Nigeria Content Online

Nigerians are
miracle workers. They have devised ingenious means of coping with their
miseries. They construct their own roads, build schools, sink bore
holes, discover the best power generating machines. So, whatever the
government does with the commonwealth is not their business. After all,
they have found a way round their troubles. What a people; what a
country.

A former civilian
governor from one of the south-south states, while on the run from the
law, was actually aided by his people to escape from the country. They
frustrated every attempt by security personnel to track him down. These
same people were those whose wealth he had cornered and used for the
good of himself and family.

Another former
state governor who was recently ousted by the Appeal Court, took his
impoverished state to the capital market to take a bond of over N17bn ,
about seven months to the end of his second term in office. By the time
he was thrown out of office, about 60 per cent of the money had been
spent on ‘developmental projects’. For his ‘good work’ while in office,
a well attended thanksgiving service was organised for him in his
village home. Shouts of ‘hallelujah’ echoed, as the drums were rolled
out to welcome back home a proud son of the soil who has represented
his people well.

Following this same
path of honouring our heroes, a befitting thanksgiving service was also
recently organised for a very important politician in a “rascally” part
of the country, following his completion of a two-year jail term for
corruption. Prominent in the crowd of well-wishers at the service were
a former president, serving governors, ministers, ambassadors, among
others. Their mission was simple: to welcome home a darling son,
leader, father and husband who had done his people proud.

A while ago,
$250,000 cash kept in the treasury room of the Nigerian Football
Federation suddenly developed wings. Almost two years later, nothing
tangible has come of the various investigative panels set up to probe
the missing money. The same Nigerian Football Association was purported
to have paid $250,000 to the Iranian Football Federation, for the Super
Eagles’ failure to turn up for a friendly match with the Iranian
national team. Money, of course, is not our problem. It has never been.

We live in a very
special country with very special humans. A country where people with
questionable records rise to hold prominent political positions. A
country where a man who was living on friends yesterday, suddenly
becomes wealthy overnight after a stint in political office. A country
where people place curses on their relatives for coming out poor after
holding political office.

When will Nigerians
begin to make our leaders accountable to their people? When will
Nigerians ask the kind of questions being asked in the Maghreb? Until
then, let us continue to enjoy the enviable record of being the
happiest people on earth.

Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja