The Audacity of Thieves.

by Eze Eluchie

“If you see a thief and you allow him to be stealing, what did you do?...You have stoned nobody that is why we are stealing”. You will stone me? Who have you stoned?...Me I want to steal only One Billion Dollars, let them bring it!!
If you don’t take your destiny in your hands, we, we will go, another ‘leader’ will come, and they will continue to steal..!!!!
- Rivers State of Nigeria Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi


The above statement made at a public event, supposedly in memory of global icon, Nelson Mandela, brings to the fore the seeming intractability of crime and corruption in the Nigerian system. Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, a Governor of one of the 36 states in the Nigerian contraption, had bluntly told his audience, which comprised hundreds of youths and members of the civil society, inclusive of Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, that not only was he and his cohorts, the politicians, robbing the people blind, but that he had a target of One Billion Dollars and that so long as the people were not ready to stone thieving politicians, the looting will go on.

More benumbing was the reaction of the audience after such audacious confessions. Whilst no one took up the challenge to cast a first stone at this self-confessed felon, the audience incredulously gave Mr. Amaechi a ‘standing ovation’ for his comments.

Presuming there were no stones at the venue to spontaneously respond to Mr. Amaechi's call, did the attendees at the event not go there with shoes?

The scene depicted at this event is merely symptomatic of the Nigerian society. Public officials whose only source of stupendous wealth is the access to loot State treasuries with impunity, walk the streets in lavish convoys, flaunting their loot to a hapless pauperized populace who are not only mesmerized but appear to deify and hero-worship the very characters who stole from them.

If the audience at Mr. Amaechi bragging and daring event had been populated by ne’er do wells, the uneducated and ignorant persons in society, one would have held out hope that with proper sensitization and enlightenment, the masses would realize the wool being pulled over their eyes and in due time be able to confront these self-confessed thieves. Alas, the audience at the event where Mr. Amaechi tendered his confession appears to comprise of suit-wearing suavely dressed professionals (and as I stated earlier, a Nobel Laureate, who in other climes convert their exalted positions to an instrument of public conscience and serve as societies moral compass) who are apparently knowledgeable and informed.

Where then lies the hope for societal sanitation for Nigeria?

Not only do thieves find their way to high political offices, they now brag about it and dare the populace!

Not too long ago, in view of the inability of our judicial system to rein in these set of criminal elements posturing as politicians (better referred to as polithievians), we had to rely on British Courts to jail a notorious ex-convict who still meandered his way to become a State Governor in Nigeria (James Onanefe Ibori). Should we not be striving to strengthen our system making it less conducive for criminals and able to hold these thieves to account for their misdeeds?

Perhaps one can only take consolation in the old adage which proclaims that: ‘Everyday belongs to the thief, but one day belongs to the owner’. It is truly hoped that our thieving politicians will be more audacious as Mr. Amaechi was at this public forum in Lagos, dare the people more, perhaps one day, tell us to our faces how dumb, foolish and unthinking we have been to have allowed them to continue to steal us blind. And perhaps one day, that proverbial red line will be crossed and the people will awake from their hunger-induced and ignorance-nourished slumber and do what is right – clear the stable of felons.

Holistic restructuring and renegotiation our contraption will eliminate such perfidious, insolent and reckless rulership.


Video: Mr. Amaechi's remarks - in the first portion he reads excerpts of Madiba's views before veering into his own thoughts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ug0ifwslG84

Picture: Rivers State Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi

Olusegun Obasanjo: Truly the worst of his generation.

I have been opportune to read a sickening diatribe, dated 2nd December 2013, penned by no worse a character than the head of Nigeria’s erstwhile reign of evil, Olusegun Obasanjo, against present efforts at handling the Nigeria contraption.

It is simply preposterous that Olusegun Obasanjo, a notorious despot, immoral being, corrupt soul, and dirty character would have the temerity to begin to advice on governance in Nigeria after the terrible and unfortunate experience Nigeria has had with him.

It is only in a place like Nigeria that rascals like Obasanjo, whose desperate bid at self-perpetuation in office was truncated by the vigilance of Nigerians, who hunted down and ensured the elimination and or pauperization of persons he suspected of being adversaries and who converted State resources to erect personal fortunes for self and cronies, will be given a platform to insult the people as the effects of his misrule continue to manifest.

One would have thought that a man who had opportunity to rule over his country as a military dictator before being sentenced to death for his role in a coup plot and incredulously having a second opportunity at leading Nigeria, would have had the good sense to lead with grace, patriotism, compassion and a desire to serve his country and country men in truth, goodwill and honesty. Not Obasanjo. The man came back a more vicious kleptocrat, evil-minded dubious deviant, subverting State institutions (such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) to gestapo-like outfits and reducing Nigeria’s hard earned international position of respect to garbage.

Obasanjo should thank his lucky stars that he has a mild-natured man who is unwilling to inquire into the several atrocities committed during the reign of evil, as Nigeria’s current President. Otherwise this loquacious ex-dictator would be spending the rest of his miserable days on earth in a place where he belonged from the very onset of his foray in public life – behind bars.

Picture: Nigeria's ex-dictator Olusegun Obasanjo

After murder, Adams Oshiomole (Governor of Nigeria's Edo State) attains new lows

The same character who committed murder by ordering and ensuring the extra-judicial execution of prisoners whose appeals were still pending before our Courts (see earlier blog post: http://ezeluchie.blogspot.com/2013/06/nigeria-state-governor-adams-oshiomole.html) has once again taken governance to new lows in Nigeria.

The images captured on video (see link below), though typical of the character in question and symptomatic of the kleptocrats who rule over Nigeria, is so appalling and worrisome.

The attitude to the people! So pathetic!
  
The transcript from the conversation between Mr. Adams Oshiomole (Governor of Nigeria’s Edo State) and a hapless widow reads more like what one would expect from a horror movie:

Woman: I beg, I beg. My children are at home. Please help me. Please forgive me, I am a widow.

Governor Oshiomole: You are a widow, Go and die!


Good grief. I thought we had seen the worst forms of animals in governance in the era  when Nigeria had been ruled by despotic military dictators.

Apparently, the rascals who occupy high political offices in our present pretense at democratic governance think otherwise.

This is certainly one of the most disheartening and silly remarks ever uttered by any person who claims to have ascended to public office on the peoples mandate. 

Oshiomole, who happens to be one of the inept hypocritical creatures masquerading as 'progressives' under the APC banner, is whilst representative of his ilk, indeed a disgrace to the Office of Governor.



Video: Encounter between Governor Adams Oshiomole and widow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vw43BVPasDM

Picture: Mr. Adams Oshiomole, Governor of Edo State Nigeria.