The Nigeria @ 50 Organising Committee has had a difficult challenge convincing sceptics that a Golden Jubilee anniversary budget of N6.37 billion (slashed down from N10 billion by the National Assembly) in a country where 72 per cent of citizens live on less than US$2 a day is worth it, never mind that most Nigerians frankly do not see much to celebrate after 50 years of independence. The committee had also tried unsuccessfully to do a 419 on corporate Nigeria by cajoling them to pay for the month-long fiesta before the check arrived from the federal government and saved the committee from one day 'eating the warden's beans,' as the Owerri people would say.
The most serious moral and ethical challenge facing the committee, however, is the tainted list of 'worthy Nigerians' the committee has selected to honor as part of the festivities. Wole Soyinka, Okonjo-Iweala, and Philip Emeagwali lead the pack Like most of our 'honour' rolls, this one is tainted by including people like Emeagwali with outright fraudulent resumes.
Enjoy...
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