By Denrele  Animasaun

“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled”- Mark Twain

I found it rich, that the former President Goodluck speaking at the Oxford Union on youth entrepreneurship, said that; “it was not possible for the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki (who is helping the EFFC with their enquiries),to have misapplied  $2.2 billion after his administration procured several equipment for the country’s military.

They said the National Security Adviser misapplied $2.2billion. I don’t believe somebody can just misapply $2.2 billion. We bought warships, we bought aircraft, we bought lots of weapons for the army and so on and so forth and you are still saying 2.2 billion, so where did we get the money to buy all those things?”

This is an outrage that $2.2 billion was unaccounted for or misappropriated through corrupt practices and he had the guts to defend the indefensible.  Yes, he admitted that corruption was an issue during his administration, but that some of the allegations were “exaggerated”. “Yes, there were some issues; yes, there are still corruption issues; but some of it were blown, I’d say exaggerated, and they give a very bad impression about our nation” he said.  There lies the problem.

So, it is the opinion of Jona that Nigeria should not wash its dirty linen in public and pretend that everything is going well and Nigeria is a virtuous nation, with citizens that are honest and its systems run smoothly because everyone does one’s jobs without kickbacks. Self-denial is a problem and until one owns up to this problem,  you cannot start to find solutions, real solution or so you would think if you a rational person.

Jonathan said cautiously: “One thing about the issue of corruption is that these matters are in court; let’s allow some of these processes to end. Lately some judges’ (homes) were also invaded. There are so many things involved and we have to follow up these matters to conclusion before we know the fact.

“I don’t want to be seen as a former president challenging what the sitting government is doing so I have decided to keep quiet for the court to look into them”.

He has changed his tune, so why would he then add his kobo’s worth if he is not rattled yet there he would like anyone listening that his administration was not unique in terms of corruption. So does that make it right? One would have thought that being the president, the head honcho, he would address this.

He did not change the status quo, on the contrary, corruption was more prevalent and the ordinary Nigerians suffered because of his ineptitude, the whole world knew that Nigerians were corrupt and they tarred every Nigerian with the same brush. Foreign investors were reluctant to do business in Nigeria. An entire generation of young Nigerians were denied a future.

So for him to explain away and belittle the present drive on corruption is shocking and to allude that corruption was a global problem, that the perception of corruption was greater in Nigeria due to the Nigerian media’s obsession with reporting on corruption: “I am not saying there is no corruption in Nigeria, there is corruption. If you look at corruption there is almost no country that is free, the degree varies, and the perception varies,”

This is the very same Jonathan who said “that there is no corruption but mere stealing in Nigeria”. So pardon me, if I take whatever he says with a gallon of salt. This is not a case of mere stealing and, by the way, stealing is stealing, be it big or small. It is wrong to take what does not belong to you and the fact that they abused their power for personal gain is reprehensible.

Normalising corruption is the bane of what is fundamentally wrong with Nigerians today. So everyone in his cabinet got their snouts in the trough and people wonder why nothing works in Nigeria, how could it, when everyone wants to be greased to do the work that they are paid to do in the first place.

I expect, it will be in the best interest of Jona if he does not wade into the affray, he will get enough time to answer when he is called in by the EFCC. He would need to explain why under his watch, many people in his cabinet got stupendously rich on the nation’s commonwealth. He has said on several occasions that he was not aware that corruption was rife in his administration.

And besides, he tells those who care to listen that he fought a crusade on corruption but of course, he just did not make noise about it, this is the same man who was slow to act when the Chibok girls were abducted. He reasoned that his lack of action was because he was taking his time to take action while the girls were taking further and further beyond reach of rescuers or the army. The army under his leadership were ill equipped and demoralised.

Jona was truly out of touch then and more so now, he really does not understand that he contributed to the high level of corruption and dismissing his role in bringing the nation to its financial knees.  This is the same man who had 10 planes. Our then ten-plane president, had plans then to add to the fleet for a procurement of a brand new private jet, for the Presidential Air Fleet’s (PAF) 11th aircraft.

The PAF had two Falcon 7X jets, two Falcon 900 jets, Gulfstream 550, one Boeing 737 BBJ (Nigerian Air Force 001 or Eagle One), and Gulfstream IVSP. Others are one Gulfstream V, Cessna Citation 2 aircraft and Hawker Siddley 125-800 jet. The combined estimated value of the PAF is about $390.5m (N60.53bn). So you wonder where the money went, look no further. Imagine how  many  hospitals and schools  that can build, talk less of  the  amount  it  takes to  maintain  the  oil  guzzlers and  stand-by  crew  and  administration.

To put this in context, the U.S president does not personally own a single plane but has access to two, The US president has two customised 747s. The UK Prime minister has plane; they often charter BA or Virgin Atlantic planes.  Now PMB is selling off the fleet and the rest will go to the Air force.

Nigeria now has to go cap in hand to get £6 billion loan to keep the economy afloat and help stimulate the economy.

Imagine that this money could have transformed the lives of many Nigerians; better schools, employment generation, training, health care facilities and building of roads and transportation.

This conjuror is not effective: his tricks are so lame that, no one believes him and he should stop insulting people’s intelligence.  The fact that many of his acolytes are singing like canaries and finger pointing on how bags of money were delivered to their homes and distributed, so he now wants to white wash the facts. Can he tell Nigerians how his wife was able to amass millions as the first lady? Only in Nigeria!

From my archive:

The  tirade of the court  minister’s tone is incredulous and smacks of arrogance and self-importance as he continues that  on behalf of the president, using the royal  we: “Our commitment is not just to get the girls out, it is also to rout Boko Haram completely from Nigeria,” And that “But we are very, very mindful of the safety of the girls. We want to return them all alive to their parents. If they are killed in any rescue effort, then we have achieved nothing.”