“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before Kings; he shall not stand before mean men”. Proverb22:29

In defence of the generals to be arraigned before the Acp for their undignified and alleged ignominious role in the large-scale fleece all around; to explain whether they were only obeying instructions. But even before the invitations, there’s been insinuations about the impropriety of who was going to conduct the interviews and the ranks of the interviewer. Why did we suddenly get defensive, and why should we be defensive about their parts in the sordid affair in the first place.

However, one cannot but tore at the argument by those over patronising zealots that it is improper to have the “thieving generals”arraigned for questioning at the desk of a ‘lowly’ Acp in a fit of petulance.There is rarely a time when I don’t wish afterwards I hadn’t loose my temper, but I still do. Afterall said and done, rules are rules and they are no respecter of persons; and besides, power must be under control.
In any case, for this once upon a time potentially great generals, to be named as accomplices and beneficiaries of slush funds created to bribe the nation’s influential officials, (graft of the nation’s commonwealth) is an abuse of office and if proven to be true, then they have been perverted and destroyed by power;and of course, should kneel not even stand.

If the scoop flying all over the place are anything to go by, then the whole gamut of administration in the land, indeed, sickening and triggers amygdala. If those who lead us cannot be counted upon to act rightly -then,the nation is in deep moral trouble; moral chaos shall be the order of the day, with everyone behaving according to their own rules.
It was clear as the day that the generals, while the fizz lasted saw the air too much with their hands; for in the very torrent and whirlwind of their passion,they were supposed to have acquire,exercise and display a temperance that may give the discharge of their duties (to split the ears of the groundlings- who for the most part of their administration and tenures, were kept silent and therefore capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb- shows, now the table has turned) ,such smoothness, finesse and panache and moral exemplary, but all gone with the wind.

The allegations at all showed that they could not be tamed as soldiers and gentlemen officers, but their discretion should have been their tutor. They should have kept short, restrained, and exercise caution. But like the owner of a foul disease, to keep it from divulging, allow it fed even on the pith of life.
The generals have certainly overstepped the bounds of modesty of nature,and their stronger guilt defeats their strong intents, their acts and the compound mess make the unskilled laugh and the judicious grieve.

What is it about discretion being the better part of valour. In life, why do reason panders will. Why are we all passion’s slave. However, the real moral significance of the travails of the generals is that as free moral agents, regardless of training and discipline, we do evil things because we choose to do so . It is our choices, that show what we truly are far more than our instincts. The Wanton greed, violence and cruelty and meanness in us- result of the evil inherent in human nature and our own dark instincts sometimes help us dash headlong in a self-destruct mode.Kvetching the arraignment for investigation of allegations of corrupt practices and abuse of office as a miscarriage of intent on the pillar of justice as some are wont to do befuddle the mind.

The generals and our other political leaders bestrode the nation’s landscape like a colossus, and elevate discretionary step to the level of gospel,they forget General Napoleon Bonaparte, the Cincinnati Cobra’s description of a throne as a mere bench draped in velvet.

One can argue here that all is fair in war- the boko haram debacle that generated so much money for the generals and the politicians and the new war against corruption and indiscipline.
One should have such a fellow crying for the generals whipped for overdoing it, I stand indeed accused of weighing the offending scourge and not the offence, shey! It is proper and fit for anyone to bear the brunt of his affliction, and the nation cannot on account of titles rewrite its extant rules.

Nigerians will love to see the generals wring their hands,wring their hearts in the dock;will love to hear the pronouncements tear passion to tatters and delivered with candour, poetry, deep and profound language made to draw on their conscience. They must pay the price for being law unto themselves while they held sway, and to also bring them back to reality, that they are merely king of shred and patches .

Sadly enough,the use of Urim and the Thummim caesed when the temple was destroyed, but in the circumstances,the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. The world await the outcome of investigation.
In our present broken nation, never again will justice hangs her head and truth forever in the scaffold or wrong forever on the throne, even as we stand up for the poor, who bear the whips and scorns of time.

The nation must do a three sixty degree on corruption and abuse of office, and after Dasukigate some other gates like Subsidygate, Sure-Pgate, Excesscrogate, Nimasagate and so on must be opened. The lesson for all self-serving apologists in the corridor of power is that in this new Nigeria:
i. They are all sponge that soaks up the nation’s countenance, rewards and authorities. The nation keeps them, like an ape, in the corner of its jaw- first mouthed, to be last swallowed, when it needs what you have gleaned, it is just squeezing you, and sponge, you shall be dry again.
i i. You may be called to account for your today.
So be wary of the ides of the time. Even in government, you can be true to yourself, do good deeds and make the world a better place. Let us move from the stable of lies and greed, begin to invest in people. The nation must take arms against its sea of woe that corruption is and by opposing it end it. #
Jimi Bickersteth
Jimi Bickersteth is a blogger and writer.
He can be reached on twitter
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