Vampires Put Chokehold On Nigeria Left Right And Center  

By

Farouk Martins Aresa

faroukomartins@aim.com

 

 

Nigeria refuses to die naturally. The fiercest lions have succumbed to too many stings by bees, while dogs have been fleeced to death by opportunistic parasites. Yet, Nigeria remains standing. Even Agbonmagbe Bank finally dried up. Mystery behind Nigeria’s survival is no where but in the number of people who eke out a living accepting the fact that nothing good can come out of the Government. It is easier to turn us into street beggars. If we cannot change individuals, let us work on institutions, if not from the top-down, we must do it from middle or down-up.    

 

We may find solution to our problem if we start dismantling corrupt institutions in our system. It is true that governments go and come but one of the institutions that remain and never change in Nigeria is the civil service. It is ironic that Baba Go Slow Administration is the one making effort to breathe new and fresh blood into it, especially after the controversial maneuver by Lamido Sanusi in banks. They must cut more cancer from the civil service and banks to make a difference.

 

Civil servants are the technocrats who find loopholes for their masters to steal. They refuse to leave civil service while young brains that can make a difference rot before they assume control. Government, Fiscal and monetary houses are dominated by entrenched power base that grease the status quo of political engine established to rig them into office. Some of them are also lively theocrats in Nigeria dictating when and where religious riots take place if they do not get their ways. How does a country survive all these?

 

The civil services of most countries tend to maintain the balance between two or three political ideologies so that cronies do not abuse their power. If anything, the status quo of Any Party In Power in Nigeria to loot the treasury has put us in perpetual darkness. Jakande once said that he had to change the mentality of that civil service in Lagos State. It is not so easy at the Federal level. Entrenched too long, they maintain corruption by facilitating new vampires. They must go!

 

Each time we have a change in government, they promised heaven and earth in a well crafted speech. That is where it usually ends. By the time they divulge their wants to the head of the ministries, they celebrate in their vile agenda. Whatever they demand, they get. Their will is their command and there is always a way.

 

The cry of ethnic agenda by the North in the civil service and by the South in the banks must be taken seriously because we live in Nigeria where anything goes. If those removed from the North are replaced by Northerners and those removed from the South are replaced by Southerners there will be less reasons to cry foul. However, Yar’Adua Administration had left room for suspicion in the past since it lacked commitment to visible Federal character in initial backbone appointments.

 

Every avenue through which the average Nigerian can make money to support his family has been hijacked politically, economically and socially. If you are wondering why fellow Nigerians can do this to their own brothers and sisters, you are not alone. Many of us have complained forever while many others die hoping against hope for some savior to deliver us. Still waiting but don’t hold your breath.

 

We have seen the glimmer of hope many times, only to be snatched away in the broad day light. Indeed, we have seen vampires that have risen from our blood, wowing to change their ways and change Nigeria, only to be struck down by their cohorts who were not willing to let go our jugular veins. Many of us are ready for the civilian form of Nzeogwu, Rawlings and Chinese missions. The only effective apology any of these vampires can give worthy of remorse is to hang.  

 

It must be made clear that this is not a call for military take over, as they are worse than the civilians they replaced. People’s might is stronger than any power or even military power. It has been postulated that Nigerians take so much from politicians because we are cowards. The reason may be because many of us wish to do the same thing when we get there. So we leave the window open for our turns. The fact is Nigeria will be in poor house before our turns come.

 

Nothing else has worked. Not incarceration or name calling by international world; they wear it as a badge of honor. Not handcuff at international airports or under Ribadu for loot or money laundering, they challenge the jurisdiction. The more money foreign government seized, the more they take out. Indeed, as a result, they stole even more in case some of it got detected on transfer. Vampires rely on the fact that Nigerians can never agree on any solution on what to do with them. By the end of the day, Nigerians are left with no viable solutions!

 

Other African countries have always wondered how much money there is in Nigeria because no matter how many billions they may steal, there is always more left to steal. Indeed, some of them see Nigerian money building oil refineries and gas plants in their countries while we cry for more electricity and refined petroleum products at home. They see vacation villas built by Nigerians in their countries to escape from law, madness and beggars they created at home.

 

Nigerians’ foreign partners swear that there is no better country to make quick money than Nigeria. That is, as long as you can hold your nose from the stench in the Country. The only people missing out in the land of milk and honey are working class Nigerians since middle class has been eradicated by structural adjustment forced on us by the World Bank.

 

We have never focus on those civil servants who head their ministries.  The amount of money they make creating loop holes for successive vampires ruling Nigeria is more than what some one-term politician stole. They divert contracts to their wives, trusted friends and family members while they create more beggars fighting over crumbs, peanuts and guguru. We may have lost sight of these culprits for too long. They must go!