This provides a lens into some deeper aspects of her personality. Over the weekend, a former high ranking government official took me round the different parts of Abuja and I met many people who are in good position to know what is happening. It is shocking to learn about how corruption has become a disease in Nigeria. There is no concept of shame.
Owning property has become a way to launder money instead of keeping it cash. There are so many properties owned by individuals in Abuja that it is impossible for them to account for how they earned the money for that legitimately. The properties are unoccupied, but the owners prefer that as a secure way of keeping their filthy lucre since keeping it as cash is dangerous. There are now stories of money discovered in the farms of some politicians.
Interestingly, as I drove from Abuja to Jos, I deliberately decided to pay special attention to signboards of places of religious worship. I still do not understand why religion is taken so seriously in Nigeria in terms of symbols and practices, but with regard to its moral and ethical impact, that is another matter.
In one sense this is not just a problem of Nigeria alone, but the reason why Nigeria becomes special is that in any conversation, often Nigerians want to project their religion to you on the face. They have little patience to ask why the expansion of religion does not seem to have the kind of impact on public morality as one would expect. In careful discussion, they admit that there are countries in the world that talk less of religion but they are better governed than Nigeria.
Given what was said about the former the former Finance Minister, it is obvious as Carl Jung asserted, what we know and how we know it is an intellectual question and process, but what we decide to do with it is a moral and ethical one. It is pathetic to see how filthy lucre has corrupted the hearts and minds of many Nigerians especially those in positions of power. How can a hundred million project end up costing over five hundred million?
It looks like the minister has the kind of courage that St. Augustine in The City of God described as "LIBIDO DOMINANDI" in his critique of Roman Courage. Some people cannot work if they are not the center of attention and if they are not in control. One needs to visit rural areas to see poverty in many parts of the country, but especially the North.
Samuel
On Mon, Aug 3, 2015 at 1:26 PM, Ayo Obe <ayo.m.o.obe@gmail.com> wrote:
--Slight correction: Dr. Okonjo-Iweala willingly accepted to become Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister, but she remained at the head of Nigeria's Economic Team, and thus, continued to represent Nigeria in its dealings with the IMF and World Bank etc., which would normally be done by the Minister of Finance. However, the Minister of Finance eventually complained that half her portfolio was missing. So I guess it may have been when she was removed as head of the Economic Team (possibly - as you say - while she was in the middle of debt relief negotiations) that Dr. Okonjo-Iweala resigned.This article recounts this background and raises some other matters that may or may not be ex post facto justification. http://www.proshareng.com/news/1422
AyoI invite you to follow me on Twitter @naijama
On Aug 3, 2015, at 6:31 PM, 'Chika Onyeani' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:Obasanjo is a vicious vindictive, megalomaniac buffoon who became very jealous and irate at Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's successes in reducing Nigeria's debt and all the accolades she was getting. He tried to humiliate and disrespect her by announcing, while she was in London at a meeting negotiating further debt relief for Nigeria, that she had been moved to the foreign affairs ministry. She had to be informed by one of her aides who heard the news on BBC. Of course, she promptly resigned.
Obasanjo became ever more irate when the World Bank appointed her as Managing Director of the institution, thinking that he had derailed her world recognition.
If Obasanjo had the vision he now claims over Okonjo-Iweala in directing her on what to do, it is shameless that when he came into office, he informed Nigerians assembled in New York that he was going to increase electricity supply from 2400 megawatts to 5000 in his first term. After spending $16 billion in 8 years, when Obasanjo left office, electricity supply in Nigeria had gone down to 2000 megawatts. Those are facts. And he was the Petroleum Minister for 8 years. It is sad that Obasanjo continues to open his ugly mouth to try to destroy those he felt had accomplished more than him, as he has been trying to do to Wole Soyinka. But an illiterate would always be an illiterate - you can take somebody out of the bush, but you cannot take the bush out of them.
Chika Onyeani
-----Original Message-------
From: Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu>
To: dialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Aug 3, 2015 1:02 pm
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: The Two Faces of Okonjo-Iweala! - Olusegun Obasanjo
Subject: The Two Faces of Okonjo-Iweala! - Olusegun Obasanjo
Reply-To: Ololade Bamidele < omoluabi@yahoo.co.uk>
--"Now in the Ministry of Finance we had got debt relief, so I could afford to take Ngozi to Foreign Affairs. That's all. And then she had Nenadi (Usman) who was the minister of state. She's not a buffoon. And then, which is also part of her weakness, she came to me and said, look, since it's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she will like to take International Finance along with it. I said talk to your sister with whom you are working and I don't see anything wrong with that provided you work out a relationship. But she didn't accord Nenadi the recognition and the consideration that was necessary. I then said the ministry of International finance should go back to Finance and that happened. She said she couldn't act. She put in a letter of resignation. And she had done that before, and before she could come and get people to come and beg, I announced acceptance (of her resignation)." - Olusegun Obasanjo
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Samuel Zalanga
Department of Anthropology, Sociology & Reconciliation Studies
Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive #24
Saint Paul, MN 55112.
Office Phone: 651-638-6023
Department of Anthropology, Sociology & Reconciliation Studies
Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive #24
Saint Paul, MN 55112.
Office Phone: 651-638-6023
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
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