19th March, 2014
Olufolaji Fadeyibi
I know I am going to receive a lot of advice on how I am too old to use profanity. Do not waste your time sending one. I ain’t gonna read your shit.
The Nigerian government prides itself as having the fastest growing economy in Africa.
To this end, it has invited Rolls Royce to establish a dealership in Lagos, Nigeria.
In preparation for Rolls’ debut, the Nigerian political leadership has begun the looting of the Nigerian treasury. They are not even agreed on how much they have looted so far. They argue that it is only between ten billion United States dollars and twenty billion United States dollars. Nobody knows and nobody will ever know, forensic or no forensic audit. A forensic audit is one where audit procedures are specifically geared to unearth evidence of wrongdoing, usually fraud. The independent, annual audit is directed at ensuring that the financial statements are free of material misstatements. Nothing is going to come out of the Nigerian case because the source documents have long developed feet. Therefore, substantive procedures are hobbled. No documents to vouch or trace to. It is actually a kinder and gentler class of political looters because in the past, buildings in which such records are housed would have been razed to the ground. The NITEL building in Lagos comes to mind. But I digress.
Sometime last week, the Nigerian Immigration Service announced/ advertised a sham nationwide job recruitment exercise at a venue in Abuja, Nigeria. On the surface, it looked like the government was interested in providing jobs and revitalising the economy. The truth of the matter was that none of those applicants would get a job. If there were any jobs at all, they were already gone to the children of the well-heeled. In any event, sixteen of the thousands of applicants were stampeded to death. FOR WHAT? I ask. Not only that, these poor Nigerians were armlessly robbed by a government that charged them exorbitant application fees. This is how the Nigerian government shows love to its citizens.
Two weeks prior, forty five high school students were slaughtered in their sleep only hours after a military check point disappeared in the town where the school was located. This incident also happened some twenty four hours after President Jonathan had a media chat in which he said he was going to prove the effectiveness of the Nigerian military against the Boko Haram by withdrawing the military from the Boko Haram axis of operations. This was to enable Nigerians to see what would happen in the absence of the military. It was his way of responding to charges of the ineffectiveness of the miltary. Whatever he was proving or not proving, innocent kids are dead.
Finally, earlier this morning, hundreds of Nigerians were reported massaccred in three villages in Kaduna State by individuals said to be Fulani herdsmen. Government is responsible for the welfare and security of the citizens. This government has abdicated that responsibilty.
In closing, I am appealing to the Nigerian Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to organize nationwide protests to call these crooks to task. In my time, as a member of the NUNS at the University of Lagos, I’d already be kicking ass in Abuja. And folks, it is time for the motherfuckers to go.
.Dr. Fadeyibi lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the USA