2.1 billion dollars
418425000000 billion Naira (roughly)
I’ve followed all the activities concerning the investigation
of the former NSA Sambo Dasuki with great enthusiasm, as I think every well-meaning
Nigerian should, but what has been the most intriguing part of the whole saga
is when I sit back and look at that amount of money, and how far it would have
gone in the purchase of arms for our soldiers, and how it was used ‘recklessly’
if I may use the word, it just baffles me to see how far we are willing to go
to achieve our ambitions, politically or otherwise.
Has our ‘human nature’ gone to sleep?
The figures in question are mind blowing, that’s enough money
to cater for the budget of Lagosians for five years, or, to buy enough weapons
for our soldiers to take on the dreaded Boko Haram sect, surely you’ll need a heart
of stone to turn your back on the plight of the people and ’carry our money’
but going by the reports, our national security adviser felt it wise to divulge
the money into maybe what he thought was ‘more pressing issues’.
In as much as I recognize the fact that the accused is
innocent until proven guilty, it is also obvious that the supposed money was
not used for its purpose. So badly has our moral decadence gotten that we no
longer value human life, opting to send powerless soldiers to the battlefield
to fight, inevitably sending them to their death. At this point I pray our
fallen heroes rest in peace, their gallant efforts will never be forgotten.
When the national cake came calling, of course the people in
high places ‘no wan carry last’. Everybody wants to get a piece, and now the
wind has blown, but our NSA isn’t going down alone, so many big names have been
linked to the case, receiving amounts to various degrees, some in a bid to
finance electoral campaigns. But it begs the question, do we ever have enough,
we always want more, be it money, power, name it.
Money! Money!! Money!!! What
makes us tick? Is that all there is to it? Is that why we are here?
All over the world Nigerians both at home and in diaspora
have carved a niche for themselves, topping charts in both the good and bad
ways. We have the spirit of a hustler, almost everybody is determined to leave
their footprints on the sands on time, and this we have set out to achieve in
so many diverse ways…the hustle is what makes us tick, it’s all an intricate piece
of the Nigerian system connected together by a short fuse waiting to burn out.
Everything about the average Nigerian is fast paced, we like
fast cars, fast music, fast food, some even live life on the fast lane. There’s
no time to check time, no time to stop for a moment and reflect, there is money
to be made. Sometimes it’s like we are almost impatient with everything,
especially when things aren’t running smoothly for us.
The extent to which
we are going to make money and stay in power nowadays is quite mind boggling,
it’s sad to know that somebody or some people stole such a huge amount of
money, thereby leading to the death and long suffering of thousands, if maybe
the law was in our hands, things may have turned out differently, and to think
that these people have taken an oath to serve and protect. Some quarters have
hit out at the refusal of the EFCC to release the accused NSA. Sometimes I’m
tempted to say they do not deserve to see the light of day anymore, for they
have sold their conscience, and mortgaged our future, Let us not forget that
in some countries such atrocities will attract capital punishment…immediately,
if you know what I mean, and let us also not forget that everything Adolf
Hitler did in Germany was legal!
But in as much as we
would like to see the people that have made us suffer so much pay for their
crimes, it is good we do not disregard the law, if a competent court of law has
granted bail to the embattled former NSA, then orders should be obeyed, but
justice must and will prevail, a higher force watches over us.
The truth of the matter is that, in my opinion, it is truly
pitiful that some people in our society no longer have the nature of love in
them, greed and vanity has enveloped our conscience, and we can no longer tell right
from wrong…but what can we do, yet again comes the message of change, that is,
the kind that starts from you!
It remains to be seen to what extent this particular case
will be pursued, with the exposure it already has, and the presidents
unwavering fight against corruption, this one doesn’t look like it will be
swept under the carpet. I strongly believe that this ailing justice system under
the prying eyes of patriotic Nigerians, will prevail! At this stage in our
development as a country, the last thing we need are people who will jeopardize
the life of people and mortgage it for money that cannot be spent in a lifetime.
In any way you can, please “gbadura fun Nigeria”…
This is my candid opinion…what’s yours?
