The Worst Nigerians of 2013 Awards

by Eze Eluchie

About this time every year, our local media is awash with 'Man/Woman of the Year' bestowals on people who have moved the society forward. Considering the sorry state of affairs in Nigeria, one can appreciate the skepticism with which the people view the awardees of such 'honors' who, in most cases, turn out to be discredited politicians who surreptitiously paid for such bestowals.

In my opinion, our failure to properly identify and acknowledge those who have contributed towards keeping us where we are whilst the rest of the world continue to advance, partially contributes to the decadence in our system.

It is with a view to setting the records straight that the major identifiable sources of our problems will, for once now be highlighted in the hope that those identified will have a rethink and better their ways in future and encourage those towing their paths of infamy to retrace such naughty steps for the betterment of the polity.

The 'Worst Awards for the Year 2013' will be in 4 categories, to wit: The Worst Corporate Entity, The Worst Governor/State Agency, The Worst Federal Minister/Federal Agency and The Worst Nigerian.

The Worst Corporate Entity

For continuing in the dubious vocation of selling death and disease to millions of Nigerians, ensuring that the farmers involved in tobacco plant cultivation remain in abject poverty and their soil poisoned, and expending the enormous resources at their disposal to ensure that Nigerian authorities remain unable to join the rest of the international community in eradicating tobacco product related harm, multinational tobacco conglomerates operating in Nigeria, particularly British American Tobacco Plc, is hereby awarded The Worst Corporate Entity for Year 2013.

 The Worst Governor/State Agency

Spirited last minute efforts of Yobe State Governor, Mr. Ibrahim Gaidam, to edge out all others to claim this dishonor by evacuating his entire family and ruling Yobe State from the safe distance of Abuja, far removed from the daily attacks of Boko Haram terrorists which has decimated Yobe, whilst collecting pocketing and sharing all Federal budgetary allocations due to the State and at the same time pretending to conduct local council elections with ‘large voter turnout’, proved insufficient to unseat yet another State Governor whose penchant for deceit and maladministration is legendary.

For crafting a government rooted in mass deception, amongst other ploys: promising not to collect official salaries/allowances whilst in reality not bothering to govern the State with a Budget; promising ‘free education from primary to tertiary levels’ to all in his State without meaning any word of it; Spuriously executing fictional massive projects and creating equally fictional thousands of jobs (all in the pages of paid news-media; stage-managing the impeachment of the State’s Deputy Governor; jumping from one political party to another faster than the tempo of Samba dance; the initial award for Worst Governor of Year 2013 goes to the Governor of Imo State, Mr. Rochas Okorocha.

 The Worst Federal Minister/Federal Agency

During a year when citizens of Nigeria were incredulously deported within Nigeria, by some rascal State Governments; When elected representatives/politicians defected with impunity, from the party platforms upon which they were elected, in clear violation of the Nigerian Constitution and without the constitutionally stipulated consequences been effected; When virtually all the States in the Nigerian contraption violated, with impunity and no fear whatsoever of consequences, explicit constitutional provisions for Local Government Councils to be headed by elected officials; When, by its actions and utterances, it appeared there was no mind knowledgeable about domestic and international laws within a hundred miles radius of the Presidency of the Federal Republic; the Justice sector suffered untold harm and damages as a result of a gaping hole in leadership pat the Federal level.

For reneging from his responsibilities and not having the guts to throw in the towel, thus creating the impression that Nigeria is a contraption devoid of laws, the current Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke goes home with the dubious distinction as the Worst Minister for Year 2013.

 The Worst Nigerian

The winner of this ignoble award does not really require much attention as his antics has long been known to Nigerians and the international community. A former military dictator who was sentenced to death for Treasonable felony charges and thereafter foisted on the Nigerian contraption as an ‘(s)elected’ President, this character was once accused, by his own son, in sworn depositions before a Superior Court of Record of having had incestuous copulations with his daughter-in-law, and recently had one of his daughters publicly disparage and expose him as an unfit and improper character. A tyrant who desperately sought to alter the Nigerian constitution to perpetuate his strangle hold on governance and did not even have the guts to own up to the scam; a man who presided over Nigeria in an era when political assassinations and deployment of State security apparatus to witch-hunt real and imagined adversaries was the order of the day; a brute who flittered away most of what was left of Nigeria’s esteem and respect in the comity of nations by

The pitiably pedestrian efforts at orchestrating national instability as exemplified by his instigation of crisis within the ruling political party and in his treasonable correspondence with the President of the Federal Republic, coupled with the gravely negative impact of the several policies enunciated during his reign of evil (May 29th 1999 - May 28th 2007) continues to have on the Nigerian polity of Olusegun Obasanjo, makes this former despot the unequivocal recipient of this inaugural The Worst Nigerian for Year 2013.

This Awards will be bequeathed annually. I assure all that the nomination process for subsequent years will be made known to all for inputs as efforts are converged towards societal advancement.

