MATTERS ARISING FROM THE BULLET PROOF VEHICLES’ PURCHASE BY THE MINISTER OF AVIATION, PRINCESS STELLA ODUAH: One does not need to be a politician to attempt to draw attention to current or historical issues in Nigeria.One burning issue today, is the burchase of two bullet proof cars for her ministry’s use, by the Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah. The problem of Nigeria is far more than the $1.6million dollar reportedly spent on the purchase of these cars. We have lost trillions of Naira, from Independence, through the years that were either not accounted for, or were spent on white elephant projects. From the days of the Johnson Matthey Bank saga of the 1984 and even dating back, beyond that period,what Onyeka Onwenu, in a 1990 BBC documentary, tagged,’Squandering of Riches”,has remained in vogue. We have always seen such being swept under the carpet or basement, while in so cases, some weak sacrificial lambs are placed on the slaughter board for slaughter. The scape goat syndrome, has always diverted attention from Nigeria’s woes. Even when the loot is recovered, much of it remain unaccunted for, a typical one being the much publicised,”Abacha loot”. While I cannot stand for any form of misappropriation in government or at other levels, I strongly believe that Nigeria has gone beyond the stage of jungle justice, where trials and judgments are obtained on the pages of Newspapers. If the minister is guilty, let our laws and those who gave her the job, prove this. It is not for us to blame Nigerias woes on the purchase of two items, no matter how appropriate or otherwise the procedure undertaken may have been. I am usually amused by the highly puritanical disposition of our people The evaluation of a persons tenure, should not be based upon one single decision, in isolation of all the contributions made towards national progress through the years. The tenure of Princess Oduah needs to be better evaluated than basing every thing about her national service upon the propriety or other wise, of the purchase of two official bullet proof vehicles.have there been such purchases by other individuals and ministeries in the past? Which steps were taken to sanction them? The Aviation minister was indirectly agreeing with the generally held view that the state of insecurity in Nigeria, has reached a very critical level. While she and her prized guests and investors, may feel a bit safe, while air borne,she knows they will surely come down, to face the reality of our times, that Boko Haram,Armed robbers ,Kidnappers etc, are readily on the prowl. The Minister is not under any delusion, that her position or even the multiple security details, guarantee any special form of security, for after all Bola Ige of blessed memory, shared the kind of Ministerial immunity, that she enjoys today.Princess Stella Oduah is only making a general statement that other contemporaries ought to key into, in a very timely sequence, that in a nation where security of lives and property is very porus,”Ministers also cry”. If only this government could mop up all the funds that ministers, legislators and others in power, are channelling into the procurement of these hungry white elephant projects,they will be able to pay off ASU as well as improve the employment situation, in Nigeria, for the functional and long term solution to crime,does not lie in the procurement of bullet proof vehicles, but in the channelling of efforts, towards keeping people out of crime, by providing viable clean and legitimate alternatives.This has become the reality of a nation where security votes take more funding than developmental projects. I agree with the opinion that the money could have been more wisely spent, but I am amazed by the level of very loud noise being emited in several quaters. Our puritanical and hypocritical disposition, could rob us of the opportunity of placing issues of extreme national importance, beyond the mundane considerations of witch hunting and vendetta. A sincere and closer look, may even prove that those who are championing the, “Sack Oduah campaign”, may not be in any way better. From previous experiences, many of such perfectionist have turned out to be superlatively hypocritical opportunists. Let us go back to history and look very well before we leap. Let us not judge a Ministers tenure by one decision, that we adjudged inappropriate. The solution to Nigeria’s problem, does not lie in sacking Oduah, but in examining the root cause of squandamania and partial accountability, without any attempt to sweep such under the carpet. How can we make Nigeria better, when we lack the collective will to punish the pointmen of the corruption league, both within the military and civillian era. Those who for example punished the Sam Mbakwes, Jim Nwobodos and many more,after the December 1983 coup, took over the stable, and through their cumulative, unprecedented and superlative acts of corruption, ended up canonizing those they had earlier sent to prison. Some of them were jailed for up to 250 years, for acts of kick back, as we were told. But those who used the state legal aparatus to jail them, committed such henious economic crimes against our people, that they, using the same parameters they had applied, deserved to be jailed for more than ten million years each. No such trials were held, nor would they be ever held, simply because, we are superlatively Machiavelian in orientation. The set of rules for the Conquistadors are light years away from the ones for the common people on our streets. The winner takes it all, as battle rules are set by the victors. Who will bring to trial, men and women, who had fraudulently amassed more wealth than Nigeria, and have remained actively involved in all the political dispensations, both military and civil, for many decades running. Those who were at Dodan Barracks issueing decrees, less than two decades ago, are now at Apo Quaters, formulating National laws. The Caterpillar has become a glorified butterfly, but we know that,once a caterpillar, always a caterpillar, for no sooner than the butterfly attained maturity, it will begin to reproduce its own earlier forms, in its own procreated representatives. Hence, the succeding generation, gets bolder in terms of the percentage of National wealth that she anexes and amases with out any due consideration for the people’s priorities. I believe the aspect of our government with conscience, is to be seen from among the State Governors, who, as I found out through a personal enquiry, are not easily favourable disposed towards signing warrants of execution for condemned persons. I am not making a case for people who are paying for crimes committed by them selves, as their sentences imply, all things being equal, but stressing that many of the Governors, who are not readily keen to sign execution orders, are more honourable, than many who are asking for Oduah’s head on a golden platter. They know that it is only by grace that they retain their position, and if they are all to be exposed to very close scrutiny, like the condemned persons, whose death sentence, they are meant to endorse or authenticate,many may receive sentences not very far from the ones they are meant to endorse. Jesus stated it loud and clear,let he or she whose hands are clean cast the first stone. Without making much ado about their personal dispositions, many of our Governors are being true to their conscience, in a nation where people’s hands are amputated for stealing goats, while others receive National pardon and honour, when they successfully steal millions of dollars. The time has come, when we will become very serious with issues concerning national rebirth and repent, where the need arsise, so as to achieve the desired national re-awakening, that will turn our fortuns around for good. Mean while,let this minister be corrected, where she has erred,if any, while due process and accountability, should be re-enthroned at the centre of our national life, for no one is perfect. Venerable Joe Eziaghighala.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 02:03:51 +0000