Lure of Billion Dollar Contract or Fat Chance of Punishment

By

Farouk Martins Aresa

faroukomartins@aim.com

EFCC Trial of Elumelu is a cross section of our Titans in ELECTRCITY contract award “Deep Hole” cannot surprise us. It has always been more preferable by relatives and constituencies in the name of national cake to loot when in position of power and contracts than to retire home as poor and principled politicians. The loot enhances our power to exercise control and influence in situations we never dreamed. In other words, bring home the dividends, no matter what. Indeed nobody would believe that when in government, we never stole a kobo. Would you? The only Nigeria we believe in is where everyone has the opportunity to loot. If we cannot do it now, when can we? The experts have already told us that the oil is running out fast and if it does not, technology will overtake it and render it useless. Therefore, there is every reason to grab our own, not just take. If you are not connected, let those of us who want connection come in and liberalize the Country for everyone to grab whatever he or she can. That way, we will have One Nigeria. You chop I chop, nobody go vex o!

Trust whom. Those who remember Audu Ogbe in NPN respected him as an honest man in the wrong party. As a head of State, OBJ almost went bankrupt before his subordinate who is filthy rich rescued him. Both realized their folly and came back into PDP rescuing the loot they forgot first time around. They could not bear the shame of running broke again while their cohorts stole us blind. They had not realized how embarrassing it was to be poor. Valor my foot!

There was another dumb fool named Ribadu; bribed with millions of dollars, he surrendered it as an exhibit to those who will later steal it. Yerima raised an alarm in the past administration against his cohorts’ loots; the House forgave them as if it was their personal cash. Both may die poor.  Fawehinmi has not learned from those before him like Soyinka and Solarin. Next time, if he ends up framed in prison, he may never come out alive. As for the rest of you out there, take your time, do not disturb us from enjoying Nigeria to death. We own Nigeria because we know Nigeria.

If we were Adenike Grange’s relative, we would laugh so much in her face that people would think we were crazy. She is the respectable, well-accomplished international physician highly regarded as honest and a gracious Nigerian anyone would want in a position of trust. But in our Nigeria that has been taken over by the devils and the lesser devils. It is hard to point to latter day’s saints. Yet there are those many who would return forgotten money in taxis or in their care, no matter where in or outside the Country. They ignore the natural law of finders are keepers. Nevertheless, they will never contest for office for fear of being soiled.

Here we are, if we were relatives, suffering and smiling, yet the honest doctor if true, told her subordinates to go and share sizable loot amongst themselves because she did not want to be involved. Well, well, well my dear doctor in the city of the devils and lesser devils, a respectable naïve lady like you must refuse to take part in politics. You either join them or get out of the way.  Otherwise leave and let Nigeria fall on all of us. Our money-parachute will do the rescue.

By the time Nigeria falls, we must have stolen so much money that we would be richer than god would. You see, we have no intention of dying for Nigeria. All compatriots who die for Nigeria are now in heaven with seven wives while those who steal her blind live all over the world with many more wives. Ma’am at this stage in life, you should be a public mirror for girls in their dream, need not be like Funso Williams. Should have left dirty game to boma-boys.

If Adenike Grange never heard about Tam David West who accepted a wristwatch, she must have heard about Professor Osuji who tried to play the only game in town, not for personal enrichment but for his Ministry. He got into deep trouble and they made a poster boy out of him.  There are those of you, especially those who are so clean, you can be slyly implicated.

We will subdue Niger Delta by bribes or contracts to Saro Wiwa children against those of Issac Boro; and then create our own extremists so that there will never be opportunity for peace. Ask for Elumelu release or war. Looters do it every time and when asked for their accomplishment; they claimed they keep Nigeria united, even by bloodbath. It is a vote getter.  However, do you really need the votes if you can loot from the majority to pay a few thugs to snatch the ballot boxes or better still, use the Armed Forces against your opponents. How can you loose?

Actually, you can never be a successful politician in Nigeria unless you steal or get moneybags to sponsor you. If you are neither of these, you are wasting your time. Of course, we have heard about those JJCs coming from Europe and America with their hard-earned buru savings coming to Nigeria to contest for elections. What that means is that they are so highly educated they cannot think Nigerian. Otherwise, we do not know why anyone who worked hard for euro or dollars would compete with those who made the same hard currencies from the car boots.

In case you do not understand, no matter how much you bring into the Country, those who have never stepped out of the Country or ever worked for a dollar in their lives can exchange it for naira from the back of their car boot. You earned it the old fashion way, they loot it. They got so comfortable at one point, politicians were asking for their allocations in US dollars.

In the same vein, why would someone who started from scratch at home made his money and paid all taxes compete with looters and drug dealers? Please do not give me that conscientious answer about loving your Country, so do we. That is why our chances of ruling Nigeria are better. The first place to start is to tell the Country that we will do anything to keep Nigeria one.

Solution: if we are really serious about how to remedy the worst crime against any country, do what they do, ask for death penalty. We did it for armed robbers why not for pen robbers, in our situation they are worse than terrorists. If we have any shame or grace for blemishing our honor, especially from the high places, we should be committing suicide as in Japan for letting our country down. Oh lest we forget, we never agree on solutions.