By the Stroke of Midnight

By

Phil Tam-Al Alalibo

Make no mistakes about it; what we have on our hands is a tribe of greedy, monstrous and avaricious politicians marking the time to the stroke of midnight on May 29, 2007 when their term expires. Before then, however, they must have their fill, they must embezzle to the hilt; they must loot, spend and loot again. They must buy cars for their girlfriends and countless streams of mistresses; they must buy mansions and planes, businesses and companies to cushion their retirement. And he who does not partake in this frenzy must be a paramount fool and suffer the painful repercussion of being a pauper. 

Recent revelations regarding the utter licentiousness of the president and his vice have been grossly shocking. We talk here of billions of dollars being tossed about to satisfy personal goals. At last, Nigerians know that Obasanjo and his vice have been the bane of their problems in the last seven years. I do not believe that there are many Nigerians left who still believe that Obasanjo is incorruptible. With such corruption that even the devil would be ashamed of, does Obasanjo, the alleged born again Christian, have the moral ground to persecute Atiku or anyone? It appears that Atiku is winning the battle in the court of public opinion, not because he has adjudicated himself whole, far from it, but rather, Obasanjo, hitherto regarded as the cleaner of the two men, has been exposed intoto transposing Atiku as the lesser evil. If any good can emanate from this opprobrious entanglement, it is the nauseating revelation that Obasanjo is as corrupt as those he has sent to jail or arrested in the persons of Tafa Balogun, Alamieyeseigha, etc. Many have known this all along, but the slugfest has confirmed it for all. While there are still many questions, many intrigues, many confounded treaties that Nigerians may never know, one thing remains clear; that the country now has a clearer idea of the caliber of men at the helm.

The story gets messier at the state level with no respite in sight. A few days ago, we heard that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges of money laundering arrested the wife of the Bayelsa State Governor, Patience Jonathan. As if they had not learned from the mistakes of DSP Alamieyeseigha, they appear to be heading the way of perdition once again. Just this week, I was discussing on the phone with a friend from Bayelsa that the Niger Delta does not deserve the 50% derivation been clamored for. One must ask; what have they done with the money received thus far? It was the former finance minister, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, herself, a native of Delta State (Abia, by marriage) who challenged the Delta State government to justify more than N300 billion in revenue allocation; she further noted that the State was richer than most African countries. And she is right, for I have been to Delta State, recently, and it does not appear to have seen much development. It's truly a sorry sight, its major cities; Sapele, Asaba and Warri remain in dire need of infrastructures and yet, we have heard rumors of its governor gulping up mansions in London with Bentleys to spare.

In the case of Dr. Jonathan, it appears that education has not been a factor in the governance of the state in spite of lengthy promises and venal academic pontifications. In time past, we blamed the lack of development on illiterate military leaders who could hardly spell their names not to mention chart the course of a complex nation. We joked of a certain northern politician who when asked what minerals his state had, responded by saying, 'there are lots of Fanta and Coke…' whereas the questioner meant natural resources. But what excuse can be adduced now that western-educated men and women well aware of the difference between Coke and natural resources occupy the highest offices in the land? We are to understand that the University of Port-Harcourt educated Dr. Jonathan does not understand that money laundering is inimical to the development of his state; and was he being mendacious and vile when he promised a transparent government?  Or is this a situation where corruption is so acidic that it beclouds the judgment of even the most learned in our society?

In neighboring Rivers State, Dr. Odili, a medical doctor, is not aware of the importance of a robust healthcare sector that hospitals in the state remain bare and a breeding ground for infections. A few weeks ago, I wrote under the title, Governor Odili Must Explain, where I noted the dearth of development and achievement of Odili in the last seven years in spite of billions of dollars at his disposal. Since then, I have received an abundance of emails from people on the ground with several noting the selfishness of the Niger Delta leaders and their deliberate actions to subject their people to poverty. For example, the abhorrent actions and flagrant reign of profligacy of DSP Alamieyeseigha cannot be blamed on northern leaders or on anyone else, but on DSP himself.

If these leaders were well intentioned, the political crisis in the Delta region would not have festered. If they had used the oil money judiciously, the region would be basking in prosperity. But the truth is the political class profits from instability, it profits from crisis, and it becomes relevant in the midst of strife and war; that is the sad irony of it all. Until they can show probity in the use of resources, they cannot mount the moral pulpit and ask for resource control. As Ken Saro-Wiwa once noted, the problem of the Niger Delta is with the people of the Niger Delta. The subtext is clear; Niger Delta leaders in collaboration with the multi-national corporations subjugate their people to paucity and scantiness of means. How then can anyone blame the federal government when the state governments have not lived up to their responsibilities?

It seems, then, in Nigeria, an educated leadership has been a curse than a blessing to the citizenry. If I am not mistaken, the former governor of Anambra, Chinwoke Mbadinuju is a doctor, and yet, under his watch, Anambra reverted to primitive existence with teachers going unpaid for fifteen months and development brought to a standstill. At the national level, the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo held so much promise, as a private citizen; he had criticized the government of the day relentlessly and held it accountable through the pages of the newspaper. He was western educated, an accomplished author of eight classic books, and countless articles and vast in philosophy, but yet, when the opportunity came to put his education to the benefit of the people, he fell painfully short. Professor Fabian Osuji, the disgraced former Education minister has been a professor of high standing and integrity, yet his many years of education did not serve him well when greed became his mantra as he sought gratification from an inflated ministry budget.

