‘Stolen’ money is a coward
Ionce watched with keen interest the founder of the “common sense” idea, Distinguished Senator Ben Muray Bruce making a common sense at a Senate plenary. In order to make the sense he was trying to make more common and simple to the non-common communion of his distinguished colleagues, he stood up on the floor of the Senate Chamber that was occupied by members whom were trying to find solution to the current economic recession; reach to his pocket, and brought out a N10 Note. He spread and shook the note with his hands to the sight of his colleagues and said: this “money is a coward”. In his further argument, he opined that the more the Federal Government goes after people with questionable humongous amount of money, the more
International and local investors are scared away from the Nigerian economy. With the recent EFCC discovery of Andrew Yakubu’s $9.8 Million and £74,000 thousand, that met between themselves and resolved to go and hide in Kaduna and not just in Kaduna town, but in a slum of Kaduna and hid themselves in a fireproof saves, in order to escape the Buharian “insecticide”, I will agree with Sen. Bruce if he actually said that “STOLEN money are cowards” (and not all money). But to generalize and say that investor’s money, especially our local investor’s, are chased out of the country by the FG’s anti-graft war, is a sham and untrue idea, from a renowned Senator, on the floor of a Senate House that is battling to wash, clean and iron its image from being the portrait of corruption in the view of average Nigerians.
Yes! It is true that “stolen” moneys are real “cowards”: we all have seen them in recent time running from one country, village, slum and mansion to the other, in search of shelter away from the EFCC eagle eyes. Some have even gone far away to Mossack Fonseca. The idea of allowing stolen moneys which were meant for payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities of workers to be laundered, ironed, and invested in our economy will never end our hardship.
Mr. Andrew’s case has made it clear that the distinguished Senator only succeeded in handing down an opinion that was neither based on any economic theory nor law. It will only qualify as a row opinion that aimed at legalizing impunity and corruption, period!
In as much as we admit that there are loopholes and imperfection in some policies of the Federal Government, good faith demands that we recognize where the federal Government gets it right and appreciate them. We can’t afford to throw out the baby with the bath water.
The only solution to the problem of Nigeria is to have policies that will make our leaders accountable and put us in a viable economic course which rewards creative and hardworking Nigerians, irrespective of their economic or social background.
Hussaini Hussaini, Abuja.