Picture: The 'Baddie' trophy filled with victims blood.

Borrowing to rig elections II

By Eze Eluchie

The practice of criminally minded politicians to further pauperize their States and citizenry by borrowing huge sums to rig elections has become a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s pretense at democracy. These kleptocrats, having already squandered their States resources on themselves, their cronies and white-elephant projects, proceed to rub insult into the injuries they have already inflicted on the citizens of their States by mortgaging the future of generations yet unborn via spurious bank loans.

The financial institutions that dish out these suspect loans are in most cases, quite aware of and complicit in the fraud being perpetuated against the peoples who are ruled by these kleptocrats. As pay-back, some of these Banks (and senior management of the Banks) deliberately announce amounts far in excess of the real sums advanced to States as the sums loaned, knowing full well that the difference between real sum loaned and the sum announced will remain in their vaults and probably distributed as perks/bonuses to those who participated in the scam.

This rather unfortunate practice occurs not only in-country but is also widespread amongst international financial institutions dealing with countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Populations which are already suffering the pangs of abject poverty are most unfortunately further saddled with fictitious and imaginary debt portfolios.

As election approach, the haste to secure more loans rises to frenzy.

It is in the light of this that the recent arrest of the Speaker, Principal Officers and Clerk of Nigeria’s Kano State House of Assembly by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for surreptitiously trying to approve a bogus Supplementary Budget factored on placing Kano State into greater indebtedness via new loan facilities ought to be commended.

One is however worried that our law enforcement agencies (in Nigeria) did not harken to an earlier call I made regarding similar antics by the other States in Nigeria, particularly the Lagos State Government in an earlier post on my Blog (http://ezeluchie.blogspot.com/2013/09/borrowing-to-rig-elections.html  

When one realizes the nexus between the widespread poverty visited on populations in societies where State officials engage in such horrendous larceny/large-scale corruption on the one hand and civil strife, conflicts, organized crime and terrorism, the need for the recognition, investigation, prosecution and punishment of large-scale corruption as a crime against humanity as stipulated in Article 7(k) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court becomes quite clear.

The trans-international border nature of the large-scale corruption crimes as described above makes it pertinent that international law enforcement agencies must congregate efforts towards tackling this behemoth.

Picture: Logo of Nigeria' Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

Sanusi: Central unBanker of the Millennium II

by Eze Eluchie

All over the world, the office of a country’s Central Bank Governor (or Chairman of Federal Reserve Board) is occupied by responsible persons who realize that their utterances, activities and even mere gestures impact positively or adversely on national economies. In other climes the Central Bank Governor is an embodiment of moderation, stability, financial etiquette and decorum. A peep into the candor and conduct of other Heads of Reserve Bank’s elsewhere, such as Ben Bernanke, US Federal Reserve Chairman and Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank will illustrate what is expected of persons holding this high office. 

When a Central Bank Governor takes it upon him/herself to stir ridiculous fiscal controversies, champion divisive ethno-religious policies and causes, and engage the Governments of his country in media squabbles, all geared towards creating a semblance of fiscal instability, it becomes pertinent to question the utility and motives of such fiscal ombudsman.

The politically induced and widely publicized claims by Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor, Mr. Lamido Sanusi Lamido, aimed at tarnishing the image of the Nigerian State and rubbishing whatsoever was left of Nigeria’s fiscal standing in the international community, that Nigeria’s petroleum conglomerate (Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation - NNPC), defrauded the Nigerian State to the tune of an incredulous sum of U.S.$49 Billion, generated and spread shock waves locally in Nigeria and across the world, ridiculing the essence of the Nigerian State, casting aspersions on the Presidency and the entire managers of the national economy. The news of the monumental ‘revelation’ by Mr. Sanusi were reported in major financial news outlets such as the Bloomberg.com, New York Times and across the globe – all these media maligned the Nigerian economy in their reportage as unworthy of interest by serious investors.

It was thus a shocker of earthshaking proportions for Mr. Sanusi to recant his earlier assertions in the course of his testimony before the Nigerian Senate today. Mr. Sanusi shamelessly reversed himself and now claims he missed his calculations by a scandalous huge margin - admitting no such fraud might have existed.

In societies where honor is revered and esteemed, such as the Japanese, persons in Mr. Sanusi’s shoes would have long committed suicide.

If any iota of integrity, dignity and self-respect still resides in Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the only option open to him would be to resign from office as Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank and issue and ensure equal domestic and global publicity for an explicit and unambiguous apology to Nigeria, Nigerians and friends of Nigeria for the harm caused.

A restructured and renegotiated Nigeria will ensure the elimination of this level of ineptitude and rascality in high offices.

This unfortunately is the second time I am having cause to post on this character: http://ezeluchie.blogspot.com/2012/12/central-unbanker-of-millennium.html

Picture: Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi