The list of our exposed grave diggers and sworn enemies of our progress include but not limited to; Diezani Alli-son Madueke, AbdulRasheed Maina, Stella Oduah, John Yusufu Yakubu, AbdulHameed Aliyu, AbdulRasheed Bawa, Betta Edu, A’isha Ahmed, Ahmed Idris, Halima Shehu, Sadiyya Umar Farouk, Yusufu Sabi’u Tunde, Godwin Emiefile, Bello Maigari and several others, who are more of heartless enemies to Nigerians than the hunted bandits, insurgents and kidnappers for ransom.
The good news worth celebrating in the fight against corruption is that under the new management of the anti-corruption agency, EFCC with pending corruption cases involving 13 former state governors, ministers and other idiots formerly ignored, have been revisited for continuation.
These are criminals who stole what could have been deployed to improve the lots of Nigerians. They are heartless dare devils that deserve disconnection from further circulation to avoid polluting other minds.
From available records on corruption and stealing of public funds in Nigeria, the trade seems impossible for defeat unless death sentence is introduced to clear the rot.
When exposures are made, the voices of the prophets and the righteous are drowned by the recurrence and the magnitude of the vice. We hear about corruption every day but only the noise and frenzy and then, an eerie of silence. The issue buried either through compromise or plea bargain and consigned to the alley of history.
The exposed humongous amounts stolen by public servants and their allies from 2015-2023, sends shivers to the marrows of decent minds under a claimed Mr. Clean. Those our founding fathers who labored for the good of the country are now shuddering in their graves for how Nigeria turned to be.
A country for sincere, hardworking, industrious and honest people fallen into the grip of crooks, rogue, thieves, thugs and vandals.
As the situation defies applied solutions, incidentally, women now surpass their male counterparts in the art of stealing and corruption. It is now a deliberate competition and an attempt to outclass their male counterparts. The only saving grace for the thieving men is that, they are more committed, skillful and courageous in the art than the women folk.
Let me go the memory lane on how Diezani stole Nigeria with all determination and forces. She stole what could have built six specialist hospitals in all the geo-political zones and would still be left with enough to squander on luxuries. That could have significantly reduced the number of politicians and their collaborators claiming to be on yearly medical tourism to better managed economies.
But when you have a country whose leaders are competing on who steals the highest amount from the public till, and victims deprived celebrate the criminals and reward them with loyalty and traditional titles, that is what you get.
The noise to crucify Diezani that echoed in 2016 has gone hush. People now speak of Diezani and her atrocities under their breath and in gossip. We only remember her in comparison with her criminal like minds than extradition, arrest, prosecution, retrieval and sentence.
We remember Diezani when similar cases surface such as those of Godwin Emefiele, Dr Betta Edu, Sadiyya Umar Farouk, Halima Shehu, A’isha Ahmed, Ahmed Idris, Bello Magaji, AbdulRasheed Bawa etc.
When the issue of Buhari’s Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiyya Umar Farouk started attracting headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic and all manner of humongous figures were bandied around for palliatives and Home-Grown feeding of school children, we raised early morning warnings because of doubts in the capacity of the woman minister to handle such an assignment with sincerity and honesty, but as usual of him, her boss who created the ministry for her, Muhammadu Buhari, that miraculously lost control of his government to the cabals, turned a deep ear and went blind to all that went on under his watch.
After a while, there were reported scandals from the ministry but mischievously defended by the sharing criminals on a looting expedition against the lives of innocent children and the starving parents.
Since then, nothing was heard until when a new King that did not know Joseph, Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited the files to discover the monumental scandals perfected by Sadiyya Umar Farouk and her gang of thieves who stole Nigerians with deceit and pride.
Sadiyya exited the government that appointed her as an accomplished corrupt woman who abused the trust reposed in her by stealing what belonged to orphans and others, an act that disappointed her creator for abusing her oath of office and probably still claiming to be a religious adherent.
Now, it was Betta Edu’s turn to pay the price of dishonesty. Betta Edu was the replacement of Sadiyya unknowingly blessed with itchy fingers. Until her timely suspension and sack by the Sheriff, she busied herself feasting on what belonged to the poor and the vulnerable. She was in haste to bridge the gap between her and her thieving colleagues.
One may try to ask what is, it for the Ministers of Humanitarian Affairs that they are shameless women thieves more heartless than kidnappers for ransom?
