I have always believed that the greed and wickedness that made it possible for the African to sell his kith and kin into slavery remains with us to date.  The damning predicament  in much of Africa constitutes in practical terms another form of   “neo enslavement.”  African leaders have continued to demonstrate a callousness to their own people that defies all human logic. Indeed if the crude form of the trans-Atlantic  slave trade  that saw to the shackling, torture and deportation of able bodied Africans in their millions to strange unknown lands and into an unknown fate still existed, African, and Nigerian leaders in particular would gladly participate in this orgy of human traffic to line their pockets with lucre.

There is nothing in Nigeria today that suggests otherwise. If anything, the ugly, undignified cabal that struts the corridors of oppressive power in Nigeria continue to reinforce that belief. Speaker Patricia Etteh as a mirror and reflection of the cabal,  has only continued in a long tradition of  mindless corruption, engendered by the “slave traders and  masters”  who continue to hold sway in Aso rock coven. The Etteh quagmire involving a little over 5 million dollars or 628 million Naira for the simple renovation of a relatively new house  in a nation where crunching poverty stalks more than 70% of the population is  revealing enough of the despicable and unconscionable mindset that made it possible for the African to sell his kind in the slave era.

I have not ceased wondering what specie  Nigerian leaders are made off? It must take a group who have lost all pangs of conscience and all essence of humanity to manifest the kind of  crass selfish greed, insensitivity, and wickedness evident in our clime.  Not surprisingly, there is already a rent seeking masquerade, both ethnic and partisan,  out to save Patricia Etteh in spite of  her unpardonable crime. It doesn’t  matter that she failed millions of desperately poor citizens whose lives, merely existential manage to thrive in our “Hobbesian jungle”  where life is brutish and short. It doesn’t matter that the colossal sum could have tarred or at least repaired many bad roads, provided many essential drugs and pipe borne water for disadvantaged folks in impoverished communities.

Nor does it matter that a fraction of that sum would see many gifted kids through school who otherwise would not have made it because of a paucity of funds, or even feed  and  provide social welfare for a sizable fraction of widows, the handicapped or the hungry millions who throng our streets each day. What matters for the reigning  cabal as always is the power, arrogance, oppression, and opulence  the looted funds can sponsor to the detriment of  the masses. Regrettably there is an Etteh in every strata of government, representing the narrow selfish interests of a notorious  cabal that has collectively held us hostage.

In the last 8 years, faced with the promise of democracy, Nigerians held out much hope for improved security,  infrastructure, gainful employment, human rights and social welfare. The Politicians took up public space promising utopia. Erstwhile President Obasanjo painted himself in the garb of the victim, a “Nigerian Mandela” who can only bring good tidings. The Nigerian masses failed to reckon with the evil cabal lurking in the corridors of power. They wholeheartedly gave their hope, trust and support. Today we know better. 8 years after in the midst of an unprecedented oil boom the nation lies comatose, worse than ever before.

The Patricia Etteh’s in  every ministry, every parastatal,  every local government council, every state government house and in Aso rock  have made sure that in spite of yearly  budgets in billions of Naira, the roads have further declined, electricity supply has worsened, healthcare has collapsed, education has been bastardised, unemployment, insecurity  and poverty have become vampires stalking  the land. While the masses endured these damning realities and disappointments, the bank accounts and pockets of the "Etteh cabal" is brimming with looted lucre siphoned from the people. There is a frenzy of foreign trips, acquisition of prime properties  and investments in posh London, New York, and South African addresses.  

Birthday parties, and political associates are hosted to lavish receptions in elitist London or American joints. Their children and family members are enrolled in foreign schools and carted away to safe havens. Shopping for every item from toothpick, tissue paper to expensive designer labels is done abroad. Medical care for things as little as headache,  leg sprain or as frivolous and egoistic as tummy tuck, eye-bag tuck or bald head treatment is done abroad. Praise singing sycophants and rent seekers are kept afloat with unearned cash. Having made sure the roads are not motor able, there is a new cash flaunting craze for  trendy  acquisition of  Jeeps and 4 runners  in recent times by government officials to better manoeuvre the death trap roads.

Such is the privileged and luxurious lifestyle of the self serving  Etteh gang and cabal  at the expense of the hapless masses. It is foolhardy to assume the cabal will ever change its self serving ways and serve the interests of the masses.The recent 419 elections described as the worst in the world by international election monitors is further proof of the extent the cabal can go in seeking to remain in power and protect its interests.In every electable office, the cabal made sure it selected and brazenly rigged into office only those from within its dishonourable camp in a bid to pepertuate and consolidate power.

Patricia Etteh, selected as speaker through the same sham democratic process is a top  beneficiary of the electoral scam orchestrated by the cabal.Defeating the cabal will require a determined onslaught by the citizenry. From the French revolution to the recent Ghanaian Jerry Rawlings action which has altogether miraculously transformed a once poverty stricken nation, history bears witness that such vultures and unconscionable cabals of which Patricia Etteh is a reflection will never go away just for the asking. Nigerians must seek the painful but necessary Jerry Rawlings option if  we can ever aspire to march towards a functional, prosperous and compassionate nation free of the strangulating cabal.   

Comrade Lawrence Chinedu  Nwobu
Email:lawrencenwobu@yahoo.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 I have always believed that the greed and wickedness that made it possible for the African to sel...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 15.09.2007 13:37

aguabata  Villager

# 2 Again, i will say that there is nothing wrong with africans or nigerians, we are responding to the level of our social development, do you think the hawkish politicians in america wont loot their government and cart the money away to the carribeans if they had the opportunity? The difference is that the institutional structure makes it difficult in some western countries. Humans are all the same, i agree that some nigerians will still trade in slavery if given the opportunity and so will their contemporary western counterparts. All we need do is to keep building our structures and demand the currently popular phrase 'due process'. Weak structures are found all over in nigeria from pastors of churches who almost control the finances of churches to governors, Though i question Yaradua's standard of morality, if he is able to achieve due process which will clamp corruption, then 99% of Nigerias problem will be solved. For those moaning over Alams heroes welcome by bayelsans, why should their governor be singled out for humiliation over all the kleptomanic legion roaming the government, etnicist will use that as a premise to brig up ethnic sentiments Posted by aguabata| 15.09.2007 17:13

Caeser  Villager

# 3 =Robot;208941>I have always believed that the greed and wickedness that made it possible for the African to sel...Read the full article. Greetings comrade, It is indeed surprising that the usually vociferous ethnic nincompoops that abound in the NVS have suddenly gone silent over the monumental allegations of corruption against Mrs. Etteh. One would have expected them to condemn the greed and audacity of this woman as they are wont to condemn anything Igbo, and call for her immediate trial . Do we see any hypocrisy here? Cut and paste the following link, watch the clip and add a few names of your choice. Names like Etteh, Olabode George, Obasanjo etc etc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IYewnHB9eA Posted by Caeser| 17.09.2007 16:59