Open Letter To Mr. President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan On The Touted Mass Sack On Federal Parastatals/ministries Due To Fall In Oil Prices
Dear President,
Happy New Year. It is with all honesty, I write to you on the news making the records that as the oil prizes fall in the international market, it is becoming evident that Federal Government would consider mass sack in the ministries and parastatals.
Mr. President, I am human rights activist, not employed by government at center, state or local government, so I shall not be affected directly by the so called sack, but certainly indirectly. And as the gadfly of the society, I owe it a duty to raise affirm when the ship of the nation is sinking, because I am part of it even if I may not be a Nigerian, death of a person decreases me because I am involved in humanity.
Mr. President it is said that hand cannot cover the moon. The glaring magnitude of corruption in Nigerian among the political class which has dragonishly mid-wifed the permeations in the rank and file of the society is the archilles hill of any intending government in Nigeria. The ambivalence that bespeaks the recurrent glamour for sanity in the corridors of power has founded the neplusultra in Nigeria and has be mumbled many a critic as yours sincerely even within the permutations of the crusader.
Mr. President, a word in this direction is not good enough for the Nigerian wise against the global dictum. Nigeria is tetra-sitting on the tenterhooks of corruption and has passed from being baptized to be John the Baptist as the baptizer himself in corruption. But John the Baptist was sanctity-centered as averse diametrically to the obstreperous convolutions berthed on the corridors of Power in Nigeria championed by misgovernance.
Mr. President, within the laughable display of panegyric misgovernance is the skeletonnish leanness of the hoipolloi to the short changing of the wormwood and the gall. But alas Mr. President, the ruling class look the other way round as the lower rump occupiers in the geopolity, pine away in decertified lack.
Not hand in glove with this abnegation is the shrill cry of the deprived in the land of abundance called Nigeria. Shooting in all cylinders and in no direction, those men of the now living in the yore are objects of pondered sack. Why?
Mr. President, the codified mono-economic gladiation within the shines of arrogant display of wealth in the Power circle is an unmitigated sign post of a failed leadership. Abrasive tendencies in misgovernance in Nigeria is hexagonic:
(1) Corruption
(2) Oil theft in the Niger Delta
(3) Poor internally generated revenue
(4) Extravagant expenditure
(5) Infrastructural decay and poor terrorism development
(6) High cost of governance.
Mr. President, lets be terse in adjudging the million, not in anyway adjudicating. May we see!!!
CORRUPTION
Mr. President, there is no need flogging a dead horse. But suppose there is a twitching of the half –dead frog on biological dissection slap what would the biochemist observer do? Mouth agape of course.
So, I am rendered speechless because Nigerians have been twitching on the slaughter slab of national coffers' pulverization. Corruption is made the state religion in the bokoharamic terrorist warfare. Each government that comes including yours, promise to fight the bull. But like the bull and matador, nobody wins, with the ground as the hoippoloi, having the indelible scars of tanker-trailer collusion.
OIL THEFT IN THE NIGER DELTA
Call it militants. Name it high profile workers of NNPC. Christen it military belligerence. Tag it trado-cultural meddlesomeness. You could as well fly the kite of executive fiatness or international collaborations. They are all five fingers of the leprous hand in the sawdusting of the crude oil resource of the Niger Delta.
The ship of the foreigner docks in Tombolo region only to cruze away with tetratonic load of monstrous cubic volume that is computer-incalculable. It drives in snail speed, proudly getting off sight to the world unknown. This is a daily experience. So, Comrade Kindness Jonah, why do you flutter dovecoats?
POOR INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE
Tax evasion is a Nigerian. But most states over-do it at the level of the toothless dogs not bulldogs of the masses. But the state governments fritter away chances to hit the jackpot in the setting up or encouraging the setting up of big time industries to make the tax bag add many kilograms. The recycling corruption would none of that.
How can that be when the Executive Governor is netting in on monthly basis around N500 million as security vote that is unaccounted for? Yet, he is covered by the immunity clause. Yet, he is accorded his Excellency respect, when in effect, he is the gutterspine political chicanery.
EXTRAVAGANT EXPENDITURE
Mr. President extravagant expenditure is the lull in governance in Nigeria. On-your-marked by military incursion, at least since January 12, 1970, it was alculturized and has been normed in Nigeria. But I can't sign on-the-dotted-line as an activist as a stander in the gap. And that is why I appear parroting.
INFRASTRUCTURAL DECAY AND POOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
Qatar and UAE are sitting on the desert dunes. Yet, they are one of the best developed places in the world. They are not littoral enough in comparism with sisterly Saudi Arabia or distant Nigeria. Yet, Nigeria is hanging on the balance in economical equanimity, while those two micro nations in comparison are boiling in nitwits of soundly developed tourism.
HIGH COST OF GOVERNANCE
My dear President, mischievous governance, subsummed in perfect policy but perfect contortive application is a Nigerian. With claustrophobic hydra, this high cost of governance has aridified rulership sanctity and amplified boisterous budget padding pitted against ministries' subcutaneous intent of pseudo-budget implementation.
That is the way the cookie crumbles in governance in Nigeria. Mr. President are you assuredly oblivious of it? The vampire in the National Assembly that skyrockets self-budgeting has given windfalls of intended amounts to the lawmakers who do next to nothing, but making themselves comfortable in the midst of skin-corroding and bottom-scratching populace as electorates.
Corruption ad-infinitum is the sonoric genry in Nigeria not regarding the millipedic remarks against it by the powers that be who best suit the drama of fish in water, denying water. I don't blame any because the god of the unrighteous mammon is the football umpire in the playfield of governance in Nigeria.
Who shall bail the cat? Who shall quench the thirst? Who shall play fool for the emergence of the wise? Mr. President, could you please:
1. Reduce cost of governance starting from your own cabinet? What is the office of the First Lady doing that billions are pumped in there? SA to the President on this, on that!!! SA to First Lady on this, on that!!! SA to Minister of on this, on that, the list is endless.
2. Why should government refuel the cars of functionaries when they are paid for their assignment?
3. Senate President earns N88 million per month and Mr. President, you are aware. No Senator is less than N45 million per month and no Representative is less than N35 million per month. And Mr. President you know of it. As the captain of the ship called Nigeria, you have hopson choice to fix Nigeria or resign. Do not sack (lay-off) anybody because workers did not cause the problem.
You cannot be playing ostrich in matters of corruption: you either face it squarely and save Nigeria, not fearing stepping on toes or resign and your position; let another take. Corruption has zenithed to the neplusultra in Nigeria.
A Publication of HURCON (Human Rights Organizations' Coalition of Nigeria) with Comrade Innocent J.K.O. (Innocent Jonah Kindness O.) as the National Coordinator. 080-3666-2901 or +234-803-6662-901