Be very worried when politicians write anti-corruption books

Last Monday, Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) gathered his friends at the Shehu Musa Yaradua center for the launch of his book.

The book is titled "Antidote for corruption".

Surrounding Melaye as he launched his book were principal and presiding officers of the national assembly, including Senate President Bukola Saraki who wrote the foreword of the book.

I couldn't help but applaud.

House Speaker Yakubu Dogara was also in the building.

One more notable personality, former first lady Patience Jonathan, was in attendance as well.

I could have sworn I saw Stella Oduah (remember her?) perched somewhere.

You also couldn't miss the sight of former secretary to the government of the federation, Anyim Pius Anyim.

And oh, there was Steve Oronsaye.

A handful of serving ministers like Alhaji Bello Mohammed and Chris Ngige also turned up for Dino.

Here was a book on fighting corruption, written by a senator whose anti-corruption credentials no one can vouch for.

The title of the book even reeks of some grammatical blunder.

It should have read as "Antidote to corruption" as the preposition 'to' is often used with the noun 'Antidote' by English speakers everywhere.

Certainly, an editor was contracted before the book made it out of print?

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A journalist with Punch newspaper, Eniola Akinkuotu, was far from impressed with events that transpired at the launch.

"The hardback of Dino's anti-corruption book costs N50,000 each. The book is just a compilation of newspaper articles and stories on corruption. Saraki bought 109 copies for all senators while Dogara bought 360 for all members of Reps. N23.4M", Akinkuotu wrote.

A book on anti-corruption, priced out of the reach of the average Nigerian who is the victim of corrupt practices perpetrated by government officials--some of whom were seated in that room--is just lovely.

If the national assembly parted with some N24M to get Melaye's book, from where did they get this money? Did the money come from the national assembly's annual budget?

Was this tax-payers' money in action?

We should know because the book preaches against non-transparency.

Seated in that room as Melaye launched his "best seller," were several persons who are facing trials across courts in the land for corruption.

From Patience Jonathan who said her friends gifted her $5M to Saraki who is being prosecuted for false declaration of assets; from Anyim who is being questioned for his less than noble role in the abandoned Abuja Centenary City project, to Dogara who has been publicly dragged for budget padding.....

We could go on and on.

Hopefully, Nigeria's federal lawmakers who are now in possession of Melaye's book, learn a thing or two from leafing through the pages of a book written by a gentleman who has since crowned himself the drama king of the year.

How they all managed to keep a straight at the launch, still confounds.

Please, don't blow a whistle on any of those chaps.

And by the way, you should buy the book if "Antidote for corruption" is your thing.