Tag: Davos!

Nigeria is at a needless moral and monetary crossroads from theft and stealing- masquerading as ‘corruption’ which seems to be a judicially ‘forgivable sin of politics’. Quite apart from the massive and multi-dimensional financial extortion and theft in cash there is the ‘other corruption’- lost leadership, poor decision-making, ethnic protectionist decision making, false federalism, inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic discrimination and social immorality. Even ‘plea bargaining’ has been Nigerianised for politicians and billionaires. But judicial equity exists only if a goat thief can ‘plea bargain’ away a three year prison sentence by returning goat’s tail, leg or skin if the police and judiciary have not chopped the evidence!

‘Are you a politician and corrupt and a thief?’ If ‘yes’ step aside. 2013 Nigeria has no place for you. ‘Can serving politicians become non-corrupt and non-thieving?’ ‘Why are they corrupt and thieving anyway?’ ‘If we had better policing and anti-corruption agencies, would political corruption and thieving reduce?’

Let us get something straight about politics and democracy in Nigeria. The current political class is making Nigerian citizens feel that they, not the politicians, are ‘the problem’ with Nigerian democracy. It is even the mantra of public lectures. After recommending Public Private Partnerships to fill the huge hole left by official government corruption and provide more money to steal, the lectures target the citizens for not overcoming massive electoral fraud or not ‘Arab springing’ and of course dying. ‘A citizenship gets the government it deserves’ summarises the attitude. But the citizens, especially non-civil service private sector citizens, have suffered billions in lost incomes during strikes, Nigerians have died, over 500 during the Abiola annulment and since then assassinations, maiming and lethal political violence incidents. The people of Nigeria are told to forget the rigging, cheating, cross carpeting, unknown candidates all misnamed benignly as ‘political electioneering’ instead of ‘Crimes Against Nigeria’. Somehow when the word ‘political’ is put in front of a murder or election forgery it is transformed into an unsolvable ‘lesser crime’ a misdemeanour, a juvenile incident, a joke, judicially ‘alright’. No punishment. ‘Go for re-election and please do it properly this time!’ Rubbish! Political crimes must be punished in prison, like for goat theft. A vote is more valuable than a goat. Nigerians, your misguided acceptance N500 to vote is not the cause of our political problems.

Politicians, military and civilian, cannot escape blame for Nigeria’s failure to provide 100,000Mw power, books and sports equipment for all schools, pothole free transport and modern 200kph railways and MDGs with all the riches God has given to Nigeria. The people were never at decision-making business meetings, contract awards where Nigeria’s budgets were divided between greedy political parties, contractors and potholes.

It seems the political party is designed as the greatest corruption organ in Nigeria draining the budgets of the nation through fictitious or inflated contracts and extortion from contractors and consultants, having access without accountability? Politicians are not infants but adults who voluntarily and automatically take responsibility for development and are solely responsible for their actions and inactions, their morals and immorality.

Our soldiers from 18 years will be fighting and dying in Mali for what reward? Already the first two have died on home soil? Our policemen, some just 18 are ‘training’ in a pigsty. Congrats to IGP Abubakar and Channel CSR Project for this ‘revelation’ about the Ikeja Police College that we all know. Many years ago, the Americans sent to teach new techniques at the College had to leave because it was not fit for animals. But it is an widespread educational malady in ‘pigsty’ secondary and tertiary hostels and schools across Nigeria while Nigeria’s politicians grow fatter. What is the Police College’s annual budget over 30 years? Who stole it? Who underfunded the college? Who dehumanises the trainees? Which past IGPs now advising Abubakar on ‘good police governance’ neglected the Police College and used it as punishment posting for senior officers? Today the seniors of these 18+ year olds are dying daily in kidnappings, robberies, bank attacks and terror attacks. They die as adults, often unmourned. They, like the soldiers, took an oath to protect Nigerians and serve the country, laying down their lives.

Politicians also take a sworn oath to serve with honesty. Does it not matter to their souls? So even if they are fraudulent with honesty, the oath to serve Nigeria is still binding. So the politician must be anti-corrupt and honest. But can good come out of bad? What was the original motivation for running? Corruption?

This ‘’politicians’ responsibility’’ argument does not absolve the electorate from some responsibility. Within one week a politician had demands from his constituents totalling over N5million for school and hospital bills. Citizens invite politicians to functions, expecting megabucks. Citizens elevate the politician to a minor god by bowing to ‘Excellency’, ’First Lady’, ‘Distinguished’, ‘Honourable’. Citizens create the political monster and are surprised that it bites them!

Where would Nigeria be without the Corporate Social Responsibility, the Parent Teachers and Old Students Associations, NGOs, DFID, USAID etc? ‘Government cannot do it alone’ is a smokescreen for corruption and the need for Public Private Partnerships is questioned in the light of a trillion naira losses to corruption scams.

DAVOS World Economic Summit must begin to get a new deal for the world’s poor or the revolutions will be worldwide. How can Morgan Stanley ‘return to profitablity’ and not repay ruined shareholders?