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Where to start with
such a trail is the primary question; which kind of money are we
talking about and who to follow, is another. Recently, I saw on
television, a collaborative effort at curbing corruption by the EFCC,
the FBI and another American agency. The FBI spokesperson was the one
that said “We call it: follow the money” because, usually, there is a
trail left behind by such money. Well, even if I did not follow his
story from the beginning, I got enough inspiration for my story.

We are bombarded
daily in Abuja by the pungent wafts of naira and even dollars, such
that one cannot really imagine the amount of government money that
flies around every second of the day. This includes the money that uses
the ‘due process molue’ and the others that are conveyed in ‘undue
process jets’, and the activity of this ‘necessary evil’ has been
heightened by the firing of the starting gun for the 2011 elections by
Jega and his team.

I was in one of
these government offices last week and an acquaintance that I hardly
ever see outside the office was outside leaning by his car, looking
forlorn. Without prodding, he started lamenting about the present
predicament since their chief executive indicated his interest to run
for the governorship of his state. This young man used to be a bit
light and very robust, looking really healthy, and he works in a
department where he used to lick his fingers regularly, as in, on a
daily basis. He always used to stay inside the office so that the
goodies do not pass by him. This time, he went off on a litany of
complaints.

“Bros, nothing is
happening right now (pointing to their office building) in this office.
If oga no dey around, everything is grounded. See now, everybody is
outside because there is nothing to do. The entire office budget has
been licked by the ‘thief’…chief executive. He is the all in
all…can you imagine, if he is not around nothing moves because it is
him alone that signs…and now, as I speak to you, there is no money to
run this office…in fact, most of us are applying to be posted out of
this place before we go under…can you imagine, this is how we hang
outside looking for whom to beg…as I talk to you now, I do not know
how to get money to fuel this car back home…and you know I just got
married…this man is very wicked, in fact, he is a demon…”

I felt pained by
his situation and was moved to narrate the story to a close friend in
another smaller government department. But before I could finish, he
also interrupted me with “… ah-ah, oh so you no know…our oga wan
run for House of Reps and every contract now for this office, na she
dey do am. No matter how small; she get reach 50 business name wey she
dey use…ah, dey there, express don leave you finish.”

Running for office

Are you following my money, sorry, story?

That was all I
needed to draw the attention of the EFCC to all the government offices
being led by prospective governors to be, senators or representatives
to be. Even local government chairmen or councillors to be.

Or maybe one needs
to learn how to shout like Jega, for immediate and urgent response to
this issue? Well, no dice because if you get the attention and we move
a motion, who will pass it into law? It is the same distinguished
senators or members. Have you not noticed that any law, no matter how
sweet or good, if it does not favour this bunch of extinguished or
dishonourable people, such laws do not see the light of day?

My first acquaintance, however, ended his sad tale with some distant
light in the horizon. “…anyway, as God go punish the yeye man, you
know say dem say if you want contest for election as government
officer, you must resign…the devil think say im smart…e come apply
for ‘leave of absence’ so dat, if im lose, e go fit come back after the
election, come replace the money wey e don thief. But for where? All
the other small-small oga wey dey join us suffer, don put leg for
ground say this our thief executive must resign. This is so that if im
lose, e go suffer like all of us dey suffer here.” Abeg, is Farida
Waziri listening? Let somebody follow “dis money”.