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8/30/2007

Honourable ko, Integrity ni

My father has spent a good part of his money and thinking time in the last few years putting up a house in the village. I’ve been dragged along most of the time so “his first son, can have a better idea of what he is doing”. His reasoning; not necessarily mine.

Anyway, as a result, I’ve gotten quite some insight into the house-building process; I know the stages involved, what those stages cost, how even your kinsmen try to rip you off at every turn, how unreliable some contractors can get, what happens if your supply of money finishes (now, that one’s common sense; you simply have provided one more abandoned building for the homeless people and stray animals).

Yet with all this my knowledge, and its quite more extensive than I can describe, I cannot imagine how 628 million naira could have been allocated to the refurbishment of 2 (in words, two) homes or official residences of leaders in the house of reps. See full story here. I know they revised that figure to two hundred and something million but even that is incredible and the cynic in me prefers the larger figure.

I say for the umpteenth time that these our leaders must think we are ignorant and stupid maybe because some of us choose to blog about gurls (my big date hasn’t happened yet, by the way) rather than complain about them(the leaders). Even if they were building new houses. Bear in mind that these houses weren’t formerly abandoned; they were, not too long ago, occupied by Masari and the rest of his crew. Even if Masari in his rage for loosing out politically knocked the place around a bit or maybe he had children like the cousins I stay with currently. Even if he had such poor tastes and the tastes of our current speaker is at par with those of Paris Hilton. 6 or 2 hundred million??? Na wah O! She be arab prince?

I heard this same speaker just threw a bash (or small get-together, depending on who you ask) in the U.S. I barely have enough cash to give my crush a good time talk less of throwing a birthday “get-together”. When’s my birthday, by the way? Its unfortunate that she’s a woman. Just at a time when the footprints left by women in leadership pressed for more women in top positions. Her actions are trying hard to negate that reasoning.

I don’t know which is more annoying; the money involved or the attempted cover-up by the “honourable” members of the house. Reason? To protect the “integrity” of the offices and officers involved. “Honour”? “Integrity”? They must be joking. I don’t know which Nigerian perceives them as such; so where such delusions emanate from, I can’t tell. What I know is that the delusion has eaten so deep they actually believe it; they add such and such titles to their names, ask “honourable” former senators to take bows at ministerial screenings even while “honourable” serving senators face trial for embezzlement of billions of naira and others play hide and seek (their playground? National hospital Abuja) with the authorities for similar reasons. This is the height of self-deceit. Can’t someone talk them out of it?

It’s a heart-breaking development truly and I can’t wait for someone to get the axe very soon. I hope I don’t wait forever.

29 comments:

DB said...

sorry, ehn. you get wait samll if not teeeeeeeeyyyyyy.
there's no justice in Nigeria, it's every man for himself and banza to the masses.
sounds harsh but it's the reality that we are living.
it gets worse cos the fathers teach it to their children before putting them back in the same offices they just vacated.
and hey why are you baffled by the 'honorable' thing, haven't you heard of honor amongst thieves?

bighead said...

When I think honour among thieves, Robin Hood comes to mind. These guys conjure up images of the sheriff of nottingham instead

Bunmmy said...

my anger is that she is a woman!!!!!i wonder if her constituency or village has had such monetary allocation in a year.Don't they think or are Nigerians sooo dumb??? Na only God fit save man pikin for naija

bighead said...

@hopeful B: its really sad; just when everyone was beginning to gain confidence in women. abi you know, the money wasn't even budgeted for. To think that we spent almost a billion without budgeting later they would have the liver to cut education and health budgets.

The Life of a Stranger called me said...

Don't worry that date will come. We can only pray for God to soften the hearts of men in Nigeria.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Chxta said...

L'il ray of hope: Back in the day, this story won't have even made the news...

bighead said...

@chxta: true, word about atrocities is getting out a lot more these days but unfortunately the press alone can't prosecute. If they could, Uba, Adedibu, OBJ infact the whole PDP would be in jail by now. Lets hope this matter is not swept under the rug or settled as "a PDP matter".

Ejura said...

Hi Big head!
Hmmn big head-is the head really, you know...?
Thanks for stopping by. As for the birthday bash, she says in her defense that the entire thing is being blown out of proportion. According to her, it was organized by her sis and it was just a sitting room event with only a handful of very close friends. She also says it was an impromptu thing-her bday coincided with her medical checkup in the states and so voila-a lil party. Nice blog by the way.

DB said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DB said...

@hopeful b what do you mean she's a woman?!!! woman no dey chop money or women can't be corrupt (ask an average housewife who starts with her husband). i don't understand the gender qualification thing.

and you too big head what is this woman thing? it's beginning to have a chauvinistic ring to it.

Chxta said...

It all has to start from somewhere. There has to be an awareness of the scale of atrocities before one can seriously start talking about prosecution, and with that in mind, this is a step in the right direction.

In the meantime, there is an old Chinese saying: Patience is a gift. That is one gift our people seem to lack.

bighead said...

