By By Basil Okoh
WHEN an important public officeholder is held for a high crime, government media systems go into overdrive. Instead of focusing on the crime committed, government media organs automatically go on the defensive, redirecting public attention and anger, and looking for someone else to blame other than the culprit. They seek out who reported the crime, who petitioned the police, or who leaked incriminating documents or evidence to the EFCC or police.
The public is then distracted from the enormity of the crime. Instead, they are made to focus on how the crime was leaked, not how it was committed. Those who reveal information about the crime are presented as villains, while the criminal himself becomes a pitiful victim.
This is precisely how Dr Ifeanyi Okowa is now being portrayed. He is cast as the victim of detractors who reported him to the EFCC over the possible theft of ₦1.3 trillion in DESOPADEC funds. Government media personnel have changed the narrative, turning Okowa into the victim. Yet these detractors, now vilified, neither arrested Okowa nor had anything to do with the missing money at DESOPADEC. No one in the media can possibly tarnish the integrity of Ifeanyi Okowa unless Ifeanyi Okowa himself does so through his actions.
EFCC-operatives
Not a single government defender is discussing the missing funds uncovered by the EFCC. That matter has been brushed aside; only the safety and integrity of Okowa seem to matter. It appears no one is willing to bet on the investigative skills of the financial crimes agency or their ability to uncover such a major crime without the aid of petitioners and informants.
Mr Olisa Ifeajika, erstwhile Chief Press Secretary to Dr Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration, excelled in manipulating public information and reversing roles to present Okowa as the victim. He disparaged the petitioners and informants with terms such as “dubious elements,” “diabolical,” “mischievous,” and “traducers,” among other labels, endlessly repeated.
Yet the facts are straightforward:
1. The EFCC arrested Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.
2. The EFCC gave reasons for his arrest.
3. The EFCC detained him for a week.
So, what exactly did the “detractors” do to Okowa to deserve abuse from Ifeajika?
The EFCC clearly stated that Okowa was arrested to explain issues observed in DESOPADEC’s finances, including the loss of ₦1.3 trillion. The “traducers” didn’t invent that figure. However, Ifeajika wasted everyone’s time by rehashing government finances for the past eight years. Was anybody questioning government finances for that period? Was Okowa arrested for general government finances or DESOPADEC’s finances specifically? Why was he responding to questions nobody asked? Does anyone even believe his figures?
In other countries, people praise the patriotism of those who report crimes. The police work with them to solve major crimes, and their efforts are recognised as acts of civic duty. Here in Nigeria, they are vilified and made to appear as malicious individuals seeking to settle scores, hence the popular use of the term “disgruntled elements.” But how can anyone not be disgruntled when ₦1.3 trillion of public wealth is allegedly stolen by one man?
Ifeajika spent his time abusing everyone instead of shedding light on the alleged crime. Those who informed the EFCC about DESOPADEC and those of us reporting or expressing opinions on the matter were roundly insulted.
If Ifeajika does not know, let him be told that the arrest of a public figure is valid news, as is the loss of massive public funds. These are issues of public accountability. These events were breaking news, reported first by the EFCC. Ifeajika is not berating the EFCC for breaking the news but attacking the media for reporting it to the public. Neither the media nor the public was involved in Okowa’s arrest or detention for the alleged theft of ₦1.3 trillion. Journalists are performing their public and constitutional duty by reporting news and expressing opinions on public affairs. By insulting uninvolved individuals and leaving the theft of ₦1.3 trillion unaddressed, Ifeajika is deflecting attention and engaging in mischief. Delta citizens should be deeply concerned about this deflection and the mischief it implies. We must commit ourselves to uncovering the truth behind the EFCC’s accusations. This effort is essential to restoring social equilibrium and moral order in the state.
By raising public awareness about these issues, we are fulfilling a constitutional duty under Nigeria’s freedom of information legislation. Mr Ifeajika cannot stop us, no matter how hard he tries. While the government may attempt to hide its secrets, it is the professional duty of journalists to uncover and reveal those secrets to the public.
It is therefore a journalist’s guaranteed professional obligation to investigate public affairs, report news, and offer commentary on it. Ifeajika attacked onlookers and the media while leaving the alleged crime unexamined. In his desperation to defend an alleged crime that has not yet been charged, he risks becoming an accessory after the fact. He rolled out figures and statistics—the very tools governments often use to mislead the public. Who can vouch for the figures spouted by Mr Ifeajika?
The government media team is already spinning the news, dismissing the idea that the former governor could steal as much as ₦1.3 trillion. But we have seen governors charged with stealing billions of dollars. How is this case in Delta any different?
Ifeajika carefully avoided suggesting an independent audit to verify his claims or investigate DESOPADEC’s financial situation. Delta State is an open society, and staff within the agency are aware of some facts, which they share with family and friends. Stories abound of the complete breakdown of order at DESOPADEC for decades, including accounts of one individual withdrawing ₦100 million monthly. If needed, there are people who can provide the EFCC with all the information necessary to prosecute and win criminal cases involving the agency.
Let it be known that petitions alone do not lead to arrests and week-long detentions unless there are substantial violations of the law. Police do not detain such high-profile individuals without solid evidence arising from petitions. The EFCC is staffed by professionals who review petitions and gather evidence before making arrests and detaining suspects.
We have a duty to hold public officers accountable for the enormous sums that pass through government over an eight-year tenure. This is not their money; it is the patrimony of the more than six million citizens of Delta State. We will not be silenced or blackmailed into abandoning our responsibility to inform the public about their money, no matter the names government officials call journalists. We know the games they play to cover up crimes, deploying insults and name-calling to intimidate journalists and suppress accountability.
The people of Delta State have every right to demand an independent audit of DESOPADEC finances over these past years. The state has been wracked with poverty, unable to meet its basic obligations to citizens, despite receiving substantial funds each month. Meanwhile, those who run its affairs grow richer, amassing funds they cannot exhaust in multiple lifetimes.
Yet, these individuals engage in religious observances, alternating between church, fetish rituals, and occult practices. Enough is enough. Delta State must be true to its citizens.
@basilokoh
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