By Bukola Ogunyemi
Sun, Jun 17, 2012 at 4:02 AM
Unbelievably-creative pieces emerging from the foul smelly stuff around our rulers…….
Happy Sunday. J
[Do we read and enjoy the following forwarded to me by 'J' from Ms. Ogunyemi, or do we read and cry for the stench that keeps covering the entity known as Nigeria through the bottomless corruption that now seems so common-place it may trick us to yawn and say, "nothing new"?
What words must we use that have not been used to convince President Jonathan that NOT publicly declaring his assets as mandated by the Nigerian Constitution gives more than a wink to the horrific and shameful corrupt practices going on in the same country he promised to bring "fresh air" to in his campaign?
NEPA - or whatever alphabets the power company that generates darkness is now known by - does not allow even the enjoyment of the fresh air type that cools us down and neither has Jonathan's government provided the environment that can usher in fresh air of the metaphorical and social varieties.
My suggestion? Read and enjoy the creativity and tell yourself the era of 'siddon look' don pass. Write a letter to this Blog, to any newspaper/newspapers online ... that you are sick and tired of the corruption in high places and cannot take it any more.
And that should just be for a start. We'll take it from there. The era of relying on bribe-taking unions must be left in the past..
A promise, then a trust – AND a collosal betrayal. Picture from emotanafricana Library, 11/201
Mr. President, Declaring your assets publicly now would be a good start to the “fresh air” over Nigeria. Ditto Mrs. Jonathan.
How about the deafening silence from retired Col. David Mark-headed Senate where even so-called “progressives” seem at home in the stench that covers us all? Anyway, I’m yet to read from any news reports their minority opinion on the shame of a country that passes for law-making in the House of Reps?
TOLA, June 17, 2012]
Book of Revolution: Gospel according to St. Farcrook – by Ogunyemi, Bukola
1) And it came to pass after these things, on the first day of the first month of the twelfth year after the second millennium, that king Jona son of Bele announced to the people saying; there is no money left in the royal treasury, and the future of the kingdom is in great danger.
2) Therefore, a measure of oil shall no longer sell for three scores of silver and seven, but shall now be seven scores of silver and one. But the people grumbled aloud, and said unto another, what shall it profit our king to gain all these oil money and lose his throne?
3) For it is appointed unto him to reign but once, and after this prison, for many are the atrocities which he has committed.
4) So they said unto the king, eat thou thy food in peace in the palace, and surround thou thyself with thine women, only touch not our oil price and do thy people no harm.
5) But the king would not listen, and said unto himself, I know my people, they shall only grumble for a while and soon they shall forget.
6) But the people would not forget, for the burden was too much for them to bear, and they said; now unto him that is able to increase the price of oil exceeding abundantly above all that his people can bear or think, according to the greed which worketh in him;
7) Unto him be curses in the streets by the masses throughout all ages, protests without end.
8) So they took to the streets and gave the land no peace, and there was no going out or coming in throughout the kingdom for two weeks, and the king feared greatly and said to himself, surely these people shall overturn me if I answer them not.
9) So he called the head of the labourers unto the palace, and gave him bags of gold, that they might turn off the wrath of the people against the king.
10) So the king assembled the people and said unto them; a measure of oil shall no longer be seven scores of silver and one, but shall now be four scores of silver, one dozen and one, to this your leaders have agreed. Praise me now therefore for I am a benevolent king.
11) And after all these, the Loudspeaker of the House of People said, let us inquire into the king’s claim that there be no money in the royal treasury. So they appointed Farcrook, son of Lawal.
12) And said unto him, gather ye now all the oil sellers, that we may know who stole from the kingdom. This did him with diligence, and came back with his report saying
13) Thieves abound in the land, and so have the oil sellers stole from the people, and gave them not oil, this they did with the help of Aliyaro the king’s mistress; and the amount he mentioned was unheard of in the land.
14) When the people heard this, they were dismayed, and sorrow gripped their hearts.
15) But the oil sellers went in unto the king in his chamber, and said; rememberest thou O king that the what we stole did we make available to thy campaign, and by thus did we make you king.
16) If thou deliver us unto the people that they may punish us, we will hold not our tongue to tell the people that thou art one of us.
