There is no gain saying that most Nigerians dread and detest the Ebola virus more than all the demons put together. Even churches now discourage handshake and other forms of body contact.
For once Nigerians has set aside political, religious, ethnic, social or regional differences to fight a common enemy. This is because nobody or group has any political gain to make out of the Ebola situation. Party A can’t tie Ebola to party B to score cheap political point and make Nigerians hate party B. Party B cannot accuse party A of making political gains out of Ebola and therefore do little to curtail the situation. We are united and winning the war against Ebola.
What can we say of corruption that is the root of almost all the problems we have in Nigeria? It has been politicised, little or nothing is done to fight it because politicians are gaining from it. Civil servants, traditional and Religious leaders are gaining from it. So, nobody is ready to fight it with all sincerity that it demands. Most unfortunately our President has redefined corruption to mean that looting of public treasury is not corruption but mere stealing. This is the extent to which the President and his party has accepted and celebrated corruption.
The rise of Boko Haram and the poor fight against it can be linked with corruption of those youths were meaningfully engaged they will not embrace Boko Haram. Yet we have the money to engage them meaningfully but the money ends up in the pocket of few politicians. A youth that is; jobless and hungry is sure to be desperate, few with sound moral values may take up less dignifying jobs to survive but majority will take to crime. This is what we are facing now. This is why Boko Haram can recruit in a week the number of men our security forces cannot recruit in five years.
How is the government fighting insurgence? Between 2012 — 2014 about N2.7 trillion has been voted for security, yet our military lack training and equipment. Where is the money? What was it spent for? Who is giving account? When Bornu State governor said that Boko Haram fighters are more equipped and motivated than our military. President Jonathan accused him of playing politics and threatened to withdraw the military. Many Nigerians joined him in attacking Shettima for saying the truth. The coming of foreign troop to assist has revealed the truth, the President had no option but to admit the truth in his last media chat that Nigeria military lack training and equipment. Now he is asking for a $1 billion loan to train and equip the military to fight Book Haram, without giving account of the trillions he has collected in the past three years. Now who is playing politics with Boko Haram? Who is gaining from Boko Haram?
Boko Haram has killed and displaced thousand of Nigerians, they have taken over part of Bornu State and our military are protesting and refusing to fight because they don’t have equipment. They don’t have equipment because the money for that has been stolen if I must use the words of Mr. President. The military, police, Boko Haram fighters and the civilians that have lost their lives are all Nigerians. All these lives are lost because few corrupt politicians stole the money met to fix certains things that would have prevented the emergence or escalation of Boko Haram activities.
Kidnappers, armed robbers, hired killers, frustrated force men, ritual killers claim lives on daily or weekly basis, some of them loose their lives in operation. Most of their actions are linked with poverty. The only reason Nigerians are poor in a rich country is corruption. Our President has also said that Nigerians are not poor but our problem is wealth distribution. He went further to point Dangote; a Nigerian, being the richest man in Africa. He also said that majority of the private jets in Africa are owned by Nigerians. Yes I agree, our problem is wealth distribution because greater part of our Common Wealth ends up in the pockets of corrupt politicians and their supporters, while the majority of us wallow in poverty and frustration.
Road accidents; where hundreds of lives are lost is no longer news in Nigeria. These accidents are mostly attributed to bad roads. We have the money to fix these roads. Greater sum of the money allocated to the fixing of roads ends up in private bank accounts.
Many Nigerians are dying of hunger and hunger related illnesses. Poverty and poverty aggravated illnesses like malaria, HIV/AIDS, T.B, stomach ulcer etc are killing Nigerians in thousands. Nigeria have the money to eradicate extreme poverty, hunger and controllable diseases but the money ends up in private pockets. Yet according to our President they are not corrupt but mere thieves that are untouchable. We have never experienced impunity as being displayed by this Jonathan led government.
There is hardship in Nigeria. Jobs and job opportunities are very limited. Cost of living is increasing. Many policies and decisions of this Jonathan government has further engulfed Nigerians in poverty. Increased electricity tariff and a levy of N750 monthly without a corresponding increase in electricity supply. Increased cost of number plates and licence, fuel, kerosene, gas, diesel, aviation fuel, cement and other building materials, food stuff, cost of transportation, general goods and services. Our naira is loosing its purchasing power. The economy is down irrespective of what Okonjo Iweala is telling us.
Ministers are spending billions of naira to hire private jet. Government agencies are not remitting money to the federation account. Ministers must get approval from the President before they obey legislative summons, state allocations are being tampered with or delayed unnecessarily with impunity. The President is spending state funds pot appropriated. Yet all the Senate could do is to beg him to prepare and submit appropriation bill for money already spent. Senate is begging the President to come through the back door for an impeachable offence. This can only happen in Nigeria.
Corruption is killing more than all the diseases put together. President Jonathan should set aside political interest and gain to fight corruption that is killing more than Ebola virus. Until he starts to fight corruption and fight it to a standstill he has not done anything.