STATESMANSHIP: Youths, Masses Lose Lives Over Peanuts, Statesmen Distribute Megabucks

The ongoing investigations over indiscriminate diversions and misappropriation of the public funds traced to the former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) are indeed mindboggling. The investigations led to disgraceful revelations on how the growth of the country was over the years hindered by some disgruntled elements. Obviously, with the disclosures from the left and right, all pointing to just one direction; monumental and indiscriminate looting of the treasury, it is obvious that the removal of the previous government through the presidential election was divinely good and a blessing to the nation.

Dasuki, the arrowhead of the treasury-loot saga has been linked to several billions of US Dollars that could be sufficient to improve the society in terms of infrastructural development and job creations. The ex-NSA in conjunction with his principal, Goodluck Jonathan over-abused their offices by squandering and distributing among friends and associates public funds, sadly including allocation earmarked for arms procurement in the heat of insecurity in the country.

Absurdly, the recent details on the $2.1billion proudly tendered by the former chairman; Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Anthony Aneni on how he distributed portion of the loot on the instructions of the ex-President to Chief Olu Falae, Chief Rashidi Ladoja and Alhaji Tanko Yakassai over the re-election of Jonathan in office calls for sober reflection. Undeniably, these are mockeries on our democracy that public funds including loots recovered from a past military junta could be squandered mercilessly in a democratic government in which transparency and accountability should be a visible hallmark. 

According to the preposterous accounts provided by Aneni, he unquestioningly delivered on the instructions of Jonathan various sums of money including N100million each to a statesman, Chief Olu Falae and Rashidi Ladoja while Yakassai got N63 million. The prominent question is concise; these megabucks distributed or shared as claimed were for what purposes? When did Jonathan who had lived with no shoes become the worldbank to the extent of dishing out money as a buffet. Interestingly, even the worldbank never distributed money to people aimlessly talk less of the money it didn’t have in the first place. Public fund albeit in some person’s custody is quite different from personal wealth, hence, nemo dat quod non habet (you cannot give what you do not have) rule applies.

Shockingly, Falae who severally aspired to rule the country was fingered in the financial mess but was quick to raise alarm over his kidnap after parting with public funds. With the revelations, I think that his kidnap was justifiable. In fact, more of them should be kidnapped; after all, those kidnappers usually act under instructions too. These clearly accounts for the reasons why these ‘statesmen’ would daringly mount television studios with litanies of flimsy reasons why Jonathan and PDP must remain in office despite the monumental failure and administrative deficiencies of the administration.

Similarly, Ladoja should render his own accounts of how he spent the public fund as instructed by the ex-President. Amazingly, these opportunities of closeness to the sitting President then could have been positively exploited by tendering for projects that would impact on the society and at the same time, make their profits instead of the broad-day stealing. No wonder, to Jonathan; stealing is not corruption. The manner public funds were looted and indiscriminately distributed under the previous administration despite his devious “fresh air” slogan makes one wonder if Jonathan was a nominal President who gratuitously welcomes bids of every dick and harry.

It would be recalled that during the elections, youths were deceitfully incorporated into campaign machinery of politicians and political parties and forced into thuggery with peanuts as little as five hundred naira at the expense of their lives. Some actually lost their lives. Meanwhile, the Dasukis, Anenis, Falaes, Ladojas, Yakassai, Nwobodos among others convert the commonwealth of the nation as fiefdoms to the extent of dishing out N100 million per person. 

The major deficiency on the former president was lack of political will and thoughtfulness. Throughout Jonathan’s administration, for once, he didn’t appear before the National Assembly on crucial invitations not to talk of defending budgets pointing to a gross lack of political will, instead, Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealla was appointed to oversee or supervise all the ministries. By implication, she was the actual President. The exclusive duty of the President of a nation practicing a federal system of government like Nigeria is to supervise all the ministries.

By and large, with the ongoing anti-corruption drive particularly the recovery of looted public funds and blocking all avenues for stealing through the Treasury Single Account, TSA, President Mohammadu Buhari has indeed distinctively offered almost all Nigeria lacked in his predecessor. The extension of the probe to top military officers is an attestation that the President has all it takes to put the country to its desirable position. Hence, Nigeria is in safe hands now. The bottom line is simple; the present government should be supported in all ramifications to track back all our looted funds from all quarters irrespective of whose ox is gored.