we have become so fickle and greedy. Sadly, it seems many are either deluded or avoiding the fact that there are some Nigerians hell bent on taking the whole country down the depths of despair.  How does one deal when the stupid and the ridiculous keep happening and the majority of us pretend that everything is honky dory when it is glaringly obvious, it is exactly the opposite. There seems to be a sense of helplessness and hopelessness or at most a level of resignation.

Some of what happen is almost impossible to comprehend in any sane society, well, except if you are a Nigerian, and nothing fazes the Nigerian; no the Nigerian just adjusts his sails and sails into another crisis.

I read a clip that is doing the rounds in the social media regarding a Society page, dated the 17th of December. It read “Grand Reception for James Ibori(with the picture of the man himself) and it continues; Chief  James Onanefe Ibori, according to  information in the public domain would be returning home any moment from now, Ibori would be on December 21 in a chartered jet via Heathrow airport to Murtala Muhammed International airport in Lagos where family members and close associates are expected to receive him in a red carpet reception before jetting to Osubi airstrip near Warri, where his convoy would take off for his Oghara hometown for another grand reception.

Political watchers strongly believe his return would alter political calculations towards the 2019 general elections that he might defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),since it was alleged that strong forces within his Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) were behind his travails in the UK. Ibori was jailed in 2012 in the UK over allegation of money laundering”. Yes. Such triffle in print.

Is this the same Ibori that did time for a crime that he committed and now they want to change the narrative? Seriously, there is no amount of white washing and deflection that will change the fact that Ibori was convicted of the crime.

Couple of months back, his associates were peddling a reunion for an anticipated early release and even then, they wanted to roll out the red carpet.

Now they have planned a state welcome for him on a grand scale. Something is definitely wrong with the way some people think, they have no respect for the Nigerian people or Nigerian law.

And whose idea was it to place an itinerary in the society page to let the world and his uncle know that Ibori will be arriving in a chartered jet and on to a red carpet reception. Who ever wrote this needs a conscience transplant.

For those who think that it is in good taste to welcome Ibori back with the full state reception should be ashamed of themselves, they are a big disgrace and whatever their plans are for the future of Nigeria, they are deluded and lack insight into what is really going on in Nigeria.

Their plans for this farce should be strongly repudiated and these so-called associates should themselves be investigated as it seems that they should be tarred with the same brush. How can they explain how he could be flown back in a charted jet and given a hero’s welcome! What on earth is going on here and this is rubbing salt into the wounds of the people of Delta who, have been robbed blind. Yes, I am sure that there are misplaced loyalties and many would support their own kin to the hilt inspite of the fact he did wrong and that is part of the problem with us as a nation. This is not about religion, tribe or political party affiliation, when something is wrong it is wrong.

There is no honour in his crime and he was caught and rightly convicted, and yes, he has done the time for his crime but this is not the way to show remorse. This is not in the best possible taste nor is it honourable or decent. Their naked political ambition is so transparent and they lack the virtue to distinguish right from wrong. Are people so gullible to be taken by these shadowy Ibori kingmakers?

If the welcome party for Ibori has been planned without his knowledge (which I very  much doubt) he should be conscientious enough to cancel the fanfare and   should take a quiet route back to his home and contemplate his future of being a changed man.

I hope that Ibori and his cronies would know this, this is a different Nigeria and former convict need not apply.

It is time we examine our conscience as Nigerians and our sense of pride and dignity. Ibori is no hero.