‘‘The politicians are selfish, unpatriotic and do not care a hoot about the masses. They have squandered our resources through nepotism, tribalism etc.; they have failed to provide even the minimum of good government; without conscience they extorted public funds, economic measures have been applied half-heartedly’’ – Quoted in Nowinta’s book; 2009: Where We Are (page 137)
Pebbles with Igbotako Nowinta
President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent trip to the United States of America turned out to be an avenue of great revelation about the direction of the current government.
Buhari has been able, with the opportunity the US visit afforded him to state clearly that it will never be business as usual regarding those who have looted the resources of our country, along with general spate of impunity in the polity.
I also think absolutely that the trip was a huge success in many dimensions, despite the fact that there were not overwhelming commitments from the Barack Obama’s administration on multifarious issues raised by Buhari.
We must quickly commend President Buhari for speaking the minds of the majority of the people of Nigeria on the demonic issue of gay marriage which has raised a dangling terrible moral cross on the American psyche.
An interesting, punching and hilarious angle to the visit was when Buhari told his audience that despite the accusation that he was being called ‘Baba go slow’; that he would not only go slow but ‘steadily.’
Do we really need a hurried or‘ push push’ President at the helms of affairs now in Aso Rock, given the years of the locust, such that successive criminal administrations have unleashed on the nation?
For a system that just experienced excruciating demented and forlorn policies under the Jonathan administration I think President Buhari is on track since he assumed office on May 29th 2015.
I am all for his insistence on competent hands as ministers of his impending cabinet.
Simply put we can no longer afford the luxury of having political bandits running our ministries or men of mean background deciding the pace of the celebrated change mantra of President Buhari.
Just as Mr. President has noted we should give him up till September to put in place a collection of men of proven characters and integrity to turn around the social, economic, technological, industrial and agricultural development of our country for the betterment of the citizenry.
Now, the fear of Buhari is gradually becoming the beginning of wisdom as some privileged high ranking politicians have been alleged to have secretly returned stolen money taken from the coffers of our beleaguered nation.
There is no disputing the fact that the magic key to the rapid transformation of Nigeria is transparent honesty in tackling corruption.
In just less than two months in power by the All Progressives Congress (APC) our foreign reserve is already going up gradually because avoidable leakages are being blocked, as corruption is the issue right now on the front burner of our affairs .
Who says President Muhammadu Buhari should not probe the activities of his predecessor in office? If he does not do that how would he trace all the looted funds, tucked away in both foreign and domestic accounts?
I think one of the methods the Buhari Presidency can adopt in getting back all the stolen resources for the purpose of injecting them into our bastardized economy is to put in place a Loot Recovery Commission (LRS), even, as some elements within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are already shouting witch-hunting by the APC government.
A situation where all those who have stolen from the Commonwealth of Nigeria are encouraged to come forward, confess and drop such funds and be forgiven and told not to sin any more, instead of outright prosecution will help in recovering the nation’s stolen assets.
As the cloud thickens on the professed intention of the Buhari government to bring looters of our money to book or justice, Mr. President must pursue this urgent task without any form of compromise from any quarter, including members of his own political party, APC.
Honestly, if President Buhari can touch everybody with the same sanitized broom of fighting corruption without applying political, individual or tribalistic clause he will go down as the greatest President in Nigeria’s chequered history.
That is why the proposed Loot Recovery Commission will afford him the needed blanket window to sanitize the stinking system without provoking any national rancor or tension.
Nowinta wrote: Where We Are – A Call for Democratic Revolution in Nigeria.
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