| The euphoria that greeted the nomination of an | | | | (Mohandas) K. Gandhi who said: "It is difficult but not |
| academic maverick and a union leader of high repute, | | | | impossible to conduct strictly honest business...what is |
| Professor Attahiru Muhammadu Jega as the new | | | | true is that honesty is impossible with the amassing |
| chairman of Independent National Electoral | | | | of large fortune." |
| Commission (INEC) has virtually overshadowed the | | | | There is also the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of |
| undercurrent circumstances that threw him up. | | | | the University of Abuja, Professor Nuhu O. Yaqub |
| Personal integrity was the principal characteristic | | | | who was believed not only to be a strict disciplinarian |
| canvassed by Nigerians of various shades of opinions | | | | and a principal adherent of "due-process' but a man |
| and political ideological leanings for a man or woman | | | | who keeps corruption and corruptive tendencies at |
| that would be saddled with the responsibility of | | | | an arm's length. |
| conducting the 2011 general elections. It was a firm | | | | A story was told of how Professor Nuhu got a huge |
| belief of all such Nigerians that it is only a person with | | | | sum of money as ester code to travel overseas for |
| personal integrity that would conduct elections that | | | | an official assignment and that when he came back |
| would be considered reasonably as free, fair and | | | | to Nigeria, he simply returned the excess of the |
| credible. | | | | money he didn't spend from the ester code. The |
| Talking about personal integrity which naturally stems | | | | surprised Bursar was said to have asked him to keep |
| from honesty, Thomas Fuller, in his Gnomologia went | | | | the unspent money which rightly belonged to him as |
| into extreme when he said "He that resolves to deal | | | | it had already been approved for the journey, but |
| with none but honest men must leave off dealing, | | | | the professor insisted that the money should be |
| meaning that, for him, there are no honest men | | | | returned to the institution's coffers to be utilized for |
| around. | | | | other viable ventures. |
| However, Shakespeare, in Hamlet softened Fuller's | | | | There was also Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) who was a |
| view when he said "Ay, sir: to be honest, as this | | | | former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA). |
| world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten | | | | Agbakoba is regarded generally as an icon in human |
| thousand." One dares say that in Nigeria, a honest | | | | rights activities. He founded and run the Civil Liberty |
| man is the one picked out of a million! | | | | Organization (CLO), a foremost civil society group |
| It was the obvious loss of confidence by Nigerians in | | | | which sprang up during the dreaded military regimes. |
| Professor Maurice Iwu, based on alleged loss of | | | | Agbakoba deployed his legal savvy to fight against |
| personal integrity and honesty that snowballed into | | | | arbitrariness the military people were unleashing on |
| his eventual removal as chairman of the INEC. | | | | the civilized citizenry, risking his personal safety and |
| The nation-wide acknowledgement of the choice of | | | | comfort. |
| Professor Jega by President Goodluck Jonathan to | | | | During that era, the Agbakoba's CLO acted as an |
| replace Professor Iwu and node-of-head for same by | | | | unofficial mouthpiece of the cowed citizenry and |
| members of the Council of State, therefore, was | | | | served also as unofficial opposition body to the |
| based primarily on his much touted personal integrity | | | | military government. |
| and his apolitical stand in the nation's scheme of | | | | There was also the former military Administrator of |
| things, even though, he is an excellent political | | | | Kaduna state, Colonel Abubakar Umar Dangiwa (rtd) |
| scientist. | | | | who later turned into social critic and human rights |
| In the process of the search for a new helmsman at | | | | activist. |
| the INEC, a few identified men and women of | | | | Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim, who also made up the list is the |
| genuine personal honour and integrity popped up and | | | | Director of the Centre for Democracy and |
| got listed for the plum job, on the bases of | | | | Development (CDD), a none-governmental |
| expectation of Nigerians. These few ones cannot but | | | | organization in Abuja. He is one of the fire-brand |
| be celebrated in a country like Nigeria where | | | | activists who uses his NGO for civil society activities. |
| corruption and all other negative vices run deep and | | | | Talking about integrity, in far away Philippine, one of |
| which have placed it in the bad book of international | | | | the five children of Emmanuel Pelaez (a Philippine |
| communities. | | | | Congressman, Senator, Vice President and |
| It needs to be repeating that while the nation | | | | Ambassador to United States), Mr. Ernie, at a |
| jubilates over the new INEC boss, the build-up to his | | | | ceremony in honour of his father, spoke glowingly |
| nomination needs to be celebrated and embraced. | | | | about his father's integrity; a quality that was clearly |
| The current minister of information and | | | | illustrated in the Nacionalista Party convention in 1964 |
| communication, Professor Dora Akunyili was one of | | | | where Pelaez was overwhelmingly expected to |
| those whose name was paraded for the INEC's top | | | | emerge as the presidential bet. |
| job. | | | | Pelaez lost that convention and the presidency to |
| Professor Akunyili had distinguished herself as | | | | Ferdinand Marcos who used a combination of money |
| chairman of National Agency for Food and Drugs | | | | and force to coerce delegates to give him their |
| Administration and Control (NAFDAC). She was not | | | | votes. Mindanao's favored son refused to buy votes |
| only believed to have shunned all types of corruption, | | | | even if he had the money to do so because he had |
| mostly in terms of huge amount of hard currencies | | | | forged a gentleman's agreement with Marcos to |
| as bribe while heading the anti-drug trafficking | | | | keep the nomination process clean. |
| agency, but was subjected to all manners of threats | | | | Ernie said, "Maning Pelaez chose to keep his integrity |
| and even an unsuccessful attempt on her life by | | | | in 1964 even if it meant political death. He chose to |
| agents of fearful drug barons. | | | | be true to himself rather than live a life of eternal |
| It is on record that if Akunyili was to be "other | | | | compromise thereafter." |
| Nigerian", she would by now, have been a | | | | Analyst are of the view that these men and women |
| multi-billionaire, with fat Swiss accounts, | | | | of integrity who could not all made it to the INEC top |
| State-of-the-art duplexes in choice areas in Nigeria | | | | job need not only to be celebrated but be offered |
| and Europe. Akunyili must have been a good student | | | | the position of National Commissionership in the |
| of the Indian revolutionary icon, Mr. Mahatma | | | | electoral body, except if any of them declines. |