MAGU’S REJECTION: THE EXECUTIVE FAILED HIM, NOT THE SENATE

As a farmer, when your hoe and cutlass don't seem to understand your target, what do you do? You discard them. If not, you will end looking incompetent before your customers.
Someone said online, "The Senate deliberately failed the acting EFCC Boss, Mr Magu because they had a lot to hide. I responded, “He that must eat with the Devil, must always be on top of his game”
The failure of Magu didn't come in the second presentation as some might have claimed. The entire damage commenced and ended in the first presentation. The President Presented Mr Magu before the Senate for confirmation about 3 months ago. At the same time, The DSS which is under the same President sent a letter to the same Senate that Mr Magu was not qualified to be confirmed. Isn’t that funny , ridiculous and unacceptable?

Someone said, ‘that goes to show the independence of the agencies and the President doesn't want to get involved”. Interesting really. He was correct but not absolutely. Yes! In as much as there is a need for some levels of independence among the agencies, there is also a need for cohesion and unity of purpose in the rule of engagement. Or else we will achieve nothing in the end. The CIA needed to work in unity with the SEALs for them to send Osama Bin Laden below 6 Feet.

In proactive governance, what does it take the President to call the DG of DSS, Mr Daura to update him before any letter goes to the Senate? Is the President no
longer the Chief Security Officer of the country? Who should define who is truly a liability to his war against corruption than the Commander in Chief himself? Is this just one off laxity from the executive or a true picture of what the wife of the President portrayed some months ago that the President was not really in charge of governance but cabal in the house who seem to be stronger than the whole nation? Who does not really want Magu to do his job in the Executive? Who is technically knocking him out? The Senate or the executive?
I give the Senate a big kudos for not clearing Magu the second time. Because if they had done so, what do you think who have happened to the integrity of the DSS before the international community? Don't you think we would have ridiculed ourselves before the international community on how a security institution's report as big as the DSS is thrown away on a personal interest? Or maybe we should look into some of the words used in that letter. "Security liability". That was the phrase used on the Acting EFCC Boss, Mr Magu. I think that is dangerous. It is like FBI putting a suspect on a "no flight" list and The President asks the same suspect to go ahead and fly. You would have rubbished the integrity of that institution that you may never have another opportunity to redeem it again. I also fell in love with the way the DSS stood her ground in the second presentation. That is how great institutions are built. They are built on principles and values and not around any man.
Even the acting Chairman of EFCC failed himself woefully. They asked him, “How much have you recovered so far,”? He responded by saying "I have no idea". Isn't that funny? Not even an estimate? Are we in banana island?. They asked him again, “What will you say about the allegation of the DSS”? He responded again “I didn't prepare for it". Does it not really show he was not really on top of his own game?
You now expect him to win the heart of Senators of various characters that you once threatened some of them with prisons. You want to scale through a group where you just sent one of their old governors to 5 years in jail last week without adequate preparation? Then you must be the real joke here.
In summary, The President failed Magu not the senate in technical terms. And to save the integrity of the institution and ourselves from further ridicule, it is high time the President let go of Magu and get somebody else and represent. There is already too much salt in this soup. It is already damage.
But if the president continues to push for Magu as he is currently and wrongly advised, the more you continue to go in logger head with the report of that security institution. And that is not good for the country image both in the short and long run. He should drop his interest and save that institution from ridicule. The error has been made. The DSS report should not have gone out in the first place under his watch.


God bless Nigeria

Tunde Adenuga
@tunde_adenuga