Enough of the Barking...

These are indeed tough times for Nigerians living in Nigeria, I kid you not. There's no need to sugarcoat it so we'd look good in the eyes of foreigners; it is bad!! I was one of those who felt we should present our best side to foreigners in order to encourage them to invest in Nigeria, not scare them away.
However, suffice to say that my opinion on that has changed, especially with the times we've found ourselves in. Now, I'm of the opinion that if you don't tell people what's ailing you, they wouldn't know how to help you. Mine is so bad now that I don't even encourage anyone to move back home anymore, despite the brain drain being experienced in many sectors of our country.

Since the establishment of the anti-graft agencies in Nigeria, we'd heard of high-profile arrests made, yet we're yet to hear of any successful prosecution. I believe the enabling Acts made provisions for jail terms (long ones at that) for the convicted offenders, why then have they not prosecuted any of those high-profile cases?? All the prosecutions we've read about are of small fishes. Arresting them and making them cough out some of the money they stole is not enough deterrent; make them loose the money and serve jail term too. In the anti trafficking Act 2015, there is provision for forfeiture of assets as well as jail terms. Arresting them and forcing them to refund some of their loot does nothing to them. In a country where these thieves have no shame, the humiliation that  should come with the public arrests are not even felt by them because they know that once the leave the interrogation rooms and come outside, a little spraying of money in a few corners and people would forget that he/she was arrested for looting.

Courtesy:dcdogz.com

We've read of people that have been arrested and re-arrested over and over again, yet no prosecution. Enough of the barking, we need to see them bite. If they don't make an example of one of these high profile cases, the others will not fall in line, and we'd keep going round in circles. If we're serious about the fight against corruption, and we need foreigners to come and invest in Nigeria, we need to show that we are serious. We shouldn't just arrest and grant them bail, or keep them for months in the cells and release them when it seems the people have lost interest in the cases. I'm not even against the allegation that the anti-graft agencies are going after purported enemies of the government; the way I see it, if they're going after the enemies of the present government, when a new government enters into power, they should also go after their own enemies, who will likely be members of this present government. That way, everybody will be careful, knowing that he/she might be the target tomorrow when they're no longer in power. 

As a patriotic citizen of this country, what we are going through as a nation hurts me and in as much as I believe we'll get through this trying times, I believe also that agencies responsible for bringing corrupt officials to book should do so without compromise. Cases shouldn't be messed up in courts on purpose which will force the judiciary to release these people. They're toying with our common wealth, and with the future of this nation. They should sit up,  do the right thing that they were established to do, and stop chasing shadows. 

In other news, the former National Security Adviser was alleged to have shared $2.1bn meant for the purchase of arms and ammunitions to be used in the fight against insurgency. His boss, our former President have come out to say that the NSA didn't steal any money! Haba! The man has all but confessed o! Even named the people he shared the money to, so why is his Oga defending him now, isn't it rather late in the day for this kind of defense? Things like this make me want to give up on this nation, but I won't. We shall get it right and overcome. 

Anyway, stay positive, enjoy your day and be kind to one another.

Hugs...