Immunity clause meant to perpetrate corruption, non-accountability, says cleric
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NIGERIA: AN Islamic cleric, Dr. Zafaran Adeniyi, is not happy with the immunity clause in the Nigerian constitution.
Adeniyi, a prolific writer, said on Wednesday that the clause is a seal for corruption and a ploy that leads to non-accountability by office holders in the country.
He expressed his displeasure in Abeokuta at the annual commemorative Hijrah lecture organised by the Muslim Community of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ogun State Command.
Adeniyi, who spoke on “The Nation’s Commonwealth: Bone of Contention or Contentment”, stated that the whole operation of the present democracy in the country was designed in a way to allow for stealing and impoverish the innocent, poor and helpless people in the society.
He identified poor, bad and non-visionary leadership as the real problems of the country, while stressing that the resilience of Nigerians has always accommodated the corrupt leaders to either go scot-free or cause untold hardship on the populace.
Adeniyi said that corruption was a big battle which must start from the hearts and fought by everyone.
While explaining that the baton of corruption is being passed like a relay race, the cleric stated that so far the dividends of democracy in the country have been poverty, hunger, bad roads, darkness and wastage.
He maintained that the leadership in the country parades the highest level of dishonesty, stating that the words in the national anthem were nothing other than ordinary lyrics for entertainment.
“No single politician lives by the spirit and letter of the national pledge and anthem, it has become an ordinary lyrics for entertainment,” Adeniyi stressed, adding: “Our laws have several loopholes because it is human, our judgments are technically dragged; our communal sense of responsibility is no more; our sense of shame has become shameless; we now oscillate between corrupt minds and leaders.”
He added: “Our problem is not the resources (human and material), but poor, bad and non-visionary leadership.
“Our resilience as Nigerians under any circumstances cum imposed ignorance of the majority has always accommodated our so called corrupt leaders who cause us untold hardship to go scot free.”
According to him, the country has become a nation of contention and not contentment where individuals are disenchanted with themselves, where families have become disintegrated and leadership has failed the people.
He gave a ray of hope in the country, saying that this “may take time, but when realised who the enemies of the nation are, we shall join hands as Nigerians, regardless of our religion and tribe to dethrone them.”
