Dec. 14, 2013
Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi says the reason that political office holders steal state funds is because citizens have never confronted or stoned them (including himself) for the act.
At a tribute event for Nelson Mandela in Lagos, Mr. Amaechi said Nigerians have not shown enough aggression or resistance against stealing by political office holders.
Transcript:
I am reading this because listening to the poems, the musicians you are singing about us, the leaders. You are saying yes, what about you? If you see a thief and you allow him to be stealing, what do you do? You have stoned nobody that is why we are stealing. You have stoned nobody that is why we are stealing. You will stone me? Who have you stoned? You came out and you started dancing for how many days, oil subsidy, oil subsidy. We told you that they stole 2.3 Trillion, oil subsidy, what did you do? The oil subsidy, we told you they stole 2.3 Trillion, what did you do? Instead you are protesting, oil subsidy. The name of the oil subsidy that is not reaching the poor. Few individuals are going away with the money, you have done nothing, you are mourning Mandiba, 95 years. More people are dying every day and Mandiba was very angry with Nigeria. You have heard 50 billion dollars, not 50 million naira… you can say I am stealing in Rivers state, no problem it is good to steal if you can’t fight back. You know, the problem is, you have heard about 50 billion dollars, nobody is talking, you are debating whether…can he talk to the president like that? How did you know he talked about it? Why should CBN governor write about it in the first place. In some countries, people will be on the street until they return that money. 50 billion dollars is 8 trillion naira, it will change #Nigeria. Me I want to steal only 1 billion dollars, let them bring it. You read Obasanjo’s letter, you are asking, is he a south-south man, he is a Yoruba man, why is he writing like that. In fact when he was there, what did he do? What have you done? If you don’t take your destiny into your hands, we will go and other leaders will come and they will continue to steal. Mandiba would be angry. God bless you.
