President Buhari’s concerns about sabotage of oil infrastructure

Three architects of the Nigerian union, before and immediately after the attainment of political independence from Great Britain in 1960, had these to say: Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa: “Since 1914 the British Government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country, but the Nigerian people themselves are historically different in their backgrounds, in their religious beliefs and customs and do not show themselves any signs of willingness to unite… Nigerian unity is only a British invention.” 1948.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo: “Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no ‘Nigerians in the same sense as there are ‘English,’ ‘Welsh’ or ‘French.’ The word ‘Nigerian’ is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria and those who do not.” 1947.

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe: “It is better for us and many admirers abroad that we should disintegrate in peace and not in pieces. Should the politicians fail to heed this warning, then I will venture the prediction that the experience of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be a child’s play if ever it comes to our turn to play such a tragic role.” 1964.

Unfortunately, these accurate appraisals of the Nigerian condition by these great forbears were brushed aside with askance and the country was set on a tragic-comedy of swimming against the tide or rolling a heavy, disabling stone up a hill. Every Nigerian leader since independence has taken up the arduous laughable task of swimming against the tide of a wicked, merciless tsunami; largely due to acquiescence with a conspiracy of ignorance and the behest of primordial thoughtless, self-serving sentiments.

And here is where it has landed us: A huge stagflation that threatens to nose-dive into a
depression. Unfortunately, President Muahmmadu Buhari’s fight against corruption and his ardent desire to rid the country of the deadly menace of official graft has revealed something even more sinister; that is, the realization that he is the only one in his team who wants to nail the coffin of corruption. Almost everybody around him is watching like a hawk to swoop on the carcass of corruption in the Presidency. This is unsettling for a President who really believes that his government could midwife a change of mindset in the positive direction.  More frightening still is that ignoramus who could not construct a speech are linking him directly with the vice of plagiarism.

The situation is so pathetic that even when well-meaning Nigerians who genuinely want Mr. President to succeed in reforming the country make valid suggestions and send in proposals, the hawks in the Presidency hijack them, affix their names or the names of their friends who barely know how to construct a good sentence in English language and collect huge amounts of money, but end up delivering rubbish, to Mr. President’s utter embarrassment and indignation. Now, the same Presidency where the hawks inhabit and obstruct genuine access to Mr. President is directing the change mantra back to the people. What a tragic irony!

Not having trusted people to work with appears to have sent the President on a head hunting voyage to the Diaspora, whereupon, according to an online news media, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora matters and International Relations, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had assembled “15 best people God ever created” (Nigerians I presume) to welcome and assure Mr. President that all hope for a regenerated crop of Nigerians who could help drive the change agenda, was not lost.

But first, Mr. President must bare his soul about the quantum of decadence in Nigeria and the conspiracy of treasury looters of past governments to sabotage the oil infrastructure of the country. Mr. President lamented to his country men in the Diaspora how the chieftains of corruption of past administrations are ruthlessly and cruelly sponsoring militants to blow up the oil wells and pipelines in the country; thus, bringing the volume of crude oil lifted for export to an all-time low—a situation made worse by the fall in crude oil prices.

While the President might have meant well, it is muddle-headed to suppose that anybody could spin any miracle to fix the Nigerian State without first doing the needful. When those Diasporas come, on appointment as change drivers, they will discover that the country is programmed and structured to fail. The way Buhari is now complaining about oil-well bombing militants destroying the oil infrastructure of the economy is the same way that, right from day one, Jonathan was harassed and bombed out of office by the Boko Haram.

We should recall that as Jonathan was leaving Aso Rock Villa, in May last year, he was insistent that the incoming Buhari government should do a public probe of the allocation of oil blocks.

Unarguably, the way the country is structured on injustice, even Angels would be thoroughly constipated when recruited to serve in the government of change. Abubakar, Awolowo and Azikiwe predicted the mess right from the conception and delivery of the Nigerian State. Is anyone listening? Is any solution forthcoming?