THE January 2017 edition of the Daily Sun newspaper refers:
Your analysis of the true and precarious situation of Igbo in the Nigerian arrangement was, and still is, a bull’s eye!
Without sounding like a cry baby, I want the other ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria to honestly tell us how they would react if after over forty years their region/tribe had the ignoble position of having:
*The least number of states in the Federation
*The least funded region and therefore with the least number in federal industries, roads and other infrastructure
*The least number of representatives in the National Assembly (senate and house of reps.)
*The least number of political appointees
*The least number of appointments in the federal ministries, departments and agencies.
*The highest cut off marks for entry into unity schools and federal universities
*The least number of appointments and promotions in the Armed Forces and other security outfits.
Nobody should blame the Igbo if they want out of Nigeria, especially when the injustices meted out to them are clearly state-sponsored and approved and with no end in sight of their travails! I have said my piece.
John Sampson, Lagos
Re: The corruption of Buhari’s death
Dear Mr. Tony Iwuoma, your piece of February 13, 2017, made a good read, especially the concluding part of it on corruption and its devastating effects on our people. Some years ago, when the debate of what should be done to treasury looters was on, as it is still, I wrote the following:
“Corruption – Man’s inhumanity to man: Should corrupt officials be charged for mass murder? The greedy acts of these men with no conscience result in the death of many people that could have survived if the looted fund was used to serve the masses. How many people die from water borne disease because the fund meant for the provision of potable water was either siphoned or misappropriated? How many people have died traveling on roads that could pass for death traps because the fund meant for the rehabilitation and construction of modern roads was either embezzled or misdirected? So many souls have been wasted simply because they couldn’t afford medical treatment abroad since the hospitals here are nothing but local clinics with obsolete equipment. How many Nigerians have gone the way of their forefathers for inhaling the fume from their generator set known in the local parlance as “I better pass my neighbor”? This is because Nigerians now generate their own electricity since the merchants, who feed fat on the importation of generators have vowed that they will never allow the power sector to be revived and the huge fund purportedly spent on the power sector was just used to support these merchants of darkness.
So, shouldn’t corrupt officials be charged with mass murder? Is there any difference between a serial killer and a corrupt official whose acts of wickedness lead to the death of so many people? Some folks don’t see any difference between an armed robber, who kills his victims after dispossessing them of their belongings and a ‘public servant’, who robs his people and destroys some, and even dance around their graves.
Corruption is a serious crime! And not until it is seen from this perspective, the war against it won’t take the dimension of that against terrorism. Corruption breeds terrorism. It is the lifeblood of terrorism. Terrorism gains momentum because corruption is strong and kicking. Break the backbone of corruption and see what remains of terrorism and violence.
How can order be restored? Order can only be restored when a government that will not bear the sword in vain is in place.
Some eminent Nigerians are advocating for a death penalty for those tried and convicted of corruption. Others consider death sentence too harsh, especially at a time when some nations of the world have done away with such laws. Of course, we don’t expect such opinion to resonate well with those benefiting immensely from the spoils of corruption. If certain Nigerians are to be executed or put behind bars for the rest of their lives for this nation to have a breath of fresh air, so be it. This virus must be given the needed attention because it’s draining the nation’s blood.
Corruption has assumed a dangerous new height that some among the few who appear immune to it are considering giving in. It’s now a virus many desperately need in order to survive. This virus had spread far and wide that no region is free; no state is immune and no local government is above board.
Most of the politicians and those parading themselves as leaders are badly affected with this virus. They need help; just like the rod is used to drive away foolishness from a child even so should the sword be applied to cure these men of corruption. Corrupt practice is a physical display of a mental illness. In other nations of the earth, such illness is kept away from public notice and once revealed to the public, the patients are arrested and kept where they should be (prison) for recuperation. But in our nation, the patients are left to be dancing naked in the market while the family members and associates beat drums for them, and the government even decorates them with national honours. National endorsement of rogues? What a shame!”
Kingsley Kaduru, blogger, www.kingsleykaduru.com