By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi.

I have written on these pages times without number about Nigeria never having it so bad in terms of very poor representation, and the history of corruption in the country.

This is a country where just one person would steal from the Commonwealth, an amount that can comfortably feed the whole population of 230 million people for one day, and still have some change to spare from such huge amount of money.

Yet, such mind blowing amount is stolen from the public till by one person entrusted for the money’s judicious use for the citizens of the country, forcing the conscientious among the compatriots to ask at the sanity of some Nigerian leaders.

About one month ago, I happened to watch same television programme on two different occasions on the social media, where the speaker alleged to his captive audience that no big government theft ever happened in Nigeria without the support of a Northerner. Being an unapologetic Northerner, I felt very bad about that statement.

With the benefit of hindsight, I now come to understand that it was a ‘Berekete Family’ programme, where the statement was made. I once did an ignorant article on the programme, where I misinformed my readers that it was only aired on radio, not then knowing that it was on both the print media, the electronic media and the new media. That is by the way, anyway.

I  am now left shaking my head with utmost disbelief when I saw a video clip trending on the social media showing a very large store, said to be somewhere in the north, stacked with a mind boggling amount of newly printed Nigerian currencies, mostly the new N1000.00 notes and the usual N500.00 notes, ‘supposedly’ hidden from the public view.

One is but left to wonder at what the ‘hider’ or ‘hiders’ of that money intends or, if there are more than one person involved, intend to do with it. As ‘Dan Bello’ would say one of his signature statements, ‘Tsaya, Tsaya, Tsaya, a Nigeria kake fa, banson hauka’ (Wait, Wait, Wait, you are in Nigeria, mind you, do not be stupid), such a thing can only happen in Nigeria.

Nigeria is perhaps the only country where most of the leaders are anything but that, because the welfare of the people is the last thing on their mind, so busy they are with the ‘business’ of enriching themselves from the Commonwealth, as if it was the reason for their election or appointment into the various offices they occupy.

Not contented with direct stealing from the public till, some office holders use business people, contractors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders and all manner of other professionals, to front for them. Such individuals receive periodic payments either for a yet to be executed contract, or a government ‘settlement’, on behalf of the giver.

And more often than not, the official gets away with his insatiable desire for, and theft of the, public funds, with impunity. But a fraction of that would earn the offender the death penalty or life sentence in some climes, where corruption in whatever form is not only abhorred, but also not tolerated, regardless of whoever is involved.

 

Some so called leaders even allegedly give sophisticated weapons, ammunition, other logistical support and huge amounts of money to bandits periodically, in order that the outlaws may be used (they often are) to constantly ‘harass’ law abiding poor citizens of the country. Why is that so? So that the so called big man may make even more money.

I once saw the grave of a deceased on the  small screen where the person was buried with some of his (perhaps) cherished belongings. These include new dollar bills, a gun, expensive wristwatches and some jewellery, among what I can remember. All the items were intact, as if buried not long ago, but what remained of the dead body were just bones, not even an intact skeleton.

But most of the ‘big’ Nigerians, including the ‘religious’ ones do not appear to think of ever accounting before the Creator for the ‘riches’ they accumulated while alive. Even common sense should tell someone that it is absolutely wrong and immoral to steal, not to talk of stealing blindly and greedily from the government.

And at the end of the day, someone would come and ‘donate’, or spend a stipend, to the hungry poor masses in their communities, in the name of help. The same poor masses whose Commonwealth was stolen blind by the so called ‘donor’.

Some people might say ‘it serves us right’, because we opted for stipends and some under lasting provisions during elections. Still, it beats the imagination what someone is going to do with the unimaginable amount of money they ‘make’ while in high offices.

If Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KSIEC) could conduct sanity test on Local Government Chairmanship and Councillor-ship candidates, there is absolutely no reason why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should not carry out such test on candidates vying for seats in the State Assembly, the National Assembly and the Presidency. Similarly, all employing commissions, at both Federal and State levels, should subject prospective applicants for high offices to sanity test, before they are hired for the job.

May God give Nigeria leaders who would fear meeting Him on the day of judgement to explain how they led the people and managed the trust entrusted to them.

Malam Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.