President Goodluck Jonathan today appointed Mrs. Roli Bode-George,
the spouse of Peoples Democratic Party chieftain and ex-convict Bode
George, into the sensitive job of Director-General of the National Drug
Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Mr. Bode George, a former governor of Ondo State and also former
chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), is famous remembered for
serving a two-year jail term on corruption-related charges.
His problems with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission began
when it was headed by its pioneer chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, but it was in
August 2008, under his successor, Farida Waziri, that he was arrested in
Lagos.
Along with some other figures, Mr. George faced 163 charges that
included conspiracy, abuse of office and illegal award of about N84
billion in contracts during his chairmanship of the NPA. In October
2009, he was found guilty and sentenced to 30 months in jail.
In December 2013, in a controversial decision, the Supreme Court
reversed that conviction, claiming that contract-splitting as an offence
is alien to the laws of Nigeria.
Observers say the appointment of Mrs. Bode George to the key job of
NDLEA boss is Mr. Jonathan’s way of apologizing to her husband as Mr.
Jonathan tries to garner support for his run for re-election as
president in 2015. Mr. Jonathan has a local and international
reputation for boosting corruption in Nigeria, partly by refusing to
fight it, and partly by insisting that corruption in the country is
exaggerated. He is also on record as declaring that stealing by
government officials is not corruption.
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