Reports

Thursday, 21 January 2016

Looters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thieves!!!!!! – the battle line is drawn.


Nigerians cannot continue to pay lip service to the situation. Only a drastic, purposeful, in fact, a daring confrontation on corruption and every form of financial reckless and impunity in the system will bring about our desired change  



Aside from the trending raging scandal involving ex-National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) who allegedly diverted $2.1billion approved for arms purchase, the Federal Government recently alleged that 55 former government functionaries and top businessmen stole N1.34tn from public treasury in eight years.


 “Out of the stolen funds, 15 former governors allegedly stole N146.84bn; four former ministers allegedly stole N7.05bn; five former legislators allegedly stole
(more gist and pix after the cut)
N8.35bn; 12 former public servants, both at federal and state levels, allegedly stole over N14.18bn; eight people in the banking industry allegedly stole N524bn; while 11 businessmen allegedly stole N653bn.


In another recent incident, a prosecuting witness testifying against the former Director General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi told the court how N546 million was paid into the account of a fashion designer named Chukwuemeka Benjamin for services that are not maritime related. Akpobolokemi and five others are standing trial before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court Lagos for N2.3billion fraud.

These are just a tip of the iceberg of shocking accounts of the financial recklessness and impunity of those we have elected or appointed to manage our commonwealth.

 



Let us face facts. This is not the time for long grammar and flowery arguments. We are in deep shit: way down inside a deep, dark slimy smelly ditch and the only way out of a deep ditch is to find a way to climb out of it.

This mindless looting of our commonwealth and flagrant corruption is a brazen undisguised affront on the sensibilities of the downtrodden masses. We will no longer sit back and watch as spectators while these “mindless Nigerians” use our national resources to tantalize, intimidate and entertain? us.

The situation has become so pervasive and endemic that the possibility for a way out for the poor masses seems more and more impossible by the day, but until we begin to see these looters and corrupt Nigerian as enemies of Nigeria, we cannot win this battle.


It does not matter how deep down the pit we are, we will surely win this battle against the enemies of Nigeria.

Nigerians cannot continue to pay lip service to the situation. Only a drastic, purposeful, in fact, a daring confrontation on corruption and every form of financial reckless and impunity in the system will bring about our desired change.


The journey out of a deep, dark slimy and smelly ditch will not be easy, and the results will not be immediate but structures that will bring about our desired change must be seen to be in place.


One step at a time, every hand on deck, giving maximum support for ongoing government efforts to rid our society of corruption, and we will soon be out of the ditch.

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