Sadiyya was a single woman politician all along until she was offered ministerial appointment by Muhammadu Buhari that got her prepared for marriage to a retired military officer.
Betta Edu was just 37 years of age and so fortunate to be a minister under the Tinubu’s inclusion of youth in governing policy. This is certainly a laudable and encouraging policy that could make for mentorship and a seamless transition from the elderly to more youthful Nigerians in governance. But what are the yardsticks of this involvement? Is it out of political patronage, compensation; sheer sentiments or sensation? Now it was her turn to eat and smear her mouth with oil so she greedily thought without even considering the unfortunate situations enveloping her age mates.
Edu, was a young lady who nursed the ambition of living above all women folk and even surpass the hardworking ones, who created respect for themselves through industry, academics, or in public offices and yet lived and others still living a reasonably humble life. I have in mind the likes of Maryam Babangida, Justices Alooma Mouktar and Fati Abubakar, Amina Muhammed of the United Nations, Maimuna Abubakar (Publisher Tozali International Magazine), Ngozi Okonja-Iweala, Dora Akunyili, Funsho Alakija, Bola Shagayya, Laila Dogonyaro, Daisy Danjuma, Obiageli Ezekwesili etc. They served diligently and still serving and can raise their heads high anywhere and at anytime without fear.
The trouble with Nigeria is that most of us tend to ‘worship’ criminals in government in possession of sleaze monies, not laboring to investigate the source (s) of the sudden wealth carelessly displayed. This leads us to why we should clap for the renowned global fraudster Hushpuppi and kidnapping for ransom kings Evans, Dogo Gede, Buharin Daji, Bello Turji etc who in some quarters are respected and celebrated. If not, why was Ahmed Idris who stole over N119billion from Nigerians as Accountant-General of the Federation awarded a traditional title in Daura? Why was Bello Magaji, who clean swept the treasury of the National Lottery Trust Fund, awarded traditional titles in Jiwa and Dukku? Why were some former state governors who vandalized the treasuries of the states they governed awarded traditional titles, Doctorate Degrees and National Honors despite glaring evidences of lingering cases of theft against them?
The kleptomaniac behaviors of our leaders and public servants has instigated the youth to venture into internet crimes, banditry and kidnapping for ransom. It is very simple to understand why kidnapping for ransom is on the increase. Kidnappers believe politicians in connivance with public servants are thieves, thieving what belongs to all.
As a way to have their share of the loot, in most cases, those thieving politicians and public servants are either kidnapped or their children or relatives and ransom demanded to bridge the gap. The youth also want to quickly catch up and even overtake the thieving leaders, whence the security challenges we are battling.
It is heartwarming though that the new Sheriff in town has summoned the courage to suspend and sacked Edu, Bello Magaji, Halima etc, I suggest those dismissed be subjected to proper investigation and subsequent prosecution if found guilty of the alleged wrong doings than allowed to mix freely with the society they attempted to destroy.
I keep on wondering at the roles on play by our institutions; the criminal justice system and the courts. We create institutions which were never planned to excel in service or achieve any goal; we fix leader’s tenure. They are jobs for the boys and political loyalists. The institutions are so, porous as the laws that created them. Our law provides escape route for thieves (plea bargain) to shield the big thieves and leaves them to still bestride our world like colossus. We negotiate with them to get a fraction of what they stole to be re-looted.
For the first time, let me commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his displayed capacity and determination to fight corruption which has rekindled our hope. I hope he holds his ground firmly to the end not like his predecessor. Corruption in Nigeria has soul and fights back if not decisively fought with vigor.
Our governments should therefore, be more decisive to continue the fight by building strong institutions and framing tight laws against corruption and anyone aiding and abetting it.
If we cannot go the China way because we pay lip service and hypocrisy to Human Right and the right to life, at least, let us make it difficult for those public service thieves to steal and cripple those who do. The cleansing must start from the smallest unit to the highest rung for there should be sanity in our country. People must be made accountable and responsible for their actions.
It would be a glorious day in Nigeria when those who looted our treasuries are made to face the full wrath of the law, convicted and sentenced accordingly with all the stolen retrieved.
That day, the commonest of Nigerians shall in unison sing Halleluyah, Hossana and Allahu Akbar for the new dawn of hope.
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Muhammad is a commentator on national issues.
