Nigeria has become a country of lists: Its either a list showing its richest/wealthiest or that showing those who have money in foreign accounts. But as these figures are thrown out, it makes one wonder, if the persons undoing the countrys economic wellbeing are known, how come no action taken has landed anyone seriously behind bars' Is the list shown to offer distraction so the people begin to talk and wish they are on the list' If the criminals are known, how come no one is going to jail' In a central planned economy that is Nigeria, it is no doubt the level of waste, fraud, misappropriation and mismanagement takes a high toll on national resources, leading to less than desirable outcomes. The players and referees are in consonance; each endorsing the role and activities of the other. That Nigeria gets about 20 per cent benefits out of its annual budgets while 80 per cent is attributed to waste, fraud, mismanagement and misappropriation, nepotism and paternal dealings is largely because the players and referee use each others lines. Government programmes are poorly authored, implemented and enforced. Therefore, it is no surprise that fraud is easy and culprits go scot-free.With oil as the mainstay and one that belongs to the government (unearned income), all one needs to do is to hijack an aspect of the flow and they are in. How can a country that is ranked fifth in the world as a big exporter of crude depend solely on the importation of refined products'Of course, with challenges imposed by unreliable electricity, water and basic infrastructure, refining crude in Nigeria is limited. Therefore, by default and design, the leadership in an appearance to make refined products reasonable, elects to use subsidy as give-back to the Nigerian consumer.Fuel subsidy in Nigeria is what Medicare/Medicaid is in the United States: Fraught and laden with fraud, abuse and mismanagement that it does not seem to go away. Since Nigerians have been made to enjoy the alleged benefits of fuel subsidy, any attempt to remove it is always met with opposition and widespread protests. But for Nigeria to release itself from bad policies, tough decisions must be made. There are no easy answers because a people bent on undermining themselves always find a way to circumvent any attempt at effective and good solutions.Should some people be tried for fraud' Well, fraud has to be proven. If they are milking the system because the programmes/policies are easy and loose, the solution is to tighten them and demand stringent conditions. While the acts can be seen as morally reprehensible, to prove fraud takes a stricter approach. Either way, the Federal Government has continued to show weakness in dealing with the cancer cells in its veins that keep mutating and growing unchecked.There is the need for Nigeria to emulate what South Korea did in the 90s to cleanse itself of business and political figures that held the country hostage: It rounded them up, tried them and confiscated their assets. It sought and entered into treaties with many countries, demanding the extradition of South Koreans accused of fraud and who was residing in their countries. To make the demand stick, the South Korean government sought to cut off trade ties with any country that did not comply.Well, Nigeria has what the world needsoil/gas.Here is a viable solutionNigeria will not sell its oil and gas to any country that harbours any Nigerian known or accused to have in collaboration or concert carried any economic programme detrimental to the nation. If Nigeria takes this course, the United Kingdom, France, United States, Germany and some other countries where Nigerians stash stolen public funds may come to the fore to help.The Nigerian leadership needs to learn how to call the bluff of unwilling partners and be seen to be serious in curbing and curtailing activities by her citizens that keep undermining the country and rendering its over 150 million citizens hapless and irredeemably despondent and desperate. Cross-border crimes can be contained but the approach has to encapsulate actions within and outside the country. If the Nigerian leadership were to encourage Nigerians abroad, especially in US and UK, to report activities of Nigerians hiding stolen public funds in these countries and buying real estate or investing with such money, there will be appreciable reactions.A Whistle Blower legislation that calls on Nigerians wherever they are to join the efforts of the Federal Government to curtail the activities of nefarious and corrupt Nigerians, with reward for information leading to conviction, would be a welcome first step. President Goodluck Jonathan should consider this initiative. He will be the first to seek help to curb corruption. Relying on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission alone will not do it.Nigerians have to be involved and encouraged to help fish out the nations enemiesthose undermining its economic wellbeing. A public media campaign like Its Your Money; Help Grab the Criminals, will give Nigerians a sense of ownership in the war against corruption.But this campaign must be seen as being above anyone in government, including the President and his immediate and extended family members. There shall be no sacred cows, however, if there are, Nigerians must make them unsacred. Until those who end up at the blunt end of government bad policies and politics participate to address and put an end to corrupt practices, no amount of government efforts will produce desired results. Nigerians know who are undermining them but somehow out of timidity and lack of support, criminals in Nigeria look like super stars. They should not bePeriod.It is time Nigerians step forward to be counted and become tools in dealing with issues that keep shackling and holding down their country. The country does not belong to the President and the 36 governors and their political and business cohorts. It belongs to 150m+ Nigerians. If the Igbo saying that one person should never be larger and bigger than their community, holds true, then the rest 150m+Nigerians who lay comatose, downtrodden and low must rise and demand better deals. I guess, the "Animal Farm" syndromeall animal are created equal but some are more equal than others, accords with the way Nigerians look at themselves and condone criminal conduct. The ownership by Nigerians can only be exerted when they step forward and demand better treatment - unapologetically.It is your country, what are you willing to do about it' Nigerians must be willing to put a stop to being guinea pigs in their national governments experiments that never seem to end with results they are proud of. This is a trillion naira demand, whose expectation appears to be like waiting for the sun to rise from the West.Okpa, a Nigerian-American based in Dallas, Texas, United States, wrote vide eokpa@post.harvard.edu
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