My people say when one is afflicted by a big problem, smaller ones would take advantage of that to trample on the person. (Bi iya nla ba gbeni sanle, kekeke a gori eni). This is the import of the statement by our former self-styled military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd). Babangida, otherwise known as ‘Maradona’, or ‘Evil genius’ or simply IBB told Arise Television in an interview that his government was saintly compared with the Buhari government.

Babangida, who was answering a question on the prevalence of corruption in his time said: “But what’s happening now is worse than when we were in power… we are saints when compared with that.” At a point, one would be tempted to agree with the retired general, especially against the backdrop of a report credited to a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that the only prerequisite for politicians who want their sins (corruption) forgiven is for such politicians to join the ruling party.

Babangida is not the first prominent Nigerian to say corruption is worse under the present dispensation than hitherto. But I have always defended the government for the simple reason that more money could not have been stolen under the present government because you cannot steal what is not available. The Buhari government does not have the kind of hefty revenue that its predecessors had. But then it is possible to pilfer even the little that is coming in.

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IBB even rubbed it in that the country lacked good leadership. “If you get a good leadership that links with the people and tries to talk with the people; not talking on top of the people, then we would be okay,” Babangida said. He added that “That is, a person, who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with,” Babangida said.

One interesting thing is that none of the president’s spokespersons has replied Babangida. Is it that the government is becoming more tolerant of criticism? Or is it because of the person who made the allegation? Former President Olusegun Obasanjo did not enjoy that kind of golden silence when he similarly took the government to the cleaners; and deservedly so. A government should have a good antennae to know that something is going wrong when those who once sang hosanna for it turn round to say crucify it. This is more helpful than donning the sanctimonious gown of a messiah that it is not.

Still waiting for the president’s spokespersons to equalise that goal.