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It’s one week, one movie or sometimes two. Nigeria has become such a huge theatre now. Different movies are showing weekly, mostly farcical. Sometimes you get confused over which to watch and when you finish watching, you ask yourself rhetorically, where or what is it leading us to next?
By far the most intriguing is the dramatic discoveries of currencies in high and low homes, airport and shops in different parts of the country.
We are still to get over the N3 billion cash discovery made in the home of former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confiscated N49 million cash intercepted at the Kaduna Airport.
Then N449 million was sniffed out at an abandoned bureau de change in Lagos.
And then came another N250 million haul in various currencies intercepted at the popular Balogun Market in Lagos.
When you are thinking it’s all over, another surfaces. And there is a whole lot of drama surrounding the discoveries.
Drawing the most attention and controversy so far is the latest cash found in an apartment in highbrow Ikoyi, Lagos. The EFCC first made the announcement on its Twitter handle dramatically thus “EFCC uncovers yet another huge sum of money in Lagos. Bankers are around with their machines to assist. Counting will be for a while.”
And counting over. The intercepted cash totaled $38 million, N23 million and £27,000.
As if the discovery is not shocking enough, we are then treated to the drama of who owns the cash amounting to N13 billion.
As at the time of writing this column, nobody has claimed the money. Who is the owner of this N13 billion, an individual, a company or the even Nigerian Intelligence Agency as some reports suggested? Is it legitimate or looted funds or is the cash meant for security use?
While the ownership of the cash is being unraveled, what really bothers me and should bother all of us is the effect of these discoveries on the psyche of ordinary citizens. We live in a period when even the most hardworking Nigerians are finding it difficult to survive.
Many who work legitimately get paid peanuts. What many Nigerians receive as pay is so ridiculous, so demeaning. Such workers know and even their employers are aware that such incomes cannot sustain anyone. Many of us encounter hardworking Nigerians who are genuinely in need of as little as N5,000 and must go begging to make ends meet. We must stop injuring the psyche of such workers with the drama of money stashed in some homes and discovered after some whistleblowers squealed on the owners.
It’s demoralizing and painful. It’s also a disincentive to those who seek legitimate earnings from their sweat. Another danger in the public display is the security implication. This drama of cash discovery is giving the impression that such huge cash is stashed in many homes. We are unwittingly steering the anti-corruption battle into the realms where every well-to-do person is looked upon as possibly hiding some illegitimate cash at home.
So, don’t be surprised if you begin to see attacks on homes by hoodlums who may want to try their luck.
Is the EFCC really interested in fighting corruption or just playing to the gallery and seeking to impress the masters?
For God’s sake, let all ill-gotten funds be recovered. But please keep this dangerous circus out of it.
Re: Mutaeer’s cruel death
Accept my heartfelt sympathy on the untimely passing of Mutaeer. May his soul rest in peace, his immediate family the fortitude to bear the loss, more particularly the girl he should have wedded this year. I’m pained for every death diminishes humanity. With evil men on the prowl, people should be very careful on the road and to always listen to that inner voice that warns ‘don’t do this!’, and obey it. It’s unfortunate that life has no value anymore that it could be snuffed by a snap of the fingers, too bad!
–Tony Enyinta,
Isuikwuato, Abia State.
Abulfatah, let me join your family in wishing Mutaeer’s soul to rest in peace with Allah, Amin. When a man’s time is up, nothing can stop it. So, it was with Mutaeer. If it were not so, he would not have conceded to the serial pleas of his eventual killers.
Let us thank Allah however that he was on a helping notion of his killers whom by fate he took for beings like him and unknown to him they were beasts in human skin. I pray the circumstance of his death would qualify him for a place in Aljanah Amin. Since your wife has a car, taking Okada to work and sometimes with Yassir on such a ride looks a misapplied option. I would never tolerate that, no matter the circumstance.
If the school bus does not come on schedule to pick Yassir, a report should be lodged with the head of the school to ensure compliance with set arrangement since the service attracts payment.
Otherwise, your wife should take him in her car on her way to the office. How many people behind the steering went through driving tests to secure their licenses, not to talk of Okada operators who purchase theirs through local government “alright sir” street boys? Transporting children on Okada is deadly and unexpected as a preferred option by a true-loving parent. Apart from that, there are so many private schools these days that making a choice on nearness to one’s home for a child, is not a problem.
Such a choice even reduces cost to give some relief to payment of school fees which have shot up into the clouds. So, let Madam make an acceptable choice between the available options and save your children from avoidable okada-riding dangers. Life has no duplicate. It has to be protected in absolute terms. Calling on God’s protection demands physical safety options by humans as well. God will protect your family ever, Amen.
–Lai Ashadele
Your write-up on Mutaeer’s death makes me emotional. But I blame his mobile policeman elder brother.
He couldn’t use his connection to get his blood brother the police job Mutaeer earlier craved for. He derived satisfaction in making Mutaeer to take him on his motorcycle every morning to his duty post. May his soul rest in peace.
–Comrade Bode Lawal, Ibadan.
Wonderful piece. Nigeria now is in hands of God with what is happening in our security situation. Our security agencies are not living up to expectation to find lasting solution to the insecurity in the land despite the resource government invested in that sector. It’s very unfortunate and sad. These security lapses can cause intending investors not to come, out of fear for their lives and investments.
–Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia.
Abdulfatah, the story of Mutaeer is pathetic but ironically, that is the story of our nation. Incidents similar to Mutaeer’s fill the pages of our newspapers on daily basis. One then begins to conclude that we as a people have collectively killed the conscience, which is the spirit of God in every human being. And nobody can correctly say when exactly this rain began to beat us as a people. However, the only reason why most of these heartless murders take place is greed as each reported case is linked with either a party in a business deal suddenly beginning to feel that the only way to increase his share of the proceeds is to eliminate his partner, outright covetousness as in the case of Mutaeer whose Okada was the reason for his killing or yet again for money ritual.
One now wonders if the temporary comfort, pleasure or wealth acquired through this process justifies the wickedness of taking another man’s life. Mutaeer’s sun has been forced to set while still rising, but those behind his untimely death know, detected or not, that the moment he drew his last breath, God’s peace has gone out of their lives.
I just hope that God will give your family, especially your wife, the grace to bear the loss of a faithful person who was entrusted with the delicate business of taking your child to and from school. Thanks.
–Emma Okoukwu.
