The wake of Nigeria’s 56th year clocking and
celebrations has come with eminent personalities airing their views and
opinions on how far the nation has come, its state and the possible projections
for the future. The unenviable and avoidable recession the country has been
imbroiled in taking centre stage in the scheme of things, discourses converging
on this subject would take longer than expected to subside, at least until the
nation makes significant head way out of the doldrums.
One prominent
feature of this period is Senator Dino Melaye’s call to the Buhari-led
government to give a six-month moratorium for the suspects and allegeds of
misappropriation of government funds in the past administration to return the
funds, the expiration of which would see the full weight of the law come down
hard on them.
In analyzing this
call in its full and holistic essence, it would be pertinent to put all the
facts on the table, from the immediate to the remote causes, complete with the
players and actors who performed in the script that put the nation in this
economic coma. For starters, it would be
necessary to note that while the hue and cry has been that the present
administration has done nothing but cry wolf over the mistakes of the past one,
the truth cannot but be far from the fact that the erstwhile administration was
on all counts unhelpful to the saga we unfortunately found ourselves in. It is
apparent that the policies of the present government aggravated the already
inflamed economy and threw the populace in the low it currently is in.
It is without doubt that the nation suffered gross perfidy
in the past government, and it would be unforgivable in the annals of
prosperity if the corruption malady is allowed to walk the streets free, left
unchecked and unquestioned. But it would also be meaningful to chase this sin
in a strategic manner as opposed to the hard formula, in a bid to speedily come
to the rescue of a distraught economy and people. To this end, the funds should
be the actual focus of the anti-corruption fight, and Melaye’s recommendation
on many counts may possess some amount of merit.
First, the nation is groaning under a grinding recession
that does not seem to offer any tangibilities of hope in sight, with businesses
and interests packing up faster than the speed of gravity, with the attendant
ripple effects spiraling nearly out of control. Funds are immediately needed to
not just sponsor the budget, but to be immediately injected into the system for
a form of economic first aid. This is
one of the instances where the senator’s recommendation would hold some
water. But the truth is that the
submission is like a basket out of a river, in the present Nigeria we operate,
for a couple of reasons.
First, the culprits of this anti-corrup[tion drive have to
be scanned and their personalities analyzed. These are people who are
considered untouchables, and the formula the hunt is being applied with adds
logs of wood to the inferno of their sacred-cow status. Secondly, such a call
coming at this time of our lives reeks so much of helplessness on the part of
government, and frustration at the futility of their efforts to recover these
monies. As such these individuals are among the people who coined the laws
under which the constitution is enshrined, and can perceive the body language
of the government by this call, and would further be emboldened and hardened
instesd of persuaded to return the country’s commonwealth. These individuals
would always of course have the funds to hire the smartest lawyers to art their
way out of gaol’s way, bribe their way through institutions, pay hired crowds
in the name of civil rights groups to stage protests on how one human right of
someone was trampled upon, and so many other things which will only end up
making a tomfoolery of the entire drive and impoverishing the hapless masses
all the more.
The way out would be a holistic strengthening of the
institutions, massive enlightenment campaign of the definition of this monster
called corruption, and a complete review of the laws that govern us. Until this
is done, we would just be involved in a life-size and long-haul rigmarole;
sweating without working, motion without movement.
On the flipside though, it could be time for the Almighty to
do what He is known for; He might just touch hearts devoid of human effort or
persuasion and the money would be returned, on the aegis of this call. The
Nigerian people deserve respite, however and whichever way it comes.
Ogbonna Nnaemeka Henry
henchyman@yahoo.com
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