Pebbles with Igbotako Nowinta
‘‘Democracy is supposed to be political accountability, but that is not the case with Nigerian rulers, who possess demented conscience…as fellow Nigerians continue to suffer egregiously from various horrendous high tech corruption. This is a sense of national shame. They steal and steal hopelessly; they neglect the poor masses; they refuse to share resources for the overall benefit’’- Quoted in Nowata’s book, 2009: WHERE WE ARE (page 164/165)
I want to quickly state that it is really good to be back on this page, after circumstance beyond my control pulled me out for about two weeks now. Specifically, I had a problem with my communicating gadget; the thing malfunctioned, but thank God everything is okay now.
Since the wind of change that blew the Jonathan administration out of reckoning on March 28th 2015, a lot of things have been unfolding rapidly in quick succession in our country.
Some powerful people (including a loquacious former Head of state) have allegedly started returning some loot they got from the nation’s coffers, probably out of fear of falling to the wrong side of the law when President-elect retired Major-General Muhammadu Buhari would have taken full charge of Nigeria’s affairs.
Panicky measures are being seen to be adopted by the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Deziani Allison-Madueke over the said banditry of the sector.
Of more interest is the loot of 1.48bn that the Price Water House Coopers, the auditor that looked into the books of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the first time ever, asked NNPC to refund to the Federation Accounts.
Thank God for the divine emergence of General Buhari, nobody would have heeded the request of Price Water House Coopers.
Recently I watched the out-going Minister of Interior, Abba Moro trying to rationalize his poor handling of the tragedy that claimed the lives of some innocent job seekers last year.
One would have expected Mr. Moro to simply apologize directly to Nigerians instead of his unfortunate stance after more than one year in which his Ministry organized a shabbily and uncoordinated employment exercise that sent many job seekers looking for space in the Department of Immigration to their untimely deaths.
The other day Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo came on air after one of the meetings of the Federal Executive Council, to apologize to Nigerians why the people are still experiencing epileptic power supply, blaming the nefarious activities of pipeline vandals as the cause.
I think these people are simply taking us for a ride. We have a federal might that could man the pipelines across the Niger Delta effectively, since the sector is a live wire of our economy.
Like Abba Moro, Nebo is economical with the truth. That goes to show how some of our public officials carry on with the business of government without recourse to the sensibility of the people; they carry on as if nothing is at stake.
Now, if not for the recent political development in the country, the likes of Alison -Madueke, Abba Moro and Chinedu Nebo would never have deemed it necessary to adjust and told us something about their ministries?
Coming to this talk about severance money for out-going President Goodluck Jonathan and other public office holders.
Even if other individuals in the past have benefited from this incredible and nauseating parting largesse, it is not now that the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and other bodies connected with the disbursement of this disturbing amount (3.24bn) will give it any consideration because of the sorry state of the nation’s economy.
President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, exiting federal legislators, Ministers, Presidential aides, etc., should be told to forget this annoying severance package which is about 300% of their annual salary.
This is imperative because the economy sector is gasping for breath; some state Governors have been unable to pay salaries as at when due for some months now; the April salaries of Federal workers were even delayed; the 2.53bn subsidy scandal has not been resolved because of heartless mismanagement of the oil sector etc.
At a time like this when we are shouting at the top of our voices that the outrageous jumbo pay for politicians in Nigeria should be reduced drastically; that alternative moves should be commenced about refining our petroleum products locally, we are hearing severance allowance for whom? Severance gifts for political criminals who have milked our Commonwealth dry!
I think Buhari should make a categorical statement on this issue right now. The culture of waste and useless jamboree should no longer be encouraged.
It is most sad that our nation has fallen into the clutches of profligacy and impunity occasioned by reckless behavior, inexplicable arrogance and mind boggling irregularities carried out by so-called elected politicians in concert with the highest executive level of power in Nigeria.
As we wait impatiently for General Buhari to assume the highest office of the land, we will never forget the Jonathan regime that became characterized by indecision, indiscipline and waste which dragged the Nigerian economy deeper into quagmire From May 29th 2015,
I demand from General Buhari far reaching fundamental reforms that will ensure growth, stability, development and democracy; he should rescue our democracy from the gridlock of executive lawlessness and rascality into which the nation has been driven by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Nowinta wrote, WHERE WE ARE – A CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION IN NIGERIA
Ela Kim liked this on Facebook.