PTDF Forever!

Petroleum Technology Development Fund. It is the current metaphor for sleaze in high places, presidential malfeasance and parliamentary tentativeness. The short summary is that the two topmost Nigerian officials (the president and his vice) have been trading accusations and counter accusations on corrupt utilisation and corruptive supervision of the trust fund. Somehow, the president investigated, indicted and convicted the vice president, using an administrative panel.

The VP has challenged these and other actions by his boss in court, winning all the way. These attacks, claims the VP, are meant to taint or stop him from contesting for president in the April elections. Of course the president insists he is only fighting corruption, vowing there shall be no sacred cow. It's been messy, murky, messianic, melodramatic and misty-eyed! Oh, the whole show has been base and badly managed!! Father of all PR disasters for combatants and country.

Okay. Now the Senate has stepped into the whole scandal and its ad hoc committee has just submitted its report for final consideration by the whole house. It basically found both men and the federal cabinet wanting, but was uneven in its suggestions about appropriate punishment. It wants the VP severely sanctioned, but the president and his cabinet merely chided or advised!

The media is agog with reactions from virtually all sections of the polity. The administration has promptly hailed and endorsed the favourable parts of the report, while expectedly disagreeing with the negative aspects. The VP said it is a hatchet job. Ha! Most commentators think there is much more work to be done for balance, equity and justice. And people trust the Senate to act. If I were the parliamentarians, I will not betray this trust.

Without putting too fine a point on it, the report is clearly deficient. There are too many gaps and some very telling illogic. But, hey folks, it is still a "work in progress", alas. Patience.

My take? Let the Senate act in honour of total justice and in defence of the constitution. Let it be transparent in its procedure, elevated in its discourse and sagacious in its dispensation. Let both men get their due. If I were Nigeria's Senate, I will stick to the rules and bond with posterity.

When it shall be over, however, Nigeria and Nigerians must be the ultimate winners. Then this: No matter how it goes or goes not, PTDF shall define their era - all EIGHT years of it!