Patriotism Even In Thievery

The Prime Minister of Iceland, Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was the first leader to step aside in the wake of the Panama scandals. Someone was wondering why no prominent Americans have been named in the Panama Papers. He was quickly reminded that Americans are patriotic, even in thievery. What they steal is kept in American banks – circulating in, and developing America. Nigerians steal to develop other lands.

By Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan

Richard Nixon (1913-1994), the 37th President of the United States of America; and Jacob Zuma, 74, the incumbent President of South Africa, are two of a kind. They share similarities in many areas.

By dint of hard work, both rose to the pinnacle of power by becoming the Presidents of their countries. They were also the two Presidents who squandered State resources in revamping their private homes.

This aspect is the main focus of today’s write-up vis-à-vis a comparative analysis with the Nigerian situation.

After the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1963, Americans felt compelled to beef up security around their Presidents.

Nixon was the US President from 1969 to 1974 when he became the only American President to ever resign that office.

Nixon had earlier served as a member of the House of Representatives and Senator from California as well as US Vice President from 1953-1961.

As soon as he became the US President, he squandered $17 million, in a criminal up-grade of his country home, in the name of presidential security.

This smart lawyer outwitted America because what constituted presidential security was nowhere defined. But his action was an eye-opener.

With the promulgation of the Impoundment Act, 1974, never again would any American be given a blank check under any guise.

Similarly, on becoming the President of South Africa, Zuma substantially up-graded his private home in rural Nkandla – Kwazulu with State resources amounting to 216 million Rand (about $24 million).

The Public Protector’s report found that items like swimming pool, amphitheater, cattle enclosure, chicken run, etc., contained in the up-grade had no relevance to presidential security.

Even where the Constitutional Court of South Africa handed down what could be considered a loose ruling – that Zuma should refund “some amount” to the State – Zuma has stoically ignored the court ruling.

Truly, Nixon got off the hook but the stigma on him is forever. If you go to America today, a present-generation American would quickly tell you, “We once had a bad President.”

As for Zuma, he is getting off the hook because – unlike Nigeria where a majority party in parliament would carelessly relinquish power to the minority party – the ANC, a party that knows its onions, will not allow Zuma to go down, even where a party veteran, Ahmed Kathrada – an antiapartheid stalwart who was jailed with Nelson Mandela – has joined the call for him to step down. All the same, the scar on Zuma remains permanent.

Nixon and Zuma could have wished they were Nigerians. In Nigeria, when money talks, nobody walks. Nigeria is one place where no leader ever gets questioned for helping himself to any amount of public funds to build private mansions.

Nigerians build and build, sometimes in utter contravention of the biblical assurance in the Book of Isaiah 65: 21-24 where God gave His children the blessed assurance that they would build their houses and inhabit them; and they would plant their vineyard and eat the fruits thereof. They would not build for others to inhabit; and neither would they plant for others to eat.

Nigeria is the only place where people steal for other nations to prosper. It is a known fact that many Swiss and other foreign banks thrive on loots from Nigerian leaders.

We are reminded of the numerous Nigerian leaders who have been named in the Panama Papers – a set of 11.5 million confidential documents detailing information on how more than 214,000 off-shore companies and other wealthy individuals hide stolen assets from public scrutiny.

It is instructive that while those involved in the Panama leaks elsewhere are resigning their positions in shame, Nigerians involved are running around, apparently looking for where to steal more.

The Prime Minister of Iceland, Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was the first leader to step aside in the wake of the Panama scandals.

Someone was wondering why no prominent Americans have been named in the Panama Papers. He was quickly reminded that Americans are patriotic, even in thievery.

What they steal is kept in American banks – circulating in, and developing America. Nigerians steal to develop other lands.

While the US and South Africa have developed to the level of questioning their leaders who pilfer small sums of public fund, Nigerians engaged in the stealing industry do theirs brazenly, with impunity and nobody questions them.

In Abuja, a single military or civilian brass would own a sprawling estate with hundreds of duplexes and condominiums adorning an entire block and nobody raises an eye-brow.

What of the case of a former Nigerian Head of State who invited a colleague from another African country to come and see his holdings? After the guided tour, the visitor surmised, “All these cannot be for one man in one life time.”

Corruption creeps into the life of a nation in various shades and colors. For instance, each time our Senators abandon their duty post to accompany their boss to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, as if they are part of the defense team, this comes at a cost of millions of Naira on the tax-payer in lost man-hour.

God make man; man made money; and money made man mad. Not too long ago, the Local Government Council Chairmen in a particular State formed themselves into a Club where they made a monthly contribution of N1million each.

Of course, one bad turn deserves another. One of the Chairmen took his contribution and invested it on a property in an erosion course.

In less than two years, erosion had completed the task of burying the property under sand and water. That’s the nature of stolen wealth.

It takes only one committed generation to rebuild a nation. We shall get there someday. Of necessity, Nigeria must invest more in the business of total re-orientation of society.

By the time people realize the vanity and vainglory in the hazardous business of stealing; the propensity to embark on wanton looting of public funds will be drastically reduced.

Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan is a public affairs analyst and Chairman, Board of Directors, Edo Broadcasting Service. He can be reached at: joligien@yahoo.com