Roving Informant Dialogue: "Politics, The Fantastically Corrupt And Leadership In Nigeria!

Welcome to another episode of Roving Informant's Dialogue. It's been a while, but we are glad to be on again. 

The subject on ground is the series of allegations and counter allegations leveled against each other by politicians in Nigeria's ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP). There is hardly any week that fresh cases of alleged misappropriation of Nigeria's public fund is not reported in the dailies, the issue is that we never get to hear anything more on these cases after a while, which makes me ask, why bring it to our faces in the first place, if you are not ready to keep the public informed on progress made to recover the money and bring the perpetrators to justice?. An accuser and the accused are the same, if the accuser can be bought over by compromise or what other means there is. 

Dialogue (written majorly in the local pigin English) below is staged at a local joint somewhere withing a major city in Nigeria: 

My guy how you dey? long time, person no dey see your break light again, watin happen?

It's like you are a visitor to Nigeria, you just arrive? are you not aware of the Changing wind hitting Nigerians?

(Laugh) No be small changing wind, the wind don blow everybody put for one corner. Nobody dey talk again.

Talk keh....talk nah....no be person wey don chop belle-ful dey talk? in this situation wey everybody is busy scrambling for what to eat, you dey say make we talk...

Even the person wey dey talk since...where e dey now? dem never arrange am put for one corner? (Gestures to the bar owner...madam abeg bring one bottle for me...you know my brand).

(Laugh) Abii, but him own case different, you cant be shouting  "Justice" when you have skeleton(s) in your cupboard. You cant be claiming "the people's person" when you are equally yoked with the corrupt in corrupt practices.

Even the ones shouting upanddan on the various social media platforms, laughing and doing "Ntooor" to the accused, are they better than the accused? My brother, nah the person wey them catch be "barawo" for this our beloved country. But why is it that every former administration seems to be deeply engrossed in fantastically corrupt practices? ...never heard of a former

administration that received a pat on the back for 'job well done'...just asking....(sips drink)

Nah wah for you, why you dey ask like this, if you are a President wont you be influenced to do worse? even if you don't, what about your wife, siblings, in-laws, relations, friends and even foes...every one who knows you will feel its their time to 'chop' and will embark on massive misappropriation, sometimes without your knowledge. 

(Puts down his glass of drink)..Bros hold it there, how can a Leader not be aware of massive corruption going on around him.....if I hear....(gulps drink...and puts the glass on the table with fist cupping the glass).

But why is it that we tend to define Leadership the other way round....instead of being the Influencer...if there's any word like that, we allow 'fantastically' corrupt elements in the form of 'god-fathers' and other political sponsors to influence us. 

(wipes mouth with the back of his fist and looks directly into his friend's eyes...in a slow steady tone said): I have your answer....as a business man, if I invest the sum of =N=100 billion, (wey I fit don thief) on your political ambition, and you win, am I not expected to make some returns...with interests? am I a father Christmas? ...

....As for my wife and family, how best can they rub it on your faces that we are in charge...that we run things...you know what I mean??...if not by engaging in "unwholesome" practices like fronting up companies to win and execute almost every government contracts, demand for 70% cut in every other awarded contracts, buy up 70% of shares in every lucrative sector of the economy, invest in booming sectors of economic activities in developed and under-developed countries around the world? huh...

...You see, (he said pointing to his head) our mentality tells us that we have to steal massively so as to leave a lasting 'legacy' for our children, grand- children and generations unborn.

But why?

Dey there dey ask 'why'...make boat leave you...(laughs) I can see you are a social scientist. 

No be we start this thieving, nah so them been teach us.

We come learn....and started teaching our 'teachers' newer techniques...so tey the teachers begin fear us...dey doff hat for us. 

That's why them call us Mr. Fantastic. (laugh)

But this is not funny...

We know...but we never cry reach? What is the difference between 'suffering and crying' huh? .

Come, how are you celebrating the Eid-El-Fitri? should we show up at your place? 

show up where? am I your father? 

Its only a question nah, e never reach that level.

Ok, wait until you see me carry plate dey beg for street before you understand watin dey ground...no be only 'show up at my place'....better carry yourself go Rock villa with your wife and children go show up, at least they might be organizing party for the less privileged. (laugh).

Guy, you just brought up a very good idea....seems like that is exactly what we will do...at-least if money no dey for man pocket, make man-pikin find somewhere wack nah....after-all, no be we loot the nation dry.

But nah we dey suffer am...(laugh)

Come first, how much have investigators recovered from the looters so far?

See Jamb question....which government has ever revealed how much they recovered from their 'loot chase'? even the famous Abacha loot how much did they reveal to have recovered so far, despite so called corporation from developed countries where the loot was.... abii nah 'is still' hidden?

Make them 'reveal' so that you will buy calculator and start monitoring what it was used for?

You go fear 'monitoring spirits nah...

MMMmmmm......just mmmmmm....I tire.

Bia...don't faint here ooo, which one is "mmmm" again?

