WHICH WAY NIGERIA?

The story of nigeria is probably the most tragic story of all time. No nation is as blessed as nigeria, whether in human or natural resources. Nigeria is said to be the 8th largest exporter of oil in the world. Yet Nigeria is one of the poorest nations in the world. I recently visited nigeria from North America, and was amazed at the run-away inflation rate in the country. Almost everybody on the street has the new N1000 note in his wallet, and spending it. That is the best indication of the inflationary rate in any country: where people are spending high denomination notes on the street. And the N1000 note is nigeria's highest denomination. In the United States, you will hardly find $50 and $100 notes being spent in stores, even though they are available in the banks. Those notes are reserved for high transactions. The same is true for the United Kingdom, where the fifty pound notes are reserved for high transactions. Most people in England, have never seen those notes. From my experience, it is the foreigners who usually introduce those notes to the citizens of that country.
Nigeria is a great country. There is no doubt about it. If Nigeria had been allowed to reach its potentials by our politicians, few countries in the world can rival her. Do you remember the sixties, seventies and early eighties when the story of nigeria was still a beautiful one? Even though our politicians had been stealing us blind since independence in 1960, their plundering and brigandage had not yet brought nigeria to her knees. At that time, nigeria was a mecca for foreigners, the inflation rate was still low, life was good. That was a time when students received bursaries from state and federal governments, and when the federal government had so much money it didnt know what to do with it. Or so it claimed.

Today nigeria is on it knees, raped, brutalized, beaten, pummelled, and sacked by our own corrupt, decadent and evil rulers whose only concern in government seem to be how much money they will steal. From state to state, and from one government ministry to another, our politicians and public servants are stealing our money with such frenzy that they have left the country dizzy. Local governement chairmen, councillors, assemblymen and women, state governors, commissioners, first ladies, senators, members of the federal house of representatives, government ministers, their aides, directors general, directors, assistant directors, board members and so on and so forth, are competing among themselves in the stealing frenzy. There is no end to the list. There is no end in sight to the plundering. Our politicians are stealing as if tomorrow will never come. Or as if they will not be held accountable someday.

The latest known culprits are former aviation ministers femi fani-kayode and babalola borisade who allegely stole a whopping N19.5 billion Aviation Intervention Fund. The money " was shared among top government officials, using companies as fronts, under the watch of former President Olusegun Obasanjo," said a newspaper report. According to the paper, a report by the Senate Aviation Committee, which probed the disbursement of the Fund, recommended a five-year public office ban for Fani-Kayode based on "established irregularities in the award of contracts" while he was Minister. It detailed how 20 companies, with a combined share capital of less than N21 million, got N10 billion worth of contracts, and how fake Due Process Certificates were used to siphon money from the Fund.

This is just the latest tragic story of corruption in government in nigeria. The monies that have been stolen from nigeria since indepence in 1960, have to be in the zillions of dollars. Much of this loot is stashed away in foreign banks. Much of the money have been used to purchase lavish homes and properties abroad. Much of this loot have been forgotten in these banks, and will be taken over by those countries. You can imagine what those monies could do for us today in nigeria.

The tragedy of the largescale plundering of the nation's resources by our politicians is that the monies meant to build hospitals, roads, schools, airports, and subsidized housing for the masses, are being converted to private coffers. Both the military and civilian governments we have had in the country, have competed among themselves for the dubious honour of who could steal the most. Our politicians have become so corruption friendly, and so blinded to their duties, that the country have been allowed to drift. Nigeria that was once a major exporter of all kinds of agricultural produce, cannot feed itself today. Nigeria is now perhaps the world's major importer and consumer of food and consumer items. Yet no country's land are as fertile as nigeria's.

Governments the world over, are supposed to help their countries to grow and develop, by building infrastructures, enacting rules and regulations, proving cheap funds for the private sector, building welfare programmes for the poor, and providing security for lives and properties. What is happening today in nigeria are the opposite of these ideals. Our politicians have failed us. If we cannot trust our politicians to govern us well, who would we trust? Are we to follow the words of the late lamboyant K.O.Mbadiwe, who perhaps out of frustration, suggested we invite the British colonial masters again to rule over us for another 100 years? Or is it possible that perpetual colonial rule may be the best solution for us? If we are incapaable of taking charge of our affairs, shouldn't we hand our fate over to white colonialists? Would the country fare better under their rule, than under the atrocious rule of the brand of local politicians we have known? Who can stem the tide? Nigeria needs help and a new direction. The country needs a cultural, ethical, agricultural, industrial and moral revolution. Can President Yar'Adua seize the moment, and make a difference? Can the president seize the gauntlet?