COVID-19 spreads relentlessly and records deaths approaching 325,000, infections 5,000,000, with around 6,500 recognised cases in Nigeria.
We who are educated or well informed about Covid-19 has a huge responsibility of enlightenment and education to inform those around us about prevention including social distancing six feet apart.
The return of Abacha loot is welcome. No doubt there is a huge amount of money stashed abroad belonging ‘Fellow Nigerians’ but diverted by different rulers, their spawn, and their cohorts.
There is a feeling that Abacha loot is all the rage today because he is dead and can no longer retaliate in the manner, he is notorious for and others in his shoes are still capable of.
Secondly the loot was so huge, approximately $5billion that the foreigner bankers, partners in corruption, greedy, could not hide it even by ‘bankers’ silence and secrecy’ and more in a growing era of greater international transparency with governments sanctioning some banks for corrupt practices!
The call by the Nigerian Governors Forum for the federal government to disburse the fund through the three-tier system is unfortunately not taking in the whole picture.
They are not right, just as they were wrong to refuse to save up to $100b, in reserves and other funds like the Sovereign Wealth Fund, during the seven+ years of plenty when requested to do so by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for a rainy day. Well it is pouring now and no apology yet and we face a recession because our leaders failed to save.
The federal government again is correct in the light of falling projecting revenue streams and the urgent need for the ‘quick’ completion of the chosen projects.
However, it could have carried the governors along with nationwide benefits of a speedier completion of the 20-year ludicrously prolonged rehabilitation of the cursed Lagos-Ibadan former expressway, completing the 40-year overdue Second Niger Bridge and completing the Abuja-Kaduna Road.
Note that the dreaded eight-year loan of $3.4b from the World Bank is less than the funds looted by one man -Abacha- whose name must be removed from stadia, estates, streets and schools and his GCON honour stripped from him.
With Ibrahim Gambari as Chief of Staff to President Buhari, who was around during the era of Abacha culminating in the execution of Kenule Saro Wiwa and eight others and the annulment of June 12, is Abacha’s name plate secure, for now at least? ‘Stolen’ means a little, ‘looted’ mean a ‘lot’ was stolen! If this $311m Abacha loot is divided, it will have only minimum impact by being diluted and dissipated by being divided among 1,000 projects [$31,000, N12.444m]/project] among 744 LGAs, 36 +1 states and the federal government instead of into the three projects above, those projects will not be completed in our lifetime!
All Nigerians are dependent on the roads and the expected bridge to, long overdue, ease their lives. Finish the expressways and 2nd Niger Bridge.
Nigerians see international quick builds from skyscrapers to 1000 bed hospitals but lack such inspirational events to be proud of at home.
The poor state of the Lagos-Ibadan road and the trouble visited upon users of the road have been an albatross around the neck of successive governments.
The Abacha loot will allow the government to ‘quickly’ finish the long overdue project. Why should our citizens suffer forever on and for the road that would have been fixed in a year by a serious government?
Almajiris are unfortunate religious, economic, political and health victims of a feudal system and a single focus ‘religious education only’ system.
Nothing however in the 2020s can justify compounding their problem and suffering by forcing them to beg for their food for half of every day as their lot in life.
Of course, they will become hungry and angry –‘hangry’, jealous, disillusioned and dangerous to any alleged enemy.
Some observers feel almajiris are beings just sent south to cause trouble and fill an agenda of domination by flooding with young humanity.
Some think they are sent south because their parents and teachers have realised they can no longer cope and seek to transfer their responsibility to others.
Some even think that they are biological weapons to spread Covid-19. Whatever the reason, the individual almajiri are the ages of our brothers and sisters, children, and schoolmates.
While only time will reveal which of the above conspiracy theories they present, they represent a Child Human Rights Humanitarian Crisis with serious social, medical, accommodation and feeding problem perspectives visited up Nigeria by an irresponsible adult-hood and governance system.
Do they deserve succour or censure, caution or kindness, friendliness or fear, love or loathing, charity, or condemnation? If they are no threat and we see and treat them as a threat, they will become a threat as they will react and remember the bitter pill we asked them to swallow and become a threat to us tomorrow.
If they are a threat and we treat them well, will that kindness stop them from carrying out whatever threat they have been brainwashed to carry out?
Yes, the herdsmen and accompanying terrorists have unfortunately changed the South in the last 10 years with murder, slash and burn attacks at or even without the slightest provocation.
Is ‘The almajiri question’ a cause or a consequence of problems? Is it a part of or separate from the herders and ISIS terrorists campaign? Why is government silent!
