STELLA ODUAH AND THE AVIATION MESS; WHY WE MUST NOT CRUCIFY HER

The
man who forgives is far stronger than the man who fights

Nathan
Croall

Fejiro Oliver

How we love to hear bad news, scream our lungs out
while calling for the head of the sinner, yet we never make any head way in all
of this. We are a country of one week, one bad news headline; the cycle
continues in the media, with journalists dictating the tone of event, in what
we pride in our profession as ‘setting the agenda’. May I tell you one truth about
this media job? It is we journalists that exposed these things that also kill it;
we douse the tension and move on to another interesting topic. This is an
example of what goes on in the newsroom among reporters and editors:

Reporter: Sir, are we not doing a follow up on the
controversial story which we published?

Editor: James, please scout for another exclusive and
any hidden report you can find. The one we have reported; what have Nigerians
done about it, apart from shouting? Has the government published their findings
on the last civil service scam investigation published by yyy newspaper?

Such is what you never know goes on during editorial
or production meetings; where discussion are carried out to determine what the
public should be fed with next. Today we are saddled with three controversial
news: BMW scandal of Stella Oduah, Willie Obaino agreement to mortgage Anambra
indigenes and the cruz statement, where Nigerians are calling for his
apologies, but in all of these, our common intellect was insulted by Oduah, who
had the guts to dip hand into our common treasury to buy armored cars, which
were not budgeted for. But must we crucify her?

Here is a woman who came to the aviation industry
with zeal to reform the sector and reform she did. We can give it to her that
she has done amazingly well in just two years in office, and if her crime is
her statement of saying plane crash is an act of God and the BMW saga, then we
should overlook it. Why do I say this? I’m known for going vehemently against
corrupt leaders and always we do, but in us flows the spirit of objectivity and
fairness which we should not avoid at this time.

It is in this very country that pension funds were
misappropriated and nobody head rolled. It is in Nigeria that a dishonorable
minister called Farouk Lawan could take us for a ride, despite glaring
evidences that he demanded bribe so as to continue paying our fuel subsidy
money to the cabals, and yet no one bought down the heavens, instead he sits at
the hallowed chamber making ‘laws’ for you and I. is it not in this country
that evidences were published against the highly corrupt minister of petroleum,
yet we did not move the seat of Aso Rock? Is it not in Nigeria that the
minister of Niger Delta was given a house by setraco as a kick back for giving
them inflated contracts, yet no one crucified him, rather he has the guts to
seek the number one position in Delta State? Do we need to mention Patricia
Etteh?

Today, it is Oduah and we are marching to Aso Rock,
even threatening fire and brimstones if she fails to resign, when the real
criminals walk free before us. Now this is not a defence for her misbehavior,
but putting things bare as they are, so we don’t crucify a woman who we can
forgive. Plane crashes as Fani Kayode would want us to believe are not caused
by the ministers of aviation; the fact that none happened during his tenure is
not a proof of his good leadership. Far from it; FFK is one Nigeria who must
not be allowed close to power, for his gross human rights abuse which he thinks
are hidden are not truly hidden. Olusegun Agagu who died a second death via
plane crash was a minister of aviation, whose tenure had no plane crash. So when
Stella said it was an act of God, she simply meant that it was destined to
happen.

Despite the brand new vehicles that governors go
about with, we have witnessed auto crash involving them. The helicopter that
Governor Suntai flew was not a tokunbo one, yet he crashed! Some things are
meant to happen in a particular period of life and the earlier we stop reading
earthly meanings to it, the better for us. Goodluck Jonathan being President
has already been destined, hence the act of God; such is what Stella Oduah
meant, that we have all turned around to mean another thing. Whenever I go
onboard the plane, two things cross my mind; land safely or crash, but let God
take control.

I do not agree with the aviation minister that she
should have wasted our common wealth on two cars, but I also do not give in to
us calling for her resignation. Let’s grow above board in always calling for
the resignation for one mistake made by government officials, except it has
become a fashion for such an official. This is the first scandal associated
with Stella Oduah, and I urge us to let her go, haven lambasted and lampooned
her enough. Only very few Nigerians will be in power and not court monetary
controversy, and we can never tell what the person who will replace her will
do, should she resign or get sacked by the President. She has not been accused
of stealing the money, but buying above the budget allocated to such in her
ministry, and this no doubt calls for her honorable resignation, but I plead
with Nigerians to forgive her. To some of us, she is a mother; to others, she
is a sister, a mother, a friend, a role model and even a daughter. Let us look
at her with the eyes of such knowing that she is a first time ‘sinner’ and
douse the tension on her.

The truth is that with or without the scandal
currently trailing her, she would still have gone to Israel for the pilgrimage,
and still share the same hotel (not hotel room) with the president, as all
Nigeria delegates are mostly in the same hotel. Let’s therefore not attribute
it to the travail she is currently going through and insinuate that Mr.
President is avoiding her. One of Nigeria’s delegates there revealed to me that
Stella and the President talk on daily basis and has never avoided her, as
currently being rumored. Journalist friends who are there says they have
sighted the President and Stella together in comfortable manners, but never
heard any discussion about the BMW issue back home being said by them.

Her being in the Holy Land now will surely avail her
the opportunity to pray and ask for forgiveness from God, and this is what
Christ would have told her, was he on earth: “Daughter, your sins are forgiven,
go and sin no more”

Today October 27th is my birthday and if
there is ever anything I wish to ask of Mr. President; it is that she forgives
Stella Oduah, and for Nigerians to find a place in their heart to forgive her,
give her another chance, while she continues with her work. While I wish myself
happy birthday on this short write-up; let me say: let he/she who has not
sinned cast the first stone.

These little things matter…

Fejiro
Oliver, a Journalist can be reached on secretsreporters@gmail.com and +2348026797588 (sms only
please).  Engage him on twitter @fejirooliver86
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