By Wale Adedayo
The report of the Ogun State Truth Commission, which was made public yesterday, is a confirmation of my position that it will come up with NOTHING at the end of its work! It is not that the Commission does not have credible persons as members.
But virtually every part of the Commission’s brief has to do with the State Security Service and the Nigeria Police Force because of its terms of reference. And both organisations are not effectively answerable to ANY state Governor in accordance with Nigeria’s defective 1999 Constitution.
If the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, had been properly advised last year, it should have been Ogun State Truth & Reconciliation Commission. The Governor would have then moved to get President Goodluck Jonathan to buy into it through former President Olusegun Obasanjo, because the work of the Commission should have been patterned after that of Justice Chuwudifu Oputa.
A Truth & Reconciliation Commission is not just about identifying and punishing culprits of official and unofficial wrongdoings. It is more of a Public Relations move in Conflict Resolution to act as a soothing balm on the psyche of a traumatised polity. It brings openness about hidden things. Openness brings forgiveness. Forgiveness stops pain, hatred and other issues that make compatriots to be against one another.
A Truth & Reconciliation Commission does not create a victor at all, as almost everybody will get ‘exposed’. However, the sum total is forgiveness, while those with terrible cases will get prosecuted. And they are usually very few, because even those shouting for justice would have discovered they themselves are not ‘saints’ afterall!
Secondly, how far did the Ogun State Government go in providing security for those with valuable information? How many of those with valuable information do they even know? Was it just the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Commission acting on its own alone that invited ALL those witnesses who exposed the rot in Abacha’s killing machine?
Of course, the credit should go to Obasanjo for doing much underground work to facilitate the job of the Commission. Obasanjo’s Government worked on getting information out. Obasanjo’s Government identified culpable persons. Obasanjo’s Government identified credible witnesses. Obasanjo’s Government protected ALL the witnesses. These were the things that made a success of the Oputa Commission.
I don’t know how Sgt. Rogers would have felt going to the Oputa Commission simply by way of invitation without ANY protection for himself and his family. How would he have gone to give evidence against Al Mustapha? Obasanjo did the needful to get Rogers to expose a lot of things. Of course, after the old man left office, Rogers had to be very careful because those who succeeded the old man apparently were not serious about what happened in the past. Ogun State Government should have learnt from how the Oputa Commission came about.
If Jonathan had bought into it, Ogun State would have set a very laudable example for other states in the polity to follow, because both the State Security Service and the Nigeria Police Force will be officially COMPELLED to fully cooperate with the Commission. In doing so, monumental facts, which can be used to prosecute culpable persons would have been unearthed. Whatever the Truth Commission was looking for and more than that are with the SSS and the Police already. But as pointed out in an earlier piece, both law enforcement agencies are tied to the apron strings of Abuja. Unless Abuja gives the necessary directives, nothing will come from the law enforcement agencies.
In addition, the period of review should have been moved back to 29 May 1999 when civilian rule returned to Ogun State. That’s one of the things that gave credibility to OBJ’s Oputa Commission. The tenure of self-styled President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was scrutinized by Oputa’s Commission. If done in Ogun State, it would have removed ANY allegation of bias.
Of course, Emperor OGD would still have shouted. But nobody will listen to him since the period of Chief Olusegun Osoba would have been included. In doing that, it would have included everything about Amosun, Otunba Dipo Dina, Ogbeni Lanre Banjo and ANY other Ogun State politician of note.
To those who were expecting a lot from the Ogun State Truth Commission, sorry to be disappointed. But it is very possible that another Administration somewhere along the line will do the needful at another time. It is even possible that the Federal Government will wake up to realise that it is necessary to review all cases of political killings in Nigeria.
Editor’s note:Wale Adedayo, a journalist and activist was a former Chief Press Secretary to Governor Gbenga Daniel.
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