Osun Oba’s imprisonment in the US

THE Nigerian government’s seemingly serious effort in rebranding the country, which involves globe-trotting in order to burnish its image and boost Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), may have received a dent in faraway United States .CHe has already forfeited his Medina home on Foote Road, which he acquired with the proceeds of the crime, and an additional $96,006.89 in fraud proceeds which investigators had seized.

The fraudulent monarch did not only scam the US government by submitting phony applications for loans to support small businesses to tide over the adversarial consequences of COVID-19, he also helped some other people to facilitate and perfect documentation for the loans, charging them between 15 and 20 percent of the loans as his fees! One of his co-conspirators, Edward Oluwatosin, was also sentenced in July to 27 months in prison. He was ordered to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution, forfeit a commercial property acquired with fraud proceeds, and surrender over $600,000 held in financial accounts. It turns out that a laudable initiative by a sensible and sensitive government to support citizens and businesses in dampening the negative effects of a natural disaster was abused by certain fraudulent and unscrupulous citizens, among them a prominent Nigerian who is a traditional ruler. It is really sad.

This incident is too shameful to even think about judging by the otherwise revered status and position of the principal actor in Nigeria. What was the Oba thinking? Apparently, his keen appetite for filthy lucre had impaired his judgment so much that he could not spare a thought on his position, his heritage, and his people back home. The monarch’s criminal and morally reprehensible act has, in a sense, questioned the common saying that whoever is crowned a king need not engage in money rituals or any other illegitimate activities to get rich. For it is assumed and perhaps rightly so, that the tremendous power, influence, connections and goodwill associated with the office of a king are capable of attracting sufficient income to an office-holder who has contentment. And this is a critical virtue, among others, that is usually regarded as a given for anyone in the exalted office of an Oba.

One can only imagine how the news was received that a traditional ruler from Nigeria was involved in a massive fraudulent activity in a country where many Nigerians had already sullied the image of their country by engaging in different shades of crime, including fraud. Now, innocent Nigerians may be stigmatised because of the Oba’s gross misconduct. And can anyone blame the average US citizen who chooses to treat transactions with Nigerians with caution and trepidation now that one of their leaders, a supposed custodian of a people’s culture and tradition, has been convicted for orchestrating a huge fraudulent scheme?

 By fraudulently filing spurious and multiple applications for loans which were granted, the monarch, who ordinarily should be a leader in his own right, deprived innocent people of much needed funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. And worse still, he and his co-travellers did not even apply the loans granted to prop up their businesses, if indeed they existed, as they reportedly went on a spending binge, acquiring landed properties in choice areas. Why take advantage of the actions of a caring government to feather their own nest to the detriment of other citizens? The Oba must have thought he was in Nigeria where he could get away with such a heinous crime as a result of the usually lax official scrutiny of fraudulent activities, official collusion, and/or capacity to deploy influence and connections to alter the course of justice. It is bad enough for ordinary citizens to engage in sleazy activities, especially in a foreign land, but it is the height of irresponsibility and treachery for a traditional ruler to do so. It reflects horribly on Nigerians and Nigeria.

 In previous editorials, we bemoaned the descent of the traditional institution into decay arising largely from the sleaze associated with the process of leadership recruitment at that level. The prioritisation of the material wellbeing of aspirants and their capacity to give bribes over and above their character, track records and sense of community has meant that shady characters can always mount the traditional thrones, provided they have deep pockets. Kingmakers need to up their game because the corruption they have been condoning will inevitably blow open and cause irreparable damage, as in this case.

Again, the Oba is a professor, but what advantage is his education now? Someone who had the sacred responsibility of grooming and guiding the youths to ensure that they are above board in character and learning is deeply immersed in corruption. Perhaps his refrain was: do what I say, not what I do, which is patently dishonest and hypocritical. The story also shows how things work in the civilised climes: you can’t game the system and get away unscathed. In Nigeria, the offender could have used his connections to pervert justice. Another lesson is the discreet approach to the investigation by the US anti-graft agency involved. There was no media trial or posturing, and the offenders were not apprehended until the agency had sufficient evidence to prosecute them, and that was a couple of years after the commission of the crime. And by the time the king was charged and arraigned in court, the body of evidence against him was so ironclad that he had to plead guilty to the charges. Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies must learn from this episode.

The monumental character flaw underscoring Oba Oloyede’s act of gross indiscretion signposted by fraudulent activities and culminating in his sentencing to jail in the US should not be associated with any decent citizen, let alone a monarch. And as we have noted time and again, this kind of incident is down to the collapse of the societal moral value system, which has yet to be addressed as we have often advocated. The decadence has literally robbed the society of positive attributes like industry, honesty, integrity, contentment and even leadership. The kingmakers in Ipetumodu must stand up to be counted. They must be alive to their sacred responsibilities in the community. The embarrassment and opprobrium that Oba Oloyede has drawn to the exalted throne of Apetu and Ipetumodu community cannot be cured by anything less than a rescission or annulment of his instrument of office. Both the law and tradition demand that course of action because a certified fraudster and an ex-convict cannot be saddled with the responsibility of leading a community.

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