Corrupt Leadership in Nigeria.

The late General Sani Abacha

There is a department in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in Abuja, Nigeria. It is called the Affairs of the Former Heads of State. The department was said to have been established by General Sani Abacha by accident. 

A few weeks after seizing power from Chief Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan  on November 17 1993, Abacha summoned Alhaji Usman Aliyu Shehu Shagari through the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Aminu Saleh (CFR) to Abuja. After a few days of futile search, Saleh reported back to Abacha that he could not locate Shagari, who by then, did not have a house of his own in Sokoto but in his village in Yabo Local Government Area. Unfortunately, there was no communication center to locate him in the village.

 

General Abacha was shocked that former President Shagari, whom he deposed through a radio announcement on December 31 1983 on allegations of massive corruption, did not even have a house afterall in his state capital of Sokoto. He then instructed Saleh to create a department in his office that must take ‘good care’ of former heads of state. Taking ‘good care’ includes catering for their families as well.

Of course it was common knowledge that Shagari's only house then was the face me I face you painted green white green on the road to Gwandu. It was the same house he built as a school headmaster many years before. 

That was not the end of that story.

Abacha built a befitting house for him which he moved into in 1997 at Police Commissioner's Quarters in Sokoto.

The situation was worse in the case of Tafawa Balewa, the erstwhile prime minister of the nation who had no bank account. He died in penury. His wife was rescued from "street begging" in 2001 by the then government of Gov. Adamu Muazu. 

