Of-what-good-is-the-fight-against-corruption-when-the-nigerian-economy-and-the-living-standard-of-the-people-is-at-its-worst-state
September 7, 2020 | News
OF WHAT GOOD IS THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION WHEN THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY AND THE LIVING STANDARD OF THE PEOPLE IS AT ITS WORST STATE?
One thing that would always stand out and outlive any Federal administration in Nigeria, is the eventual ACTIONS of the Executive leader of that Government; not what he has said, or promised. This goes with the saying that, it is not what you say that counts, but what you do. This is what every political leader will be remembered for by the people, long after they have gone. As such, it is imperative that every Commander-In-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should always take the entire Nigerian populace as his constituency, and in that light, carry out actions that are seen to be people-oriented, all-embracing and devoid of nepotism, favoritism and tribalism. Sadly, that has not been the case in Nigeria, and even those whose mantra is to fight corruption, have not done much to improve the general living conditions of the citizenry.
One bitter truth, which some might not agree with, but it still remains the bitter truth, is the fact that overwhelming poverty and lack have been increasing at an alarming rate under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. Apart from fuel that we can say has been relatively available, though at a high price, every other aspect of the Nigerian economy is nothing to write home about. At the moment, virtually all the major Federal and interstate Roads are bad. Not to mention the gross lack of basic amenities like electricity and infrastructure. One begins to wonder, of what good is if Buhari fights corruption without improving the economy one bit? Of what essence in the fight against corruption when scarcity of essential goods and services in the country have been promoting the same corruption that is being fought?
Agreed that this is the first time in our democracy that Nigerians have witnessed top Nigerian politicians being made to squally face corruption charges brought against by anti-graft agencies, even though this hunt and fight has turned a blind eye to some top corrupt politicians who are said to be close friends and kinsmen to the President, but which have also led to the recovery of enormous public wealth that were stolen by these persons. However, what the Nigerian public is yet to see, is what exactly have the Nigerian Federal Government used these recovered loots to do? What have they used all that recovered loot for, in improving the living standard of Nigerians and making life a lot bearable for the general masses? That is the big question the Government of the day have not been able to provide tangible and verifiable answers to. Truth be told, it is not enough to come out every now and then to tell Nigerians that so-so number of billions and trillions of amounts have been recovered from proceeds of corruption in high places. What Nigerians are more interested in is “ACCOUNTABILITY” - the utilization of all the recovered money to improve the existing deplorable basic infrastructure across the country, and better the economy for the citizenry. The Nigerian masses need to see exactly what and what the recovered monies was/and is being used for.
If the President and his families/relatives, top politicians and kinsmen, are well fed and taken care of with public wealth, and also placed in juicy Federal and State portfolios, what then is the need for the fight against corruption? It is absolutely baseless if you cannot holistically practice what you preach. The Northerners are not the only Nigerians that should be seen to be occupying sensitive Federal Government appointed positions. Under the Buhari administration, they have brought and increased the scarcity in power supply, scarcity of consumable goods and services, overwhelming deprivation, and what have you.
What many talked about former President Goodluck Jonathan, on how carefree and wasteful his administration was, was what happened back then. But above all, Nigerians should learn to live above sentiments. Nigerians should learn to say things as it is no matter what or who is concerned. Jonathan goofed big time in his administration. The present administration of Buhari has goofed too, and is still goofing. The Nigerian political leaders have not learnt any lesson from past mistakes done by past leaders. And this is because they are all blinded with power and greed. And until they vacate power, they hardly see clearly. Jonathan was not a good leader because he encouraged unrestrained pilfering and stealing of our collective wealth with reckless abandon and impunity. Buhari on the other hand, is pretending as if all is well, while turning a blind eye on the clandestine activities of his loyal men. The worst part is that Buhari does not listen to good advice, hence he is making more mistakes by the day. He is on top, and does not care and see the plight of the people.
In fact, no aspect of the Nigerian economy is working right now. Hunger is everywhere. President Buhari banned food items and essential goods from coming into the country, yet he is encouraging smuggling by having legalized all Africans to enter Nigeria without visa, except at the point of entry, which can easily be manipulated. No country and its leaders will allow this in this era of sophisticated crime and terrorism, by allowing free access into their country for foreigners without visa. Agreed that former President Jonathan was a failure and he knows this. But we are seeing more ‘failures’ under the President Buhari administration. As such, we believe Nigerians should learn to freely criticize a leader if he is not doing well as expected, whether that person is your tribesman or not.
