With the launching of the 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem by President Muhammadu Buhari a few weeks ago, there has been a great rush for the symbol at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Besides urging Nigerians to buy it in support of the families and relatives of the fallen heroes and the living soldiers, Buhari had urged Ministers and other government officials to always hang the emblem on their clothes from the period of the launching to the January 15th Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
He also warned that the emblem may be made mandatory for staff and any visitor to government establishments during the period.
This last remark was a further nugde for visitors and officials at the seat of government to go for the emblem.
Of special note was the rush for the emblem three days after the launching when the 63rd session of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
State governors, their aides and some ministers who came for the meeting, who were not with the emblem had to buy at the main entrance to the President and Vice President’s offices.
Some beautiful ladies were already positioned at the entrance to sell the emblems.
Some of the governors and aides who bought the emblem as they were heading to the meeting that morning included Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi.
Rather than paying the going rate of N500 per emblem as was being sold to Villa staff that morning, some of the governors paid as high as N20,000 per emblem.
One of the governors after he was decorated by one of the beautiful ladies selling the emblem turned and gave his aide instruction to settle the bill.
Some staff, who saw what was happening were surprised to see some of the aides to the governors counting counting N20,000 and some above N20,000 for just one emblem they just parted N500 for.
While the governors might have been thinking that they were making donations and supporting the course of the fallen heroes and the living soldiers as directed by the President, it is another story altogether whether what they gave out really gets to where it should go or just to enrich the ladies.
Whatever the case may be, some staff who witnessed what was going on also benefited from the governors’ largess.
They refused to pay for the emblems they collected from the ladies.
One of the staff, who collected one emblem and already agreed to pay N500 but waited for one of the ladies to attend to a governor who just arrived, had to reply her this way when she came back for her money: “So, after seeing all these, you expect me to pay for this emblem.”
The staff walked away as the lady continued to count and properly pile the money from the governor into her purse.
When another staff was approached by the second lady for the money for the emblem he collected, he brought another angle to the drama by demanding a cut from the governors’ largess.
Although he didn’t get any cut from the lady, but just like the first staff he walked away with the emblem without paying for it.
Despite the rush for the emblem, there was no full compliance enforcement at the entrances two weeks after the launching unlike under the last dispensation.
Many staff and visitors could still gain entrance to the State House without the emblem.
Total refund
One of the common and popular practices under past administrations is that you are left off the hook the moment you refund part of the loot stolen from the national treasury or in a public office.
Many public officers accused of stealing public funds during their tenures have been allegedly given soft landing by the investigating government agencies as soon as they play ball by secretly parting with part of the loots.
Whether the money and assets recovered from such looters get to the government purse or ended up in the pockets of those in charge, the cases always died down.
Often times, the case file may mysteriously disappear from the custody of the investigating agencies or the case simply forgotten with time.
Such looters not only continue to walk freely in the society but they also continue to command great respect among the low and mighty.
The trend has also encouraged many to see any public officer, who declined to steal while occupying such office, to be foolish.
With such treatment on looters, there was no deterrence to discourage massive looting especially in public offices.
The various laws put in place to check such fraudulent practices cannot achieve much on their own without the human aspect.
While the laws appeared to be very good on paper, those saddled with the responsibility of enforcing them most times disappoint in carrying out their duties effectively.
All these have given many thieves in high places the courage and hope that they will always escape prosecution and total refund of stolen money at the end of the day.
But President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that such partial refund of money stolen under past administrations will not be entertained under his government.
Even as he claimed that some of the looters have started to secretly return part of the stolen funds to his government, he has insisted that all monies stolen must be refunded to the government coffers in full.
Speaking at a forum with the Nigerian community in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran last Tuesday, Buhari said: “On corruption; yes, they are still innocent. But, we are collecting documents and some of them have started voluntarily returning something. But we want all.
“When we get those documents we will formally charge them to court and then we will tell Nigerians to know those who abused trust when they are entrusted with public funds. So, the day of reckoning is gradually approaching,” he warned
This, definitely, is a welcome development as it will go a long way under the present dispensation to discourage such looting.