This is not Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, that familiar “Arabian Nights” tale. But it is an alarming Nigerian story that may be called PACAC and the Fifty-five Thieves. PACAC stands for the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption. The group recently hit the headlines on account of its damning report that covered August 2015 to July 2016. Its Executive Secretary, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, on October 20 presented the report in Abuja during an interactive session with civil society organisations.
The main point of the report is that “corruption brought Nigeria to its knees” under former President Goodluck Jonathan. PACAC said: “For example, it is widely believed that insecurity escalated because of the massive embezzlement of $2 billion through the Office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Col. Sambo Dasuki, who allegedly diverted the money appropriated to fight insurgency. The problems in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry reached the zenith with multi-billion dollars subsidy scams while President Jonathan looked the other way. At the same time, other vices spread like cancer – kidnapping, import duty waivers, financial recklessness, a profligate legislature, corrupt judiciary, etc.”
The most chilling aspect of this report highlights the scale of stealing by some people in power during a particular period and how political corruption has so terribly short-changed the country. A report quoted PACAC as saying that using World Bank rates, one-third of the N1.3trillion allegedly stolen by only 55 people in seven years could have provided 635.18 kilometres of roads, built 36 ultra-modern hospitals in each state, built and furnished 183 schools, educated 3,974 people from primary to tertiary level (at N25.2 million per child) and built 20,062 units of two-bedroom houses.
If this level of development could have been achieved with just one-third of the allegedly stolen money, how much more could have been achieved if the entire alleged loot was used for the purpose of the country’s development?
Who are these alleged 55 thieves who stole so much from a 2016 estimated population of over 178.5 million? How were they able to steal as much as has been alleged? Why did they need to steal as much as has been alleged? What did they do with the alleged loot?
There may well be other questions arising from this thought-provoking allegation. The allegation is too terrible to be true. If it is true, it is so terrible that the thieves should not go unpunished.