We have heard people refer to Nigerians as some of the most resilient people in the world. But rather than take it as a compliment like some do, we see it as an innocuous way of spitting in our face and reminding us of being a people of slavish mentality - who never dare to question things, but always show content with whatever conditions we find ourselves in. Majority wake up nowadays, praying and hoping things will get better in this country - believing that unemployment rate will somehow miraculously drop, and that they will someday have access to top-notch health facilities and treatment, good electricity, security of their lives and property, and perhaps transformative education.
Well, there is an off chance that is ever going to happen, especially with the way things have been going, and because governance in Nigeria is neither designed, nor intended to serve such human-focus purposes. Strings of events that have played out in the past weeks and months have pushed us to make certain that any hope of Nigeria ever becoming the proud country we visualize, is starkly misplaced. Call this pessimism, but it is the reality.
Imagine a country where we have ‘double salary’ for some Senators or Ministers, with emoluments that are simply too outrageous, and no sane, forward-thinking State or Federal Government should subject scarce public resources to such wastage and mismanagement. We do not even want to waste our energy by listing some of the outrageous and appalling salaries/emoluments/pension benefits enjoyed by these Federal and State public officials in the country. But the question is, if we keep giving all of these to someone because he is in Government, what then would be left to develop the State and country? And yet they say they are fighting corruption.
We have little wonder why States in Nigeria have to rely on loan to survive. No government with vision for development wastes money this way. It has to stop, if those in Government under the President Buhari-led administration, are serious about addressing corruption in the country.
We all lament about corruption today, but the act of corruption is not exclusive to stealing public money. It extends sweepingly to deliberately making laws that appropriate scarce state resources for the benefits of few elites in positions of power -- at the expense of the general populace. As we have seen some States across the country. All Nigerian states must cancel any law that gives this sort of unmerited jumbo benefits to a select few. Until the state and Nigerian constitutions are reviewed to block the splurging of national and State resources for the benefits of politicians, any hope Nigeria will grow someday will remain a fantasy. The bottom line is that the President Muhammadu Buhari so-called crusade against corruption will all amount to nothing, if he is not seen to be fair, equity-minded, just and accountable to the Nigerian general populace.
Zik Gbemre.
December 18, 2019
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
One thing that would always stand out and outlive any Federal administration in Nigeria, is the eventual ACTIONS of the Executive leader of that Government; not what he has said, or promised. This goes with the saying that, it is not what you say that counts, but what you do. This is what every political leader will be remembered for by the people, long after they have gone. As such, it is imperative that every Commander-In-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should always take the entire Nigerian populace as his constituency, and in that light, carry out actions that are seen to be people-oriented, all-embracing and devoid of nepotism, favoritism and tribalism. Sadly, that has not been the case in Nigeria, and even those whose mantra is to fight corruption, have not done much to improve the general living conditions of the citizenry.
One bitter truth, which some might not agree with, but it still remains the bitter truth, is the fact that overwhelming poverty and lack have been increasing at an alarming rate under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. Apart from fuel that we can say has been relatively available, though at a high price, every other aspect of the Nigerian economy is nothing to write home about. At the moment, virtually all the major Federal and interstate Roads are bad. Not to mention the gross lack of basic amenities like electricity and infrastructure. One begins to wonder, of what good is if Buhari fights corruption without improving the economy one bit? Of what essence in the fight against corruption when scarcity of essential goods and services in the country have been promoting the same corruption that is being fought?
Agreed that this is the first time in our democracy that Nigerians have witnessed top Nigerian politicians being made to squally face corruption charges brought against by anti-graft agencies, even though this hunt and fight has turned a blind eye to some top corrupt politicians who are said to be close friends and kinsmen to the President, but which have also led to the recovery of enormous public wealth that were stolen by these persons. However, what the Nigerian public is yet to see, is what exactly have the Nigerian Federal Government used these recovered loots to do? What have they used all that recovered loot for, in improving the living standard of Nigerians and making life a lot bearable for the general masses? That is the big question the Government of the day have not been able to provide tangible and verifiable answers to. Truth be told, it is not enough to come out every now and then to tell Nigerians that so-so number of billions and trillions of amounts have been recovered from proceeds of corruption in high places. What Nigerians are more interested in is “ACCOUNTABILITY” - the utilization of all the recovered money to improve the existing deplorable basic infrastructure across the country, and better the economy for the citizenry. The Nigerian masses need to see exactly what and what the recovered monies was/and is being used for.
