Nigeria: Stifled by political 'godfathers'

Isn't it sordid that after 47 years of nationhood Nigeria is still a political Lilliput? Its leaders have refused to learn and would rather prefer to run the country as their personal estate. Take the case of the maximum leader, Sani Abacha, who ruled with iron fist all in the name of 'moving the country forward' with a warped and self-serving slogan of "Vision 2010" . Before then, General Ibarahim Babangida, never wanted to leave the the seat after eight solid years on the saddle. Under his administration Nigeria made millions of dollars from the Gulf war but misery and squalor could not be tackled even marginally. Then came Olusegun Obasanjo, who had earlier ruled Nigeria between 1976 and 1979. Upon his inauguration as civilian president on May 29, 1999, 'baba promised to transform Nigeria"Corruption is to be stamped out from the country's way of life and nobody no matter how highly-placed would be spared in the the new onslaught", Obasanjo boasted at his inauguration.He quickly established the controversial Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, with a senior police officer, Nuhu Ribadu, at the helm of affairs.However, like a toothless bulldog, the commission could not drive away corruption because the constitution placed a roadblock against any such war.Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution shields top politicians from civil and criminal prosecution while in office. The president, his vice, governors and their deputies can neither be questioned by any court of law nor summoned by any law enforcement agency while they are in office.Right now, the House of Representatives, is probing how the Obasanjo administration committed a whopping $16 billion into the energy sector with no results. Most of the contracts alleged to have been awarded to companies not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC. While that is a serious crime by itself, most of the projects for which money had already been paid, are yet to begin. One of the companies is linked to a former head of state and a friend of the government at the time. Worst of all, Nigeria's energy capacity has fallen by the time the government left office because not a single watt of electricity was added to the national grid by the man who portrayed himself as an anti-corruption czar.President Umaru Yar'Adua who was sworn in last May, has however promised to eliminate the canker worm called corruption but it is not likely that he would succeed in a jiffy because of the anti-progressive forces still lurking around the corridors of power in the country. He might have also been misled into forcing Nuhu Ribadu, the EFCC boss on a study leave at the Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru near Jos, Plateua State. He is also unfortunate to have appointed a pro-politician lawyer as one of his advisers.From the East to the West and the North to the South, poverty looms like a colossus while the basic amenities of life remain out of sight. At every turn, the political 'godfathers' come around and anoint those who should take over from them using a debilitated organ known as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to 'select' such candidates irrespective of their immoral credentials.Nigeria has been enslaved by this political cabal for ages. God-fearing people have never been allowed to lead the country since independence in 1960. Too bad for a nation that is well endowed with human, capital and natural resources.