Unfortunately, John Asein is not making news because of any big pirate he has caught and sent to jail or because of any increased income earned by Nigerian musicians, film makers, authors, publishers, software producers, etc. or as a result of any growth in the nation's GDP as a result of his spectacular efforts or as a result of his great performance in office.
No! No! No! Mr. Asein is in the news because of widespread allegations against him of corruption, conflict of interest and abuse of power.
And like a typical Nigerian government official, John Asein is dancing kpangolo with the truth. Instead of confronting the allegations against him headlong, he is docking, dodging and deflecting, hoping that somehow, he can "off the mic" on the scandal around him. Asein is doing the rope-a-dope but he is no Mohammed Ali. He is trying to distract those investigating him by shifting the focus in different directions. The man is a lawyer and used to teach law and his English grammar is not bad at all. He obviously believes that he is very smart and can talk himself out of the corner his alleged misbehaviour has pinned him. Someone should tell him that he is no Mohammed Ali and that even the great Mohammed Ali landed on the canvass several times.
I would not have bothered anymore about John Asein and his myriad of headaches because I verily believe in the immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King, "the arc of the moral universe is long but it tends toward justice" Unfortunately, Asein continues to drop my name everywhere as his traducer as if I was the one who asked him to do the things for which he is being investigated.
No matter how much he tries, I do not see how John Asein can escape answering the questions which the authorities are presently asking him, like: Did he continue to collect salaries from the Federal Government of Nigeria several months into 2016 after retiring from service as staff of the NCC on December 31, 2015? If he did, it is bare faced stealing, a criminal offence for which he ought to go to jail. If he did not, let him say so clearly because there is solid evidence to the contrary. I wish to state emphatically that at no time did I ask John Asein to steal government money or to do any of the things for which he is being investigated. Therefore, I cannot be his excuse or shield for what he has done or may not have done.
Another question is this: After being appointed DG of the NCC, did John Asein continue to act on behalf of REPRONIG, a collective management organization for Nigerian authors and publishers licensed and regulated by the NCC? Has he acted as sole signatory to any of the REPRONIG bank accounts long after assuming office as NCC DG? Has he as NCC DG signed REPRONIG funds in dollars to himself? If he did, it is a bewildering scandal and a terrible example of conflict of interest and fraud with extensive consequences which might lead to jail time. It is my humble opinion that Mr. Asein's recently minted and very weak defence as published by "Economic Confidential" that Asein resigned from REPRONIG and that the REPRONIG Chairman, Prof Olu Obafemi 'appealed' to him to continue to render 'free service' to REPRONIG, is hogwash. I have seen copies of the 'oluwole' letters John Asein has suddenly generated as his alibi and I wonder whose counsel he sought to engage in this kind of cheap creativity.
Asein came to see me in my Reiz Continental Abuja hotel room on January 30, 2020 and asked for my help to cover up the scandal that was emerging around him. At no time, did he mention this newly concocted defence. Please, under what law does Prof Obafemi have the authority to request a very senior full time official of the Federal Government of Nigeria, appointed by the President, to continue to be the CEO of a private sector organization and to sign cheques of that private sector organization to himself?
This is like saying that Godwin Emiefele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria who used to be CEO of Zenith Bank received the mandate of Jim Ovia, Chairman of Zenith Bank, to continue to work for Zenith Bank which the Central Bank regulates, upon Mr. Emiefele's appointment as CBN Governor and to sign Zenith Bank cheques to himself! Haba!
Which serious person believes Mr. Asein's new line of defence as published in "Economic Confidential" that "high profile pirates" have resolved to mobilize resources to remove him from office? Typical Nigerian. Very laughable. Was is it the "high profile pirates" that asked Mr. Asein to continue to sign to himself cheques of REPRONIG, a private sector organization which he regulates on behalf of the Nigerian government?
Mr. Asein still has a lot of questions to answer on the controversial NCC/AFD/PUNUKA/KPMG deal on the so-called Diagnostic Study of Collective Management System in Nigeria which questions have been asked repeatedly with no answer. He still needs to answer questions on his directorship of a company called Books & Gavel Ltd. He still needs to answer questions on whether he has contravened the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.
Let me repeat that I am not responsible for John Asein's travails. I never asked John Asein to steal government money. Somebody who knows Asein should please tell him that he is not above the law and that the questions before him will not go away no matter how much he deflects or twists. As Martin Luther King said, "the arc of the moral universe is long but it tends toward justice". Like every other public officer, Asein must be accountable and answer his questions and he should mark my words that when push comes to shove, his present praise singers and advisers will abandon him. That's the way life goes.
I repeat that I never asked John Asein to steal government money!
See you next week.
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