If the President and his families/relatives, top politicians and kinsmen, are well fed and taken care of with public wealth, and also placed in juicy Federal and State portfolios, what then is the need for the fight against corruption? It is absolutely baseless if you cannot holistically practice what you preach. The Northerners are not the only Nigerians that should be seen to be occupying sensitive Federal Government appointed positions. Under the Buhari administration, they have brought and increased the scarcity in power supply, scarcity of consumable goods and services, overwhelming deprivation, and what have you.
What many talked about former President Goodluck Jonathan, on how carefree and wasteful his administration was, was what happened back then. But above all, Nigerians should learn to live above sentiments. Nigerians should learn to say things as it is no matter what or who is concerned. Jonathan goofed big time in his administration. The present administration of Buhari has goofed too, and is still goofing. The Nigerian political leaders have not learnt any lesson from past mistakes done by past leaders. And this is because they are all blinded with power and greed. And until they vacate power, they hardly see clearly. Jonathan was not a good leader because he encouraged unrestrained pilfering and stealing of our collective wealth with reckless abandon and impunity. Buhari on the other hand, is pretending as if all is well, while turning a blind eye on the clandestine activities of his loyal men. The worst part is that Buhari does not listen to good advice, hence he is making more mistakes by the day. He is on top, and does not care and see the plight of the people.
In fact, no aspect of the Nigerian economy is working right now. Hunger is everywhere. President Buhari banned food items and essential goods from coming into the country, yet he is encouraging smuggling by having legalized all Africans to enter Nigeria without visa, except at the point of entry, which can easily be manipulated. No country and its leaders will allow this in this era of sophisticated crime and terrorism, by allowing free access into their country for foreigners without visa. Agreed that former President Jonathan was a failure and he knows this. But we are seeing more ‘failures’ under the President Buhari administration. As such, we believe Nigerians should learn to freely criticize a leader if he is not doing well as expected, whether that person is your tribesman or not.
We have heard people refer to Nigerians as some of the most resilient people in the world. But rather than take it as a compliment like some do, we see it as an innocuous way of spitting in our face and reminding us of being a people of slavish mentality - who never dare to question things, but always show content with whatever conditions we find ourselves in. Majority wake up nowadays, praying and hoping things will get better in this country - believing that unemployment rate will somehow miraculously drop, and that they will someday have access to top-notch health facilities and treatment, good electricity, security of their lives and property, and perhaps transformative education.
Well, there is an off chance that is ever going to happen, especially with the way things have been going, and because governance in Nigeria is neither designed, nor intended to serve such human-focus purposes. Strings of events that have played out in the past weeks and months have pushed us to make certain that any hope of Nigeria ever becoming the proud country we visualize, is starkly misplaced. Call this pessimism, but it is the reality.
Imagine a country where we have ‘double salary’ for some Senators or Ministers, with emoluments that are simply too outrageous, and no sane, forward-thinking State or Federal Government should subject scarce public resources to such wastage and mismanagement. We do not even want to waste our energy by listing some of the outrageous and appalling salaries/emoluments/pension benefits enjoyed by these Federal and State public officials in the country. But the question is, if we keep giving all of these to someone because he is in Government, what then would be left to develop the State and country? And yet they say they are fighting corruption.
We have little wonder why States in Nigeria have to rely on loan to survive. No government with vision for development wastes money this way. It has to stop, if those in Government under the President Buhari-led administration, are serious about addressing corruption in the country.
We all lament about corruption today, but the act of corruption is not exclusive to stealing public money. It extends sweepingly to deliberately making laws that appropriate scarce state resources for the benefits of few elites in positions of power -- at the expense of the general populace. As we have seen some States across the country. All Nigerian states must cancel any law that gives this sort of unmerited jumbo benefits to a select few. Until the state and Nigerian constitutions are reviewed to block the splurging of national and State resources for the benefits of politicians, any hope Nigeria will grow someday will remain a fantasy. The bottom line is that the President Muhammadu Buhari so-called crusade against corruption will all amount to nothing, if he is not seen to be fair, equity-minded, just and accountable to the Nigerian general populace.
Zik Gbemre.
December 18, 2019
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes