There is little left denying that Reckless and Incompetent
are two words that absotively and posolutely define the Goodluck
Jonathan regime.
It is disturbing however that a few
remaining diversionists insist on the Straw man fallacy argument,
raising the issues against the person of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (SLS) in
the June, 2013 FRCR report in attempt to stall the national urgency of a
motion to impeach Nigeria’s president.
The topic on the minds of
Nigeria’s millions of destitute and poor and on the minds of global
observers concerned about Nigeria is how a nation of 168 million
intelligent and hardworking hopefuls cannot know where $20 billion or
more is.
There is no question about this. This is not disputed.
Nigeria’s government does not know where $20 billion is. The Finance
minister has admitted in unambiguous terms that she expressly does not
know where $10.8 billion is and again where the entire $20 billion is.
This fact, first realized at the end of the reconciliation meeting was
again submitted by the Minister of Finance and the Economy, Ms. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala in a BBC press release on February 25th, 2015. Quoting the
BBC in the article “Nigeria's finance minister puts pressure on
Goodluck Jonathan:”
"My position on this has been clear from the
start. The Ministry of Finance's reconciliation showed a shortfall of
$10.8bn in NNPC remittances to the Federation account. After this, the
conflicting claims continued with new figures such as $20bn being
mentioned.
"So since 13th February I have called for an independent forensic audit…”
In
any decent and democratic nation, such a submission by the Minister of
economy and request for forensic auditors would be followed responsibly
by a letter of retirement. If not, a competent and well-intended
President of any progressive nation in the world would have been
compelled to do the honors of immediately dismissing the Minister for
dangerous admission of incompetence. We do need a forensic audit, and
only so, because our Finance department is woebegone. If you cannot do
your job, to the tune of $11-20 billion, your way is the door. This is
what should be and what would be in any civilized nation.
You will even
get death in no-nonsense China. The retaining of the Finance Minister
after this admission is reason #2 why the President of Nigeria should
urgently be impeached.
This cannot be overemphasized. Reason #1
for the President’s sack of course is the initial issue of missing
billions (USD). These matters are serious. Our nation is not a joke.
Mismanagement and embezzlement are directly responsible for the terror
that wipes away our citizens north and south. At this critical stage in
Nigeria’s history, after 50 shabby years, what we need is vision,
intelligence, strength, discipline and diligence.
A public commentator
noted that ‘Jonathanians drop the bar of competence and responsibility
so low that famous robber, Lawrence Anini could scale his eyes closed.’
When do we start recovering from the plundering of most of our 50 years?
After another 50 of gravid plundering?
It is noted that the same
people who supported the retaining of ex-Aviation minister, Stella
Oduah, caught red-handed stealing millions, are the same people who seek
every diversion to the urgency of the national embarrassment of missing
billions, ‘gone to fund terror.’
Clarifying the reason missing billions
funds terror: to protect loot, whoever need be appeased or bribed is
bribed easily with stolen national commonwealth and this makes looted
money the chief source of income for wicked characters like terror
sponsors.
Another public commentator wrote an article stating that
we can walk and chew gum at the same time, in reference to the case
against Sanusi. I take this to mean, we can walk in pursuance of the
nation’s missing billions and also chew the gum of Sanusi’s ‘crimes,’ at
the same d.a.m.n time.
It was with disappointment that I read an
article published February 25th, 2014 in PremiumTimes from respected
author, Femi Aribisala in which he occupied the column lambasting sacked
CBN governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (SLS).
He is welcome to the
club, rather late, in 2014. Many of us have written critically of SLS
since years passed. SLS is a system man, of course he is. He has been
part and parcel of the administration.
There is no doubt about this and
no one has claimed otherwise. Unlike the #OduahGate case, you do not see
any one of us writing and publishing in the defense of SLS, explaining
why he must be forgiven. No. All we progressive Nigerians have done is
said—as it is for Sanusi so it shall be for Mr. President.
We have also
poked all obvious holes in the report levied against his person so far
and the timing of the release and suspension of Nigeria’s Whistleblower
and chief ‘witness’ in the case of the missing billions (USD). They
should submit better. In any case, SLS is an adult, he can and will
defend himself.
His case has nothing other than as a tool of malicious
diversion, to do with the pressing case of missing billions.
By
suspending SLS at the height of the scandal, whatever investigation is
done is now meaningless to Nigerians. We Nigerians shall not take the
results of so-called audit or investigation. It will be purely
‘Government magic.’ Suspending SLS in the middle of the reconciliation
is an admission of guilt and conspiracy to cover-up. “Money no lost, dem
go shout again,” in the words of late Fela.
Unlike what was
written in this article and what has been proposed by the few
Jonathanians/GEJites. SLS did not mis-present facts. He did not change
figures. He did not ‘scream to the world that $49bn was missing.’ SLS
diligently submitted the total queried to the President in private. The
President ignored this for months.
It was later that somehow this leaked
to the public. God bless the leaker. Had GEJ attended to the private
memo when first sent, reconciliation may have been concluded in private,
but our arrogantly reckless leadership could not be bothered, and this
is why the public knew and this is why SLS apologized.
Not for being
wrong, but for us knowing and being unduly aggravated about a yet
on-going investigation. After a hasty reconciliation, both parties
agreed $10.8 billion was missing.
