09012021 - Nigeria must stop paying ransom to kidnappers

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 9, 2021
By Prisca Sam-Duru
The over dependence on crude as a major
source of revenue no doubt, has done
more harm than good on Nigeria’s
economy just like corruption and lack of
technocrats in key sectors. However, in recent
times, it has become crystal clear that the
country’s bogus style of government has been
more pernicious.
It will be recalled that one of the campaign
promises of President Muhammadu Buhari
was that he would “cut out wastages and run
a very lean government…with zero tolerance
for corruption”. Needless to attempt explaining
whether that promise has been kept five years
into his eight year term, or not.
Sometime in 2019 after the president got his
second term in office, there was “an
unprecedented overhaul of the nation’s seat of
government” from which some aides to the
Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo were relieved.
Also, “a number of political appointments were
either revoked or not renewed in the second
term”. That move we were told, was ordered by
the President, to “Streamline decision-making,
cut down multiple authorities and reduce the
cost of administration”. Whether that action
had any effect on the nation’s cost of governance,
one cannot tell especially since the number of
people relieved of their duties was not
disclosed. Also, the country is in another
recession rather than the economy improving.
What’s even the need for such downsizing
when some people who are not government
officials, have been illegal occupants of Aso
Rock villa, thus enjoying free rent, food,
medicals etc, all furnished with the tax payers’
money. And you expect people to believe the
government is sincere with reducing the cost
of governance? What with ministers and some
top government officials who move with more
than ten aides? What with the National
Assembly?
Till date, Nigeria operates an unnecessary
bicameral legislature even with overwhelming
huge external debts. Worse still, their pay is
extraordinarily high; even the US president’s
annual salary for instance, is nothing compared
with the package of a Nigeria’s legislator. In a
country where the number of extremely poor
people makes up better part of the population,
thus earning her the poverty capital of the world,
such bogus pay is the height of injustice and a
crime against the severely impoverished
people of Nigeria.
It is preposterous that Nigeria borrows to
fund her budget, yet, maintains a bogus system
that increases the cost of governance, to the
detriment of key sectors such as health and
education, not to mention the general welfare
of the people. Ironically, the cost of governance
in Nigeria is hideously higher than that of the
same America from which we copied the
federal system of government and, that of most
developed countries of the world.
The United States of America’s seat of power,
The White House, is literally the same as the
Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Aso Rock. Both
edifices share similarities such as housing the
first family and some government officials.
More so, most government’s functions take
place in the two spaces. But, you’d be shocked
to know the massive difference between the
two when it comes to operations.
Listening to one of the numerous interviews
with US former First Lady, Michelle Obama,
where she made some startling revelations
about the White House, offers a peep into what
a presidential villa devoid of selfish
aggrandisement, wastages and over bloated
budgets should be.
“The white house does feel like a home. And
I will say that a house is a house. What you
bring to a home is what makes it a home. And
how we lived in that home was what I remember
the most. People ask, do I miss the white house?
No, I don’t miss the house because we took
what was important in that house with us and
it is with us”.
That, you’d agree, is in total contrast with
Aso Rock Villa where former occupants made
some astonishing revelations about spiritual
attacks, rat invasions and the fact that they had
to constantly look over their shoulders.
Moreover, it’s been long established that the
affluence that accompanies living in that edifice
is what lures the aspirants, not necessarily to
offer Nigerians good governance. The
despicable level of looting of our national
treasury by these politicians, incontrovertibly,
exposes their major concerns. And unlike
Michelle Obama, they’ll never stop missing
the villa when their tenure expires.
And what could be that ‘important’ thing
Mrs Obama took back from the White
House? “It is family, the values, friendship.
So the house is beautiful, and it is
historic…it was an honour to live there
but the people in it make it what it is”, she
said.
Now, here is the bomb from Michelle.
“They tell you, ‘you can order anything’
and listen very carefully, everybody
listens to every word the president says
and I used to tell Barack, don’t say you
want something because then, we’ll have
thousands of it and then we’re paying
for it. If he said he liked some fish and
he happened to say this is delicious and
then we get the bill at the end of the
month and, it’s like, ‘you flew that fish
in from China’? It’s like that fish wasn’t
that good… in fact don’t say you like
Between The
White House
and Aso Rock
It is preposterous that
Nigeria borrows to fund her
budget, yet, maintains a
bogus system that
increases the cost of
governance, to the
detriment of key sectors
such as health and
education, not to mention
the general welfare of the
people
that fish”. Did you get that?
She continues; “A lot of people think…it’s
interesting when you hear people say that tax
payers are paying for that and the truth is yes,
you don’t pay for rent, you don’t pay for staff,
but everything, every dish, they will count
the number of peanuts that you eat and charge
it back. So you get the bill at the end…we live
in the White House sure…I mean this is not a
complaint, it’s just something that people don’t
understand. You pay for all your guests, the
food that they eat. And for all you who came
and visited, when you were thinking, I’m just
gonna take some and put in the purse, I was
like, we got the bill”.
Isn’t that amazing? Are you still pondering
how America and other developed countries
earned their revered status?
If the federal government of Nigeria is honest
about cutting down on the cost of governance,
the White House’s model is an incredible and
workable starting point and believe it, the first
family and other officials in the presidential
villa will become meticulous with spending.
Come to think of it, is it possible that any
Nigerian first lady, be it past or present would
describe Aso Rock as home? I doubt that.
Just recently, news about our First Lady, Aisha
Buhari’s relocation overseas, went viral.
Reports cited insecurity as the major reason for
her relocation. This may be fake news. It may
not be true but a recent feud that even resulted
in shooting may lend credence to a seeming
discomfort for her in Aso Rock. Isn’t that absurd
especially when the place she is possibly
avoiding is supposed to be ‘home’? If one should
draw inference from the home Michelle Obama
described in her interview with Oprah, then,
Aso Rock is just a building (house) and not a
home. If it were to be a home, the first lady will
stick to her husband’s side, almost all the time,
offering every support she can, after all, it is
said that behind every successful man is a
woman. If you insist the Villa is a home, are the
virtues Mrs Obama mentioned, existing in Aso
Rock Villa? Before you answer, do not forget
that on several occasions, there were news both
on social and traditional media about some
kind of fracas that erupted in the Villa due to
perceived ill treatment and rancour in the Villa.
It will be in the interest of Nigeria if Aso Rock
becomes a real ‘home’ because by that, it’ll be
leading by example and that’ll birth a more
civilised society.
And concerning Nigeria’s bogus style, that
undoubtedly, is reason charlatans will never
be deterred in their desperation to covet
political positions. Imagine a situation whereby
Aso Rock’s occupants including other political
office holders are to pay for every expenditure
from their pockets, as is the case in the White
House and, salaries of these political office
holders are cut down to a more sane and
considerable size, politics in Nigeria will
definitely be less attractive. And, that space
will only be accessible to individuals with
authentic interest to transform the country into
a true giant of Africa, if not a super power.