17) And they said unto him, how else shall we destroy the message if not to destroy the messenger? Let us therefore implicate Farcrook the son of Lawal in this matter.
18) So they sent a certain rich man from the West by the name Otedollar, and he took Farcrook into his house and gave him some money, that he may alter the report which he had set before the people.
19) And it was that Otedollar went before an assembly of the people and said unto them, trust ye this man who said we stole from the treasury? Surely he is one of us, for he came unto me in the middle of the night, and he left with his pockets full of money.
20) And the people where amazed, and their hearts bled, for Farcrook was a man in whom they had to their trust.
21) So Farcrook arose, and said; Otedollar is my briber, I did not request. He maketh me to sit down in his Maitama house; he leadeth me beside the chilled champagne.
22) He exploited me greed; he leadeth me in the paths of marked dollars for subsidy’s sake.
23) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of EFCC, I will fear no arrest: for bribes are with me; my loots and my kickbacks they comfort me.
24) Thou preparest the dollars before me, in the presence of the SSS: thou anointest my mouth with wine; my pocket runneth over.
25) Surely the shame and reproach shall follow me all the days of my life, but I will dwell in the house of PDP forever and ever.
26) And the people wept, but there was no one to console them.
June 18, 2012 at 1:30 am
During OBJ’s regime of 1999 to 2007 (I can’t remember if he himself declared his assets), two Senate Presidents and one Speaker, House of Reps were shown the red cards directly or indirectly traced to corruption. Collective corruption walked into the two Legislative Houses in form of bloated salaries and allowances during these two terms.
The level of corruption now is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. Honestly, we did not read the hand writing on the wall with the GEJ’s banner during his campaign period. Or what can we call his refusal to declare his assets which is against the Constitution he swore to uphold? With the new styles in corruption now between Farouk and Otedola, we have not seen anything yet. Are these not examples of “I assure you of fresh (foul) air in Nigeria”?
We have passed the stage of “siddon look”. Even the Great Uncle from Esa-Oke who “siddon look” came out later of his arm-chair. Yoruba said, “fii’le je k’o lo, iya nii fii j’eyan” (leave and let go has consequences); so we have to continue relentlessly to tell GEJ to be bold enough to declare his assets; otherwise he should vacate Aso Rock because he is contravening the Constitution and therefore he’s not fit to occupy that house any more.
A word, they say is enough for the wise.
June 18, 2012 at 9:47 am
Dear Fatai,
Thanks for this addition.
At least most Nigerians who read news reports back then learnt retd. General Obasanjo had N20,000 or so in his account after walking out of late General Abacha’s lock-up. Between that time in 1999 and the time he left office in 2007, the president reportedly became the largest farm-holding person in Nigeria and was worth millions in cash and assets. How did he come about this?
I did criticize his taking millions in one of my weekly essays when he was president – N50m or N500m from each state towards an Obasanjo library, money that we later learnt was spent on a hotel complex for the library grounds.
As I did ask Mrs. Turai Yar Adua after she collected millions for her “pet project” – a cancer hospital at Abuja – who will own General Obasanjo’s hotel and who now owns Yar Adua’s cancer hospital which large oil multinationals donated to when her husband was head of state?
The level of corruption now, as you mentions, is unprecedented and Dr. Jonathan does not seem to see a correlation between his refusal to abide by the Constitution by publicly declaring his assets and the increase in corruption under his watch.
By the way, that humongous digital-age poster was placed near the PDP-controlled Oyo State Government House and my spouse, who has always had not less than a camera in his possession since I met him, helped photographed it. I will continue to use it with any corruption-related story as long as Dr. Jonathan remains head of state and refuses to show by practical example that he wants to fight the cancer.
Regards, as always,
TOLA.
June 17, 2012 at 10:57 pm
Saint Farcrook demanded for the bribe from Mr. Otedollar. So, no set up. I’ll like to advise that we praise Mr. Otedollar, while we pray hard for Farcrook to be jailed.
June 18, 2012 at 9:54 am
Thanks, Prof.
Since Mr. Otedollar pleases us, praise God,
And since Saint Farcrook does not, pray for him.
An Ibadan photographer has a plaque in his office – in place of the usual “no credit today, come tomorrow”, I guess:
If we please you, praise God,
If we don’t, pray for us!
What a crooked bunch.
Regards,
TOLA.