After crosschecking, SLS had to
blurt out that reconciliation was ‘full of garbage,’ $20bn was yet
clearly unaccounted. To show how the reconciliation is packed with lies,
just take a look at Vanguard of 24th February and 25th February, “We
never received $6bn from NNPC, NPDC insists” goes one caption. This is
the type of material SLS was given at reconciliation. Material that
crumbles on cross-examination.
I am tempted to say that those who
attempt to obfuscate, and raise and compare the case from a report done
since June 2013, of incidents protected by the GEJ government since 2010
are either benefactors of the missing $20 billion, or transiently under
the impulse of puerile hormones.
If this report was actually
presented since June last year, what took the President so long to fire
SLS? This ridiculous and dangerous delay is reason #3 for impeachment.
If truly he diverted Nigeria’s income to the tune of billions of naira…
and Goodluck Jonathan knew and kept him for several more months as head
of the apex bank?
Secondly, if indeed as the FRC report
suggests—not minding all the holes that have been poked in it—that
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi had been diverting funds since 2010! Was there no
oversight? Why did Nigeria not know since 2010 that SLS was diverting
such funds? Is this the nation and government we want? Where thieves can
divert billions of naira in frivolous expenses and there is no control
and oversight of it? This is reason #4 for the urgent impeachment of
President Goodluck Jonathan. Nigeria is not his personal botanical or
zoological garden. We are not id!ots. We know exactly why SLS was fired
now. We know the games and we assure the President and his remaining
43,998 supporters that this is the last time they will play these
shameless games. #WeNoBeMugun!
It is important to remind us that
SLS was not elected into office by us, he was nominated and appointed by
the Goodluck Jonathan government, albeit during late Yar’Adua’s half of
it. The ‘failures and corruption’ of SLS are the failures and
corruption of GEJ. If Sanusi should go to Kirikiri, Jonathan must and
shall lead the way and warm the cell for him. This is not in defense of
SLS. Call SLS a thief, that’s your prerogative.
It takes a thief to
catch the biggest thieves, Kerosene subsidy wicked thieves who steal
N100 from every mother in Nigeria per litter… stealing billions (USD),
we thank him. In fact we can give him a Presidential pardon under the
new administration after these economic terrorists who stole more than
half of our annual budget are sent to the gallows. As mentioned earlier.
He is an adult and can and shall defend himself.
This matter adds
to the reasons why the world is fed up with this President. For his
retaining and presenting a retirement vs a sack of Stella Oduah, the
other thief, he should also be impeached. This is reason #5.
The
President of Nigeria as protected by a handful of fanatic supporters and
careless authors is insulting the hard work, prayers and commitment of
many Nigerians who have contributed to the protection of the
constitution and preservation of a sense of decency in the government.
The media exposed Stela’s theft, not the EFCC; where is the reward and
salary for the media for doing this?
The defenders of Jonathan would
accept/defend N5 billion to the media for the monumental task of
exposing Oduah, a job the EFCC is paid billions to not do. That’s the
way they think and the ridiculous stuff they defend, once there is a big
office or huge title to the thief/usurper. After such expose, at least
we should have been dignified with her sack and imprisonment and not
insulted by her having a dignified retirement. But no, after all the
nation’s time it wasted, all he did was give her a dignified
self-retirement and left Coscharis free.
Sycophancy and
licksplittling is killing many of us.
We will readily pursue and burn a
person who stole a biro to death, but when it is a cabal, we say, ‘he is
doing well, he built a leaking airport, or tarred a road already again
pothole riddled.’ The mad of us are more eager to run after Sanusi for a
few suspected millions (USD) than pursue the higher-up greater thieves,
drunken men and women of the GEJ administration that have
admitted/confessed they have ‘misplaced’ our billions and indignantly
that they steal some billions (USD) in the Kero-subsidy fraud.
These
are the issues that should be on the table in Nigeria. The way the
country is being ruled like a kindergarten with hopeless incompetent and
inebriated administration of the executive arm.
The more ‘crimes’
that are revealed about Sanusi serve only to compound the crimes of the
Goodluck Jonathan administration for which impeachment is way past due.
That a motion to impeach has not yet been pushed reveals the
worthlessness of the nation’s lawmakers, of all parties. A motion should
have been submitted, regardless of the possibility of it passing. Why
should Nigeria claim it has a democracy and only practice the money
embezzling aspects of democracy and not also practice the checks and
harsh balances it proffers? Obama as super as he is has had such motions
raised against him.
The people of Nigeria are ready to move
forward. We will move forward with or without those bribed, confused or
so pummeled by chronic poor governance, they can no longer appreciate or
aspire for better. Some of us stood up when the deaths, bombings and
kidnappings became the order of the day. We will fight for our money. We
will fight for the sack of the corrupt leadership of this nation.
We
will fight for terror sponsors to be jailed. We will never stop. We want
fresh air and we will get it, with or without you.
There is
really nothing to discuss here, it is unbelievable we even still talk
about and define theft and the expected repercussion of grand
mismanagement. This matter has been over thrashed. #WhereIsOurMoney?
Dr. Peregrino Brimah
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/60295.html
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