The stench of arrogance, lies, deceit and corruption in the government of
\nPresident Goodluck Jonathan oozes that no amount of image-laundering
\ncologne will cure. Loyalists and aides never forget to remind us that Mr.
\nJonathan is a good man, a gentleman, a respecter of rule of law, God-sent
\nleader, bla bla. But why would a man with such wonderful attributes that
\nwould make Basir Al-Assad commit suicide, continue to flirt around
\nterrible individuals? Do I perceive a case of rewarding undiluted loyalty
\nor unequaled friendship?I am very amazed.
\nIn those days, questionable characters in whatever arm of government
\npossess a bit of decorum. Many of them, albeit renowned brigands stole
\nwith a measure of sympathy. They looted in a way only their family
\nmembers, concubines, close staff and associates found out. The masses were
\nkept in the dark, at least most of the time. Fast forward to 2013, all
\nsectors, including the ever-green GRAFT, have undergone huge
\ntransformation, robust growth and tremendous development, which are
\nvisible to every Nigerian at home and in the Diaspora.
\nNot-minding the earlier crashes and near-crashes witnessed under her
\ntenure, the country\u2019s Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella
\nOduah-Ogiemwonyi, thought it wise or was (wrongly) advised to forestall
\nany fatality by muzzling out a personal security vote from parastatals
\nsaddled with the responsibility of ensuring both personal security and
\ncollective safety of millions of travelers flying the nation\u2019s airspace!
\nMore appalling, is the fact that the latest scandal for which she has been
\nindicted occurred only a month before the recent Associated Airlines
\naccident that killed, sorry, re-killed a former governor and 14 others.
\nThat our oyinbo-accent sister, daughter, wife and mother, needs more
\nprotection than her boss, President Jonathan, is not in any way an
\nacceptable argument; that one requires two cars worth $1.6m (N255million)
\nto effectively discharge official duties is ridiculous; that a government
\nofficial finds it not abnormal to order agencies under her watch to cough
\nout a quarter of a billion is shameful; that we had to hear the gist from
\nthe media further shows the level of insecurity and cover-up in
\ngovernance; that the accused is still comfortable being the occupier of
\nthe office is a confirmation that integrity is no longer a watchword for
\nservice; that the President may not find this scandal enough reason to
\ngive the Minister the boot is even ridiculous and is paining me to the
\nmarrow!
\nJustifying the purchase, Joe Obi, the Minister\u2019s media assistant, stated
\nthat his principal inherited a lot of baggage in terms of the terms of
\nconcessions and lease agreements which were not in the interest of the
\ngovernment and people of Nigeria. To this end, according to him, adequate
\nsecurity cannot be handled with kid gloves. I ask: Why did it take more
\nthan two years after her swearing-in (July 2, 2011) to realize the urgency
\nof self-protection from \u201cimminent threat\u201d?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For Ms. Oduah’s information, it is not only her ministry supposed enemies
\nof the state are targeting. The Ministries of Finance and Agriculture are
\nalso on the radar of the bad guys; probably under more threat when
\ncompared to hers. She must be stupid to think that her confirmation that
\nshe requested the purchase of the automobiles portray her as sincere
\nperson. No ma\u2019m, there is absolutely nothing to explain; records,
\nreceipts, documents and statements from aggrieved personnel gave you away
\nalready.
\nFederal Government freaks out when opposition leaders, organized Labour,
\ncommentators and activists applaud the Academic Staff of Universities
\nUnion (ASUU) for sustaining the ongoing action. But from the picture its
\nreckless officials paint, isn\u2019t it clear that contrary to the \u201cwe cannot
\nafford your demands\u201d claim, the country can in fact fulfill the
\ncontentious 2009 agreement? The striking lecturers are no idiots; they
\nsee, hear and read about the countless financial mismanagement and wastage
\nby the same people who claim no money!
\nIn their tiny brain of illusion, our leaders think that they are smooth,
\nsleek and smart. The sad part, however, is that a number of them are not
\nonly fools, but are living in fools\u2019 paradise yet they know not. I mean if
\nthey are as brilliant as on paper, how is it possible that less-educated
\npeople catch them by the wrist? How is it possible that despite
\ndiversionary tactics, their secrets blow open eventually?
\nMs. Oduah was bold to single-handedly spend N255million of our collective
\nwealth in a frivolous manner and then say it is for the use of the
\nestablishment. Going by the outcry trailing the purchase, what if her
\nsuccessor decides to do without the \u201cutility vehicles\u201d? In a clime where
\nvoodooism is still in high practice, the next Minister could reject the
\ncars for fear that Ms. Oduah\u2019s traducers have cast a spell on the
\nfortified BMW 760s.
\nAs we\u2019ve all seen, heavy cosmetic make-up can only cover the spots,
\nblemishes and wrinkles our faces, it does not (and will never) do the
\nmagic on dishonesty, crass attitude, shady deals and corrupt tendencies.
\nThe President will do himself, his government and the nation a world of
\ngood by dropping this woman from his cabinet. I am counting on the hope
\nthat he will do this without further delay. I would not bet on it though.<\/p>\n
@WaleOdunsi
\nwodunsi@yahoo.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The stench of arrogance, lies, deceit and corruption in the government of President Goodluck Jonathan oozes that no amount of image-laundering cologne will cure. Loyalists and aides never forget to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n