July 10, 2014
NewsRescue
by Japhet A. C Ogbueri; EPLC
The acclaimed political class managing the resources and affairs of Nigeria has dangerously deviated from the ideological postulations of the first republic political class like Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alh Tafawa Belewa, Alh Ahmadu Bello, Chief Micheal Okpara, Chief Tony Enahoro etc. Nigerian Politicians are immersed in incurable corruption threshold, grossly lacking in manly firmness, decision of character and sense of direction, furiously luxuriating in lavish and extravagant lifestyles that has indirectly nurtured the spirit of looting and mismanagement. The present class of political elites has been in government with their descendants since 1970s and continues to perpetrate corrosive under-development agenda on the masses that has spiraled their frustration index, especially among the most economically inactive youths of the country. The categorized caliber of out-stretched and over-fed underperforming bunch of elders has embezzled the military, police and public servants pension funds with mincing confidence, and caused brain- drain in all sectors of human endeavor. They continue to display fancy expression for gross misapplication of our common patrimony with deceptive antics that is out of proportion by comparison. They pretend to be blended, blinded and binded to the vagaries of a fractious nation that is drifting to the brink of avoidable precipice. The bewildering surge of unemployment coupled with violence of poverty visited on the masses by amalgam of minute political jobbers portends bleak and catastrophic future for the venerable young generation, and capable of derailing, and further jeopardizing the country’s vision to be categorized among 20 most development nations in the world in 2020, an indelible watershed of lackluster conquest and conspiracy of a predatory political class that reeks of deplorable moral lapses.
It could be recalled that about 632 government officials graced the 2010 world cup tournament in South Africa on government coffers, and over N3 billion was wasted on accolades and hotel accommodation, when the same amount was needed to revived our national football league. It is unfortunate that double of the number of government officials were equally in the 2014 world cup hosted in Brazil, ordinary LGA Party chairmen were not left out in the unfortunate jamboree. The Billons of naira recklessly expended in Brazil is what Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics [ASUP] needs to call-off the 11months old strike. Our national resources depletes through duplication of projects, tax evasion, import waivers, foreign loans, petroleum products subsidy etc, when the amount of money looted is capable of empowering 70% of Nigerians which will aid in preventing the spread of poverty, insecurity, unemployment, high maternal mortality rate and ethno-religious crises ravaging in the country at abominable and unimaginable rate. Our county is now home to the highest number of private jets in the whole African yet none of such planes are serviced in Nigeria, creating jobs and wealth for already developed foreign countries, while most of the unlicensed private jets are use to perpetrate heinous crimes against humanity noticed. It is very sad that Nigeria is rated with Niger Republic among the 15 poorest nations of the world in 2012 Lagaturn Prosperity index, and irony of a contrived metaphor, when our national assets like Nigerian shipping Line, NEPA, NIPOST, NRC, Nigerian Airways, NITEL, NAFCON, Ajaokuta Steel Company, Nigerian Coal Corporation etc, are either moribund, abandoned or privatized to ghost foreign companies with the intent to further dehydrate and defraud the people’s wealth with fragrant audacity. In our country today, corruption, bombing, insecurity and impunity are spreading more than chronic cancer disease, this is due to visionless leadership context at all levels of government, and this has dampened other sectors of the economy and stagnated national development.
The colonial administration established Railway in Nigeria in 1895, besides the single track of 3,505km of railway lines running from Lagos to Nguru (Yobe State), Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, and the 75km standard gauge section between Warri and Ajaokuta, no single additional railway line has been established in the country in over 100years. By 1970s, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) owned the largest property and investment in the country, and engaged over 40,000 workers, but in 2013 under the very watch of our political class it can barely pay 2, 000 workers, while over 80% of its property nationwide remains dismantled and demobilized. Train moved 15.5million passengers far backs in 1984, but is yet to transport five million passengers in 15years i.e. from 1999 to 2014. There was also progressive increase in the length of federal roads from 72,000km in 1962 to 150,000km in 1980, but from 1990 till 2013, no new federal road has been created, while the existing ones are nothing short of deathtraps. The fate of Nigeria’s underperforming Refineries remains highly uncertain, while trillions of naira is constantly lost through dubious Turn- Around- Maintained (TAM) contracts. In the 1970s, despite the avoidable civil war that broke-out then, Nigeria competed with India, Japan, Korea, UAE, Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, Indonesia, Venezuela etc as developing countries, but within 135 years strives, other countries have moved 135years ahead of Nigeria in all areas of national achievement and development, while Nigeria is rated as the worst country where not to be born according to UK based Maple Croft in 2013 report.
TO BE CONTINUED:
Com Japhet A. C Ogbueri, ACAI
National Leader,
Etche Peoples Liberation Congress (EPLC)
Japhetogbueri@gmail.com
Japhetchetachiogbueri\facebook.com
Port –Harcourt, Rivers State. State.