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Seven Billion Fund Raising For Presidential Library – A Misplacement Of Priority And A Failure To Anti-Corruption Crusade By Jazuli A. Lawal
The news of the 7billion Naira fund raising for the building of the proposed OBJ Presidential Library at Ogun State did not come to me as a surprise last Saturday. I watched the program live with my heart bleeding with a deapest sympathy for the Nigerian people, whose majority are not aware of the degree of crime perpetrated against them under the siege and domination of the military politicians and their alliance (elite) for many years now. I see this as a misplacement of priority for the President to organise a political jamboree only to parade some bunch of his loyal servants including many serving officers of his regime and some past Nigerian leaders whose integrity and characters are questionable only to be lavishing Nigerian money in the name of fund raising which is a clear misplacement of priorities.
Even though more competent and educated people of Nigeria have expressed their fears and concerns over the future of this great nation in the hands of our military politicians who are in endless romance with our traditional ruling class. Yet, I feel obliged to write this piece to highlight the dangerous trend which our country is forced to landslide into and the possible repercussion that might follow from now to 2007.
This is indeed a sad development, when Nigerians are seriously faced with tribal/ethnic confussion, economic turbulance and intense hardship for lack of social amenities such as electricity, pipe borne water, adequate medical care, securities and poverty among athers, but ended up soliciting money to build a 7b naira Library. How many number of electricity projects can the sum of 7billion naira generate for Nigerians? How much job opportunities could this provide as a result of Industrial projects coming up in Nigeria today? Besides, how many Nigerian people could be able to use the library while in abject poverty or sick due to inaequate medical facilities? What is the essence of building a library where there is high level of insecurity? What moral justification would PDP administration have for building a library for not generating electricity as a priority in Nigeria which is saddled with aftermath effect of Structural Adjustment Programme? Our industries today are collapsed. Real sector development has become difficult and sometimes impossible for lack of energy source.
To any political analyst, it looks more of a hux for Mr. President to appear in the National broadcast to announce his discovery of the scandalous bribery case involving some of his top cabinet ministers together and some members of the House of Senate. What stops a conscious leader from resigning for a such absurd discover? No wonder that many Nigerians see this as attempt to gain political relevance in the eyes of his foreign masters. The recent fund raising of presidential library in Ogun state has certainly raised suspicion of Mr. Presidents’ claim to be fighting corruption. Indeed, this is nothing but a misplacement of priorities?
In Nigeria today, many have concluded that the fund raising jumboree was politically motivated to enable the presidency identify among the PDP members and other ministers whose loyality to the present regime is in question and do away with them to avoid a repeat of the history as in the case of the former Speaker of the House of Representative Alhaji Gali Na’abba in the last democratic dispensation.
Before now, there has been a strong rumour of the likely cabinet reshufflement from the presidency, but for fear of being blamed by some powerful members of the ruling PDP, this has been halted. Because of that, the presidency has bent on hatching yet another plan to do away with those percieved not to be in a good book of the president.
It is pertinent that, the intention of this administration is to lure the Nigerians into deception and accept their reasoning and claims for fighting corruption in Nigeria. The essence for this scarifice could have been to please their western masters. Therefore, it was decided according to plan that IG of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun was to be sacrificed beside the Minister for Education through Mr. Ribadus’ commission i.e EFCC.
During the fund raising, Dr. Mike Adenuga who was the chief launcher, donated the highest sum of =N=250m followed by his friend Dr. Aliko Dangote who donated the total sum of =N=201m instantly. The fund raising looks very dramatic and amazing enough considering the recent move by this administration to fight corrupt practices in Nigeria which ended up showing who has what in terms of Naira and Dollar not taking cognisense of the Nigerian basic needs. In fact, I could have doubted the ascertion of Haruna Muhammed who warned the President against his tendencies of transforming into a dictatorial leader since he listens to nobody when it comes to his ultimate desires and will to do and undo.
At this point, one would be incline to reason that, what could have been the gain to the presidency to make its Ministers and IG a scapegoats to the extent of sacrificing them on alledged bribery of =N=55m? Why must the presidency had to retrench the Federal Housing Minister for sharing public utilities which to the best of our knowledge has been the practice and business as usual for many years in Nigeria? Why wouldn’t the president surmon his accused son who out of share childishness and arrogancy exposed the usual practice of acquiring government properties by the top government official in the name of Privatisations and economic reforms?
I felt bad to see my beloved country falling apart for lack of patriotism, indiscipline, injustice, poor education, insecurity and lack of clear blue print for economic development caused by a few number of Nigerians claiming the ownership of this country. Nigeria of yester years has been replaced by high level of corruption, poverty, hunger and deseases. I weep whenever I remember those old good days when we assembled in our schools every morning to sing the following song as:
I pleadged to Nigeria my country, To be faithful, loyal and honest, To serve Nigeria with all my strength……………..
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