We ought to be cognizant of the fact that the nation's politicians are in a mad rush by the stroke of midnight to empty the federal and state treasuries and most would do so with impunity. I am reminded of the case of a military administrator of a south-south state who absconded with his loots before the handover date in 1999. The state police commissioner was hurriedly sworn in to lead the state until civilians took over. But even in the face of this gross dereliction of duty about to manifest, there is hardly any repercussion that will attend their way. Is it not the aforementioned governor of Anambra, an accused murderer, who was rewarded with ambassadorial position after leaving office in 2003? And what has become of the former governor of Kogi State, Prince Audu, who shelled out $1.8 million for an Atiku-styled mansion in Maryland? Though an ANPP governor, word had it that he campaigned so vigorously for Obasanjo in the 2003 presidential elections that he is now enjoying what could be termed as after-office immunity.

As the stroke of midnight on May 29, 2007 approaches, some of our politicians are concluding plans to jet out to foreign lands. Mallam Ribadu, the Chairman of the EFCC revealed recently that some politicians and a state governor had made plans to flee the country before the expiration of their tenure to avoid prosecution. The said state governor had planned to escape the country under the guise of an accumulated leave citing the need to rest. I dare say that the governor is Joshua Dariye of Plateau, a noted fugitive who has amassed so much wealth that he could afford to donate N100 million to the PDP when his state, with the lowest revenue allocation can hardly pay workers' salaries.

Where do Nigerians go from here and how do they reclaim their country from the vampires of the night? The answer is clear; they must hold their leaders accountable. A sure way of getting their attention is to engage in demonstrations and strikes until conditions improve in the same manner done by civilians in Sudan that overthrew a military government in 1985. It is a good thing that the EFCC has decided to screen those vying for office in the 2007 elections. It will serve the polity well if men and women with integrity and a genuine desire to improve the lot of the people are voted into office. Until at such time when Nigerians hold their leaders to the highest measure of accountability, they would continue to be lied to, cheated on, diced and sliced. And by the stroke of midnight on May 29, 2007 when the curtain is drawn, the next cast of actors will assume the stage for a sure reenactment.

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Author can be reached at alalibo@gmail.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 By the Stroke of Midnight ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 23.09.2006 15:23

DERI MIKEYI

# 2 My brother, (told them for me) for what do you expect to see from people who were dumped on us by the (political talakawas) of the nation?. The likes of Odili East and Goodluck Jonathan, are all products of the system that created some of the (i did not annul the June 12 election, i only cancelled it. That was what our one and only Maradona told the BBC in a recent interview. These are the type of people aspiring to take over from the main ZOMBIE MAN- Baba Iyabo. The question is, what in the name of OYIBO REPETE-is the difference between annul and cancel. As for Jonathan, he has created more wahala for us than ALAMCO did. Education has nothing to do with the whole mess that both Rivers, Bayelsa and Deltans are in today. The system from Aso Rock down to the local government councils are all rotten-pure and simple. How much would it cost the Bayelsa state government, to provide portable drinking water for the people of that state-not to talk of light. Is it because every contracts has be approved by Aso Rock that, that is pushing them to recycle contracts awarded since the 70s? It was with courage and great foresight, that King Spiff and late chief chief Dappa Briye, embarked on the project of constructing the East West road through the swamps of the Niger Delta against massive oppositon from the controllers of the nations nascent destiny then. Yet, we have people who soaked gari twice a day, in order to have an education, including the ones who shelled their way through shells (embamiri quarters at Okrika and Nembe water side), refuse to educate them people in Castros Cuba, free of charge. May the Orus of Izon land, add more grease to your concern for the down trodden masses of the entire Niger Delta region-As for the core East, bico, they still have OZUKU, our Boro and Ken are gone- so soften your pen a bit to enable the god of the Amadioha tripod-work on the governors from that region. Since they and not us, first travelled to London and America with the help of Awo and Zik, we only only stated our journey which was again aborted with Alamco recently, so we need time to catch up with them. Posted by DERI MIKEYI| 24.09.2006 07:35

akuluouno  Villager

# 3 Which villager is opposed to making Nigeria a loose confederation of six independent states? Let him speak up or else remain quiet. The black man and indeed the whole world will be better off for it. Yugoslavia has already set a precedent for us. We can send all our leaders of thought to both the defunct Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia to learn how to peacefully Czechoslav us before we Yugoslav. Dont you like the slogan, "Czechoslovak us before we Yugoslav". A party that runs on this slogan will win votes from all well meaning Nigerians except the vultures, apologies to KSaro Wiwa, the arch federalist, who got born-again as a confederalist when the federal might was about to consume him. Warm regards. Posted by akuluouno| 02.10.2006 23:55