In the last 10 years, Nigeria has earned over 600 billion dollars from oil alone. You will only see the effect of that money in the motorcades of politically exposed persons, their million dollars apartments in New York, London, Paris, Canada et cetera.
It built nọ new bridges, no new cities and no standard hospitals or low cost housing.
Within that same period, Nigerians got poorer with more out of school children, lowest healthcare and high maternity mortality rate.
While I was making jokes with what has been happening at NDDC the other day, some people felt that it was improper and a slap on the faces of millions of Niger Deltans.
But it will be foolhardy to expect NDDC to work where Nigeria doesn’t. If the head is rotten, why would the rest of the body be alright? I mean, Nigeria doesn’t know the exact quantity of oil lifted from its shores daily.
Whatever is happening at NDDC is due to the political disagreement between the hawks in the region and their 2023 ambitions and not about the ordinary man on the street.
The other day, Pointblank news reported that the former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, authorised the sharing of over 1 billion dollars gotten from OML 11. Then the attorney general authorised the sale of 7 oil-laden vessels by a company arraigned for theft.
How much was stolen at NDDC again?
But if you think NDDC is such a terrible case, go from your local government area to your state government and to Abuja, you will discover that politicians are only there to enjoy and not to solve any problems. You can not expect them to be problem solvers after they shot their way to power.
70 percent of government fraud in Nigeria is done through contract and procurement. That is why you keep seeing purchasing of cars, computers etc in the budget of every MDA each year. Reason! It is hard to trace.
So, if you understand why the contractor working your local roads is some guy from one Arab country, with 6 police orderlies, you will understand why Nigerians are among the highest property owners in Dubai. From there, you will also understand why some contractors are paid 90 percent upfront in situations where there were no bids tendered for the projects.
Nigeria is a crime scene and we are all complicit.
A country where a 60-year-old, with 4 children who are all doing well is plotting how to loot 100 billion when he has less than 10 to 15 years to live is a dungeon. Remember that if he loots the money, he won’t build industries with it. He only wants to run to London to live the life he denied his own people.
Nigerians lack morals and empathy. And then, Nigeria is a country with no laws.
The youths? They don’t care. Big brother has started to keep them occupied, and the aloota continua.
Note: We can complain all we want on Facebook but if you don’t go out on the streets to demand change, your only option will always be to queue up at Embassies and leave your fatherland in search of greener pastures.
The 1999 constitution took the powers away from the people and handed it over to the political elites.
In the US, the power resides with the local authorities. That’s why a Mayor can challenge the president and decline to carry out his instructions. The governor of Georgia has sued the mayor of Atlanta over her face masks policy.
I am here thinking of the part of the bush the Ikwerre Local government chairman will run to if he refuses Wike’s instructions let alone Buhari’s.
But Nigeria borrowed the US system of governance and implemented it halfway.
So, you see the crime?
Leave a Reply