Chinua Achebe in his Anthills of Savanah asserted that, Charity is the opium of the privileged and concluded that, the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary.
Borrowing from Achebe's idea, I am of the opinion that the real solutions to Nigeria's socio-economic problems do not require charities. Why should we expect heartless elements that plundered Nigeria's treasury and stole appropriated funds for the nation's economic development to become good Samaritans when consequences of their actions turn citizens into homeless and hungry destitute? If wealth is a reward for industry, creativity, investment and management, there are really no wealthy people in Nigeria that could be compared with in the US. Natural disaster cannot be prevented and, in fact, Nigeria is luckily exempted from natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and typhoons. Therefore, normal tropical rainfall that we have in Nigeria should not become disaster and life quenching problems for citizens in any part of the country if there is proper town planning and diligent execution of budgets. Flood areas in Nigeria, during raining season, remain the same as have been observed since 1950s. But as with all other socio-economic and infrastructural problems in Nigeria, floods are recurring decimals that our highly educated and overpaid Nigerian officials have not been able to solve.
In 2012, about 22 states in Nigeria had flood problems that caused President Jonathan to disburse N17.8 billion to the affected states, including Benue State which received N500 million for relief of the affected flood victims. Although Benue State Government led by Gabriel Suswam quickly set up Benue State Committee on Flood Disaster Management and appointed one Theophilus Adzaagee as its chairman, flood victims in the state received no help whatsoever from the government. Despite the fact that the flood victims were quartered in camps, the chairman of Benue State Committee on Flood Disaster Relief Management, Theophilus Adzaagee, attributed the delay in resettling the victims of the flood to a lack of comprehensive data!!! As the flood receded, Benue flood victims left the camps to survive on their own. Five months later, 24 November 2012, Benue State announced that fire gutted relief materials meant for flood victims and stored at the Local Government Education Authority in Wurukum, Markurdi, the capital of Benue State. Thereafter, Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State promised that his government would construct drainage canals to prevent future flooding of the areas, and strangely appealed to the people not to block the drainages when constructed. That was five years ago and as it was in Benue States, so was it all over the 22 flood affected States in Nigeria, in 2012.
Now on Sunday, 27 August 2017, a four hour down pour of rain between 23:56:00 hours on Saturday and 04:00:08 hours on Sunday morning had caused enormous floods rendering many people homeless. The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Joseph Ustem, was reported to have described the situation as terrible, and blamed the cause of the flood on blockage of drainages, as predicted by Governor Suswam in 2012. Open drainages must be maintained and cleared regularly of refuse dumped either by humans or nature, otherwise they would be blocked. Where cleaners employed either by the State's or Local government to clean the drainages are owed six months to one year salaries, the blockage of the drainages is self-evident as cleaners would not be able to clean them with empty stomach. Even when not blocked the drainages must converge at a predetermined destination. However, while welcoming Vice President Osinbajo who was at Markurdi on Wednesday, 6 September 2017, for on the spot assessment of the flood disaster on behalf of President Buhari, the APC Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, was reported to have appealed to the federal government to assist the State in dredging River Benue and complete ongoing drainage system in the State. If the construction of the drainages in the State are still ongoing according to Governor Samuel Ortom, it means the cause of the flood was not due to the blockage of drainages which Governor Gabriel Suswam promised to construct in 2012 but which are just being constructed in 2017. Thus, Benue State Commissioner of environment, Mr. Joseph Ustem lied when he attributed the cause of the flood to blockage of drainages that are still under construction. Former Governor Gabriel Suswam is currently being tried in court by the EFCC for stealing billions of naira from Benue State during his eight years tenure in office as Governor of the State that ended 29 May 2015.
Generally, educated Nigerians who are elected or employed to uplift the country from the dudgeon of economic underdevelopment and poverty, are over-remunerated to enhance their performance. Yet, our educated officials always end up stealing appropriated funds with which they are supposed to develop the country and produce goods and services for the people. A while ago, a Nigerian educated elite boasted of riding SUV and ridiculed those who ride Volvo as wretched of the earth. Neither SUV nor Volvo is produced in Nigeria where the level of economic and industrial developments, and consequently means of transport, are still at the age of riding Asses and Donkeys. A left-wing European friend of mine told me recently that educated Nigerians are social Darwinists that feed on the ignorance of the masses. I responded that, rather than being social Darwinists, educated Nigerian officials, just like crocodiles, are opportunists, equipped with big jaws and small brains while being extremely very lazy. Those qualities are well demonstrated at Ajaokuta Steel Mill, Nigeria's Crude Oil Refineries, Electricity Generating and Distribution Companies (GENCO & DISCO) etc.
S. Kadiri
Skickat: den 4 september 2017 21:33
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