So many people are disappointing me....( shakes head) them just dey fall my hand big time....

Like who?

I am not here to mention names....but they know themselves, every single one of them.

I hope I'm not among?

That is the million $ question for every one at the corridor of power....lyrics from one of late Smart Williams songs (a Nigerian singer from the Delta Ibo region) says: "O'chichi lu'yi aka, we'llee lua-oluu...makaa na' ezi afa, ka-ego nu'wa". literally means: (when voted into any position of authority (governmental in this case), do something profitable/ tangible/good etc... with it..because a good name is better than wealth". 

Dialogue copy right: Oby Denis

Britain Will Remain Attractive To Investors - Top British Investors Allay Fears After Brexit!

Top British investors are reacting to the pledge to cut corporation tax rate to below 15%, some will come down 5% as against the 20% current rate, to encourage businesses. 

This came following uncertainties that surround the referendum to exit the European Union. 

Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, stated that the move to cut corporation tax to less than 15 per cent was to ensure that Britain remains attractive to overseas investors.

An article published by the American conglomerate, Head of UK General Electric, and published in The Times Today, pointed that despite Brexit, Britain remains an attractive destination for investment.

Chief Executive of GE UK, Mark Elborne, who was among the signatories to a letter signed by nearly 200 business people in support of remaining in the European Union, wrote in the article...“We feel confident that these important UK projects will continue despite the uncertainty,” he writes. “And it is not just the domestic market that makes the UK attractive to inward investors. It is also the fact that the UK has a strong export mindset, which supports and promotes UK companies’ efforts overseas.”

Commenting further on the ‘9%’ sterling fall against the dollar, Elborne, wrote, “These examples are illustrations of the UK as a good place to do business in and as a good place to run a business from. And whatever leadership is in place after September they need to work hard to ensure this continues to be the case.”

"It's Be Nice If Men Would Shut Up" - Woman Writes Editor On Men's Opinion On Anti-Abortion!

....“Perhaps newspaper readership among young people would grow if every time we opened a paper, we didn’t have to read old men’s fusty opinions about uteri,”.....

A woman identified as Heidi Seltz wrote  the editor of Minneapolis Star Tribune after the paper published two letters from anti-abortion men regarding the Supreme Court’s landmark, the woman requested that "It'd be nice if men would shut up"  and quit writing articles about their opinion about the woman's body. 

See letter below:

Human Right Groups Fight Extra - Judicial Killings In Kenya!

Human Right groups in Kenya on Sunday, 3rd July, in a petitioned signed by nothing less than 33 Rights organisations, protested against the state of human rights and rule of law in the East African country, especially in the face of alleged reports suggesting that Police officers were involved in a recent extra-judicial killing of a human right lawyer Willie Kimani, his client and their taxi driver.

Bodies of the three men identified as Willie Kimani, Josephat Mwenda and Joseph Muiruri, was recovered from a river 73 kilometres northeast of Nairobi,  Kenya's capital city, after they were abducted, and killed. 

Willie Kimani, Josephat Mwenda and Joseph Muiruri, were last seen alive  on Thursday, June 23, as they left Mavoko Law Courts, in Machakos County, 2016 where they had attended a hearing of a traffic case against Mwenda. 

In December 2015, months after he had lodged a complaint with IPOA against a senior officer at the camp who had illegally shot him in April 2015 as he dismounted a motorcycle after the officers had waved him down to stop, Police officers from Syokimau AP Camp in December 2015, brought charges against Josephat Mwenda.

According to evident brought by the Kenyan Human right group,  the three men were briefly held at Syokimau AP Camp soon after they were abducted, the men reportedly disappeared after that until their bodies was recovered about a week later.

So far, Kenya's Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinett ordered the arrest  three AP officers attached to the Syokimau AP Camp, Frederick Leliman, Stephen Chebulet and Sylvia Wanjiku, over offences relating to the killings. Boinett further directed that all their colleagues at the camp be questioned about the disappearances.

The group is asking that those found responsible be held to account in fair trials.

Nigerian Government Declare July 5 & 6 Eid-El-Fitri Holidays!

Nigerian government declares Tuesday, 5th July and Wednesday, 6th July public holidays to mark the Eid-El-Fitri celebration.

Nicki Spotted At MMG Weekend 2016!

Nicki Minaj at Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group empire (MMG)  pool party in Atlanta.

13 Remanded Over Involvement In Istanbul Airport Attack!

Thirteen suspected Isis terrorist group members, were on Sunday, July 3rd, 2016, remanded in custody by a Turkish court.  

The suspects were returned to custody until the trial of their involvement in the suicide bombings at  Ataturk Airport, Istanbul on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 which claimed 45 lives. 

A total of 239 people were injured, 49 people are currently receiving treatment in hospitals of which 17 are in intensive care. 

The attackers, believed to be acting on behalf of Islamic State of Irag and Levant (ISIL), stormed the international terminal '2' of the airport, with  explosives and automated weapons, and carried out the attack.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.