By Adeola Aderounmu

Why Nigeria May Be Named As The Most Corrupt Nation in 2009

Nigerian politics thrives on lies, deceit and shamelessness. In 2009 Nigeria will probably be named as the most corrupt country in the world. The chances are high and the risk ever present.

Nigerians have been named in the Halliburton bribe scandals and the so called Attorney General of Nigeria Mr. Aondoakaa is still beating about the bush on a matter that is before the entire world. Such a silly attitude reveals a lot about nonentities in power in Nigeria.

Abacha is not alive and therefore cannot answer to any bribery accusation. What about Abdulsalami and Obasanjo? Non-invisible NNPC officials have also been named. The truth is none of these men will suffer under the short arm of the Nigerian law. They are free, untouchables and unaccountable. It doesn’t matter what has happened to Halliburton in the US, Germany or Switzerland. We are talking about Nigeria and “nothing dey happen”! “No shakings”!

Nothing will happen because in Nigeria there is no rule of law and corruption is a way of life. In Nigeria corruption is fought with mouth and on the pages of newspaper. Those who suffer from the consequences of corruption in Nigeria can go to hell! They are the over 70m people who cannot afford a single decent meal under a 24 hour period. They probably also include an additional 20-30 percent who are living one less than 2 dollars per day.

Aondoakaa cannot prosecute Obasanjo or Abdusalami or any other corrupt Nigerian politician for that matter. He cannot, because he was brought in by one of the most corrupt processes ever to have taken place in Nigeria. He was rewarded with his position because Ibori his master invariably took over the running of Nigeria when Obasanjo was disgraced out of power. Elsewhere, I have stated that this illegal regime in Nigeria lacks the morality to pursue the rule of law. I think that I have been justified.

The EFCC also cannot prosecute Obasanjo or the other corrupt people involve in the scandal. Farida is the second stooge for Ibori. I felt so sorry for those men discussing democratic license on AIT on 5th April 2009 because though they spoke the truth, they could not hit the nail with the correct hammer. They, like millions of Nigerians, wanted the Nigerian government to do the right thing but they refused to say why the government will not do anything. I have also stated that in Nigeria only the masses and defenceless like me suffer from the hands of the law

An illegal government borne of corruption cannot fight corruption. One of the guys on the AIT program named Mr. Memedu Andrew of ACTIONAID mentioned though that in 48 years of Nigeria’s existence, more than 64 trillion naira has disappeared into thin air. This according to him is equivalent to the stealing of Nigeria’s Federal Budget for 20 years!!! Then I knew I was right all along when I wrote 48 years of waste at the end of 2008

What kind of indices are used to measure corruption? I have looked macroscopically on a global level and I cannot find a nation more corrupt than Dora’s Nigeria. Sincerely, the microscopic details need to be made clearer. In a country where more than 90m of the citizens are deliberately deprived of their dignity and human rights I found no other competitor for the most devastating effect of corruption perpetrated by a clique.

Halliburton and the corrupt non-Nigerian officials have been prosecuted and made to face the music in other countries but nothing has happened in Nigeria. Yes America is corrupt, UK is corrupt, Sweden is corrupt but corruption with a face is punished in these countries. In Nigeria corruption with faces are rewarded.

If Aondoakka or Farida dare to prosecute Obasanjo or Abdulsalami the event will trigger a chain reaction that will probably lead to that cleansing that Nigeria has been longing for. It is a process that is vital to branding of Nigeria and the eradication of mass poverty. But these beneficiaries of corruption (that is Aondoakaaa and Farida) will not dare to start a process that will consume them in the end. This is part of the biggest problems we face in this country. We have no heroes!

We need heroes, we need a reaction and a system that will throw corrupt people where they really belong-JAIL. With the current perception of the Nigerian government, this is most unlikely. Therefore when the results for corrupt nations will be announced in 2009 Nigeria will make a lucky escape if she does not sit tight at the bottom of the ladder. If this Halliburton case is aligned with the Siemens Scandal, the Power Probe in the Senate and the hundreds of other probes that have been swept under the carpet, I do not see any reason why anyone should raise an eyebrow if Nigeria has no competitor for the bottom spot as the most corrupt country in the world.

I was shocked to my bone marrow when Umaru was lamenting the absence of Nigeria from the G-20 meeting that took place in London recently. I was shocked because the meeting did not say C-20 which would have meant top 20 most Corrupt Nation. I would have been surprised if that type of invitation was not extended to Nigeria. Even the hosting would have been billed for Abuja-the cradle of corruption. Really, is Nigeria a part of the global village? How could anyone one miss the purpose of that meeting in London? Did they mention Ghana-must-go bags or illegal oil rigs? Did they mention money laundering or kick backs?

Which other government in the world emphasises so much on the rule of law and due process without taking definite steps towards actualising the slogans? Obviously none! It is better to keep quiet and do something than to make so much noise and do nothing. In 2009 Nigeria, the best rebranding that can be done is to prosecute and jail all the corrupt people that we now know by names.

The next step towards a successful rebranding will be to count our votes as soon as possible. Those fake rebranding jingles being sounded across the country are actually contributing to poverty and impoverishment and any partaker in such operations is a pure enemy of Nigeria. If the money being wasted on this worthless project is used to deliver bore holes to some communities, innocent children and the fragile elderly will be saved from water-borne diseases and untimely deaths. Such people like Dora and her gang who are busy rebranding corruption can only do so because of the insanity of our political culture. For now they can carry on with their mad acts under one of the most corrupt governments known to man.

The Nigerian government will not raise a finger about these cases going by the recent declaration of Aondoakaa at the recent FEC meeting in Abuja. Even Dora appeared during the week saying Nigeria will prosecute the Nigerians mentioned in the Halliburton scandal. What a propaganda machine? These people don’t care about the image of Nigeria. They only care about the personal wealth they amass. They are in a war of “who is the richest” through looting. They care about these perishable earthly things more than the decency and dignity of their fellow country men. They don’t give a damn about the situation of the over 90m Nigerians living desperately below the poverty level.

Finally, I do not look forward to any Nigerian official denying or even crying when the international reports that may confirm Nigeria as the most corrupt country in the world in 2009. The Halliburton and the Siemens scandal, among several others are there for all to see.

If we (the ordinary masses) cannot do anything about it and we let our government take us for a ride one more time, then we must be ready to live with all those unpalatable national and international stigmas that plainly reveal the stupidity of rebranding.