*This article was first published in TODAY’S CHALLENGE magazine, April 2017

Portends and omens are not my regular weaknesses. I am a strong believer in divine providence. But as a student of literature, I will always cherish Shakespeare, especially his play, Julius Caesar. Therefore, whenever I come across any true life circumstance that stirs up memories of the characters, plot, theme(s), etc, about that drama, it immediately attracts my attention.

So, I was amused when I read that Senator Shehu Sani mentioned the ‘Ides of March’ when he and his distinguished colleagues grilled Mr. Ibrahim Magu in his ill-fated struggle, backed by the Presidency, to be confirmed as substantive boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on March 15, 2017. THIS DAY newspaper of March 16, 2017, reported it this way: “The first indication that Magu was up against a brick wall came when Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) made an allusion to the ‘Ides of March’.”

The tabloid explained: “The Ides of March refers to yesterday’s date, March 15th, a day imbued with a sense of foreboding worldwide, because it was the same date when Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar, was assassinated.”

Surely, had Magu been an ancient Roman, he would have avoided going before those lawmakers that terrible day. But, poor fellow, he is in present day Nigeria where most of us could not give a damn about what day is chosen for us to stand in judgement even before the most hideous demons. Nevertheless, the outcome could not have been much different had Magu faced the parliamentarians any other day. What counts in situations like this is to always go to equity with clean hands. But, of course, searching for a clean man in position of authority in Nigeria is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Now, we must point out that we are in no way supporting the way the entire episode that played out between Magu and the distinguished senators, whom Obasanjo has at every turn lambasted as also being utterly corrupt. But, as it is, Obasanjo himself has not been spared as Ghali Na’abba has risen to their defence by describing him as one of the most corrupt leaders Nigeria has ever had…. And we might keep going on in dizzying circles as we continue to search for a clean man in Nigeria’s much convoluted and circuitous leadership space.

The truth is that there were just too many allegations against Magu that it was almost practically impossible not to be snared by one or two, no matter how foxy he may be. Moreover, things were further complicated for him because the allegations appeared so formidable that they easily raised fundamental doubts about Magu’s personal integrity even in the minds of his most ardent sympathizers.

For instance, his obsessive attachment and very personal interactions with retired Air Commodore Umar Mohammed, whom the Department of State Services (DSS) describe as “a questionable businessman… who has subsequently been arrested by the service (DSS),” naturally leads you into wondering why a person who occupies the ultra-sensitive position of EFCC helmsman should cosy up to such an allegedly fraudulent character.

The DSS has more unsavory tales about him. “Magu is currently occupying a residence rented for N40m, at N20m per annum. This accommodation was not paid for from the commission’s finances but by one Umar Mohammed (Air Commodore Rtd.)…. For the furnishing of the residence, Mohammed enlisted the Federal Capital Development Authority to award a contract to Africa Energy, a company owned by the same Mohammed to lavishly furnish the residence at the cost of N43m.
“Investigations show that the acting EFCC Chairman regularly embarks on official and private trips through private carrier, Easyjet, owned by Mohammed. In one such trips, Magu flew to Maiduguri, alongside Mohammed and the MD of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo, who was being investigated by the commission over complicity in funds illegally stolen by the immediate past Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.”

Actually, the cost of accommodation in Abuja can be ridiculously outrageous. But we are disturbed about the propriety of a public servant saddled with the very herculean, sometimes ominous, task of combating the most pernicious monster in Nigeria not only hobnobbing with people he is investigating but willfully interacting with them in a way that necessarily casts doubts on his personal integrity, a sine qua non for any occupant of that office.

In fact, the above are only a tip of the iceberg of the allegations stacked against Magu by a fellow federal government agency. Add to that the other claim that Magu was an acolyte of the immediate past EFCC chief, Lamorde, who has a pending case at the Senate and is also being investigated by the DSS, and you will realise that Magu had a very bad case at the Red Chamber that fateful, frightful, Ides of March.

The Presidency had ordered the Minister of Justice to investigate these and other allegations against Magu when his confirmation was first rejected by the senators last year. Likewise the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, who was accused of gross corruption for allegedly awarding a multi-million naira grass cutting contract.

Both men were later cleared by the minister, although most Nigerians still believe that the SGF is culpable. Now, would Magu’s second rejection by the Senate not rubbish the justice minister’s verdict on both men? Time will tell.

For now, we should pity Magu. Those who say he was a victim of the Ides of March cannot, in a way, be far from the truth. But he also made a victim of himself. He lost sight of the fact that, in that highly sensitive position, you must always strive to live above board, both in your public and private lives. He failed to realise that he is leading a headlong charge against forces so powerful that they have almost crippled a country of more than 170 million people and would have no scruples with compromising an individual in order to make him an accessory, willy-nilly. As pointed out above, the first shield against this ruthless adversary is impeccable personal integrity.

Pray, did Magu expect the senators to handle him with kid gloves even when he is currently prosecuting cases of alleged corruption against some of them? But, as I see it, he would have still emerged from the Red Chamber permanently gored even if he had appeared before the parliamentarians any day other than that Ides of March.

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Magu and the Ides of March By Chris Gyang