An Open Letter To The Group Politics Editor Of The Nigerian Tribune —DUNAYO JOSEPH

Kudos to you your production crew comprising Dapo Falade, Abiodun Awolaja and Charles Akinsete on the down-to-earth x-raying of the unhealthy financial position of most states in the federation in your article titled “Why states are running bankrupt”, published in Nigerian Tribune edition of Friday, 30 March, 2012.

Despite the expression of your fear that there is need for states to be saved from bankruptcy, the fact still remains that corruption in governance today in Nigeria as exemplified by the sentencing of the past governor of Delta State, James Ibori for 13 years by a London court would erode the sympathy that Nigerians have for states that are already prone to bankruptcy. Here is an ex-governor who looted his state’s funds instead of providing good governance while at the helm of affairs in his state between 1999 and 2007.

It is rather unfortunate that Nigerians have not formed the habit of asking questions from their leaders on how they come about their stupendous wealth after leaving office. This is a national problem that is even more pronounced in states that are blessed with abundant intellectuals in all fields of endeavour. Can this attitude be traced to the son-of-the-soil syndrome which seems not to be helping matters as far as the fight against corruption in Nigeria is concerned?

I would have loved that you get hold of a copy of the University of Lagos, Nigeria Inaugural Lecture Series 2012 with the topic “ACCOUNTING FOR PEOPLE’S MONEY” delivered by Professor Eddy Olajide Omolehinwa of the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Lagos, on Wednesday, 8th February, 2012 at the University of Lagos Main Auditorium.

On page 1 in the book, the erudite professor quoted General Abisoye (retd) who was the chairman of the panel that probed the operations of the NNPC in 1994 as follows:

“NNPC does not respect its own budgets. NNPC does not respect its own plans… The unwritten code in NNPC styles of management… would appear to be everyone to himself and God for us all…make hay while the sun shines and loot all the lootables.” The question is: 18 years after this statement was made, is it not applicable to the state of affairs today in the running of governance in Nigeria as a whole? The answer is of course an emphatic YES.

It was reported on page 3 in the Nigerian Tribune of 14th April, 2012 that 80 ghost primary schools were discovered in the state and that this development was the handiwork of education secretaries in the affected local councils in the state. This is a state where the most appropriate adjective to qualify the people of the state is ‘ABJECT POVERTY”.

Shortly after this discovery, on page 48 in the Nigerian Tribune of Tuesday, 17 April, 2012, is another report on embezzlement of public funds in Adavi Local Council in Kogi State. It was alleged in the report that finance clerks in Adavi Local Government allegedly embezzled the whopping sum of N155 million in the last 11 months, i.e. between May 2011 and March 2012 through 443 ghost workers on the council’s payroll. I am not a soothsayer but I have no doubt that if all the 774 local councils in the country are scrutinised for ghost workers, most of them would be found wanting just as in Adavi Local Government in Kogi State.

There is a quote on page 2 of the book that I so much love and this relates to a statement made by Bishop Oyedepo in 2011 while giving an address at the Covenant University:

“Most elected public officers operate consciously or unconsciously with absolute mentality, that is, answerable to no one… The masses are more like political captives while the elected officers are their ‘lucky’ captors who joyfully prey on their captives… Until we institute public accountability system to checkmate elected/public office holders we shall continue to bemoan the scourge of corruption.”

General Buhari while Head of State was quoted on page 2 in the book to have said that:

“Immorality and impropriety of Nigerian leadership have tainted the whole society”

On a lighter mood, I must share with you all, an extract from the Editorial Notebook at the back page of the Nation newspaper of Thursday, April, 19, 2012. It goes thus:

“As Pope John Paul II lay dying, he sent for James Ibori and Lucky Igbinedion. When they arrived at the Vatican City, they were ushered into his bedroom. As they entered, His Holiness held out his hands and motioned them to sit on each side of the bed. The Pope grasped their hands, sighed contentedly, smiled and stared at the ceiling. For some time, no one said anything. Both Ibori and Igbinedion were touched and flattered that the Pope could ask them to be with him during his final moments. They were also puzzled because the Pope never gave any indication that he liked either of them. Finally, Ibori asked, “Fader, which one? Wetin you ask the two of us to come do here?” The old Pope mustered up strength and said weakly, “Jesus died between two thieves…. I will like to die like him.”

Apart from the book ‘Accounting for People’s money’, I also wish to draw your attention to the Newswatch magazine of April 2, 2012 with the headline “Executive Robbery in the LGs” with a rider, “How Governors, Chairmen Steal Billions”. The Newswatch magazine of April 16, 2012 with the headline “Their Excellencies’ Charity Programmes” with a rider “How First Ladies Con Nigerians”.

The summary of the report on the probe of oil subsidy embarked upon by the House of Representatives has just been made public and you will agree with me that the damming report further goes to buttress the saying that our country is indeed a corrupt one. The report also brings to mind the statement credited to the former Ghanaian Head of State, Jerry Rawlings, when he said in 2006 in Nigeria that the claim of our country being the giant of Africa has been dwarfed by corruption. Six years after this down-to-earth appraisal of our country, has anything changed as far as corruption in our country is concerned? The answer is an emphatic NO.

My prayer for our country is: May God save our country from being choked to death by corruption.

Sincerely yours,

•Odunayo wrote from Mopa, Kogi State