@ejura: do you know what my intro tech teacher in secondary school would have called her explanation? "campaign after elections".

I heard the event was actually billed to be bigger than it was but a nosy reporter made noise about it and she piped low. And that made some of the "honourable" members that travelled for it to stay in their hotel rooms instead.

I also heard the budget for the "small get-together" was $90,000

And I heard... hear more here

As for the "medical check-up" excuse, why didn't she go to the hospital she "provided" for her constituency. I'm sure 600m naira can build a whole lot of hospitals. Its high time we start doing something about these leaders and former leaders that go abroad for "medical check-up". Why wasn't Alamieyeseigha sent to a Bayelsa hospital when he took ill. No, its the villagers that didn't chop money that take the fall for his greed. To add salt to injury, they let him off with a slap on the wrist.

@eccentric nana: please don't misunderstand me. My reference to women-folk is a compliment to you people. The women we've had in government have performed generally (speaking of percentages) better than men. I've come to trust the women more but she's damaging those percentages

@chxta: Patience? I think Nigerians are quite patient. If it was in Philipines, the citizens would have revolted against OBJ in 2005. I agree things are changing but too slow for everyone's liking. We are getting old everyday, you know; my once smooth chin now gets shaved once in while. We can't wait for much longer.

DB said...

@chxta, nigerians are so patient, it's disgusting. add to dat hopeful, passive, stoic, all noise no action and our leaders would love to add mugus, sycophants, easily bought off, easily deceived...

Jennifer A. said...

wow...

food for thought...

Ejura said...

Wow you do have a lot of political energy!
But true, enough of all this already!!!
Maybe what we need is a revolution like "la prise de la bastille" in France in 17..
But even that one kuma come get k-leg.The revolutionaries [is there a word like that?]became corrupt too...

bighead said...

@ejura: I'm passionate about the things I love. I guess we could blame passion for the "energy". As for having a revolution, many people (including me, I'm afraid) feel we have too much to lose from one of that scale. Call me selfish, but I'm not really into the "do it for our children" mentality so I'll rather a smaller-scale revolution.

Stuff like impeaching, arresting and jailing (nothing less than 8 yrs) a few people will do for starters.

But even after the revolution, constant change has to continue cos when the power remains in a few hands for too long, like you pointed out, it corrupts them.

Atutupoyoyo said...

Ejura is echoing what I have said for years. We need organised rebellion in that country. Viva la revolution!

DB said...

@atutu, START IT! you and ejura.

be like de Gaulle and start your own resistance army from London.

Chxta said...

@ Atutu, revolution? This ain't 1917...

Ejura said...

yep a REVOLUTION!
We catch all our corrupt leaders and chop off their heads with a guilotine.Do we spare their families? Hmmn, I'd have to think that one out.
When we are done, I'd be the first ever Nigerian female president and atutu will be my deputy.

Chxta said...

Recommended reading: Animal Farm

Atutupoyoyo said...

Yes Ejura can be the Snowball to my Napoleon. Two legs baaaaad!

bighead said...

@ejura: a cousin suggests execution by helicopter gunships on bar beach. he says, we'll line up all the bad guys on the beach with barriers to prevent escape, then the gunships would fly in from sea and even start 'blastacataring' the water from afar to increase the fright even more. he's also not sure what we'll do to friends and family. He think that'll be on case by case basis.

as for partnering with atutu, I'll advise you to watch your back. He's already calling himself napoleon and you, snowball.

@atutu: have you spoken with undacovasista? well I'm sure she won't mind being second lady then first by the time you do the coup against ejura.

Ejura said...

LOL-una don make me laff this afternoon oh!
This snowball here has HITLER for a pally; so who knows? good old Nappy can have a bath in one of Uncle Hit's concentration camps if I even slightly, perceive the foul odour of treason.
lol!We aren't even there yet and we're already plotting coups. Power truly is a mess in the wrong hands.And it seems everyone has one bad hand. May that hand wither in Jesus name! Amen.
How did we get here? I thought we were discussing the Etteh scandal?

Carlang said...

what are you talking about.
the money was not too much
i happened to be the electrician in charge of the refurbishment project.
the money i was given was not enough.
i had to buy
microsoft 3pin 5 way windows switch,
one ic supermaster binatone biocharger.
you Nigerians.
Always complaininng.

abeg pay me my money.

Afrobabe said...

Naija is just messed up jare.....see as we dey suffer because we no see chance steal!

bighead said...

@carlang: microsoft 3pin 5 way windows switch,
one ic supermaster binatone biocharger.


What the heck is all that? Anyway, I'm sure I'll find a whole lot of other stuff I can't recognise on the "refurbishment" plan.

@afrobabe: are u implying that you would steal if you had the opportunity?
Ejura and atutu take note

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

Hey you! Wassup? Why the name bighead? I would love to see...Thanks for stopping by my blog and about the post..

That woman is an OLE!

bighead said...

@nyemoni: we'll be viewing my head at silverbird cinemas. 1:00am Nigerian time tomorrow. The movie is 6hrs long (the head is really BIG) so be prepared.