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Opinions of Sunday, 12 July 2020

Columnist: Vanguardngr

Did Magu his magun?

Ibrahim Magu Ibrahim Magu

In Yorubaland, there is what is called ‘magun’ (thunderbolt) and a married woman, suspected of infidelity, is usually laced with it by her husband, who probably is no longer able to tolerate the woman’s excesses. ‘Magun’, which also means don’t climb, is of different types, but the commonest comes into effect when a man climbs the woman laced with it and has sexual intercourse with her.

As the Yoruba would say: Orun ni ero’, that is the man who breached it would die.

The suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, initially seemed to be like the proverbial cat with nine lives going by events that followed his appointment about five years ago. Repeatedly, attempts were made to get him confirmed as substantive Chairman of the anti-graft agency, but the attempts failed as the National Assembly rejected his confirmation based on a report by the Department of State Services (DSS). Some felt then-leadership of the National Assembly, especially Senate President Bukola Saraki, was opposed to him for some unknown reasons. Saraki left office, but the situation for Magu did not get better.

Findings by Sunday Vanguard showed that perhaps the major undoing of Magu, apart from the allegations leveled against him, was taking the welfare of the majority of his workers for granted. He seemed to have not taken note of one of the witty sayings of the late Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, who was quoted to have said: “Take good care of your towel because the part that wipes your anus today may be the part that will wipe your face tomorrow.”

Sources in the agency said staff welfare was generally poor under Magu. That he did not make most of his workers happy, except some privileged few dubbed ‘Magu Boys.’ Some of his workers also accused him of delaying their promotion for years and allowing his exalted position to go into head.

There is no doubt that Magu did some commendable things, but who knows whether the materials being used to nail him were sources from some ‘disgruntled’ elements in the agency. At least we have witnessed how an Inspector General of Police was brought from grace to grass because of information provided his traducers by a low ranking police officer.