Mr. CCT Chair, what were you thinking?
That public display of insanity;
Has earned you unwanted attention;
And unprecedented public censure
But, it might yet get worse;
As your professional colleagues
Have invoked the disciplinary remit
Of your umbrella association
With potentially devastating consequences
On your public and professional career
This is one fight you just have to win
As, otherwise, it will be all over
Once again, Chair, what were you thinking?
Didn’t you realise that your status
Demanded that you be seen to be above board?
How could you have blown it so catastrophically?
A supposed exemplar of best behaviour
Descending so low as to resort to fisticuffs
Against a lowly parking attendant
A mere security guard
It simply went beyond the pale
What we call, in law, infra dignitatem
As a result, the hunter has now become the prey
With potentially huge – unquantifiable – collateral damage
In terms of public perception
Of both your office
And professional calling
Something you (and we) can ill-afford
Against that backdrop
I bet you wish that you could recall
Your meltdown in that car lot
That might, however, be asking for too much
Short, that is
Of mollifying your victim
Apologize to him
By whatever means
For the physical
And emotional
Trauma and distress
A truly fine mess
Not least of which
Was calling him a ‘Biafran’
Whilst he is, reportedly, a Northerner –
From, precisely, the Plateau hills
But, will that be enough
To call off the hounds
Who are baying for his blood?
It is surely out of his hands now
Or is it? Don’t bet on it . . .
Afterall, he can still pull off a trick –
A rabbit out of his judicial hat
Or something close to that
So, don’t write him off
After all, this is Nigeria –
Anything is famously possible in these parts
Notwithstanding the odds
A place where pigs sometimes fly
And, justice is seldom blind –
Even though it is always meant to be
And many live on the lunatic fringe
Therefore, while it may be fashionable
To demonize Mr. Code of Conduct
In truth, he is but the latest example
Of the best – and worst – of us
Who, typically, has no qualms about using
His or her position, status or power
Against the less-privileged and the down-trodden
Is justice really the last hope of the common man –
In a place where the strong routinely
Harass and oppress the weak
And get away with it –
An entrenched culture of impunity
It was the CCT Chair a week or so ago
A year before that, it was Senator Abbo
(Curiously, in the same venue –
A shopping plaza in Wuse 2)
Who will be next
Is any one’s guess
You can bet, however, that
It will not be the last
Abubakar D. Sani, Esq.
10th April, 2021
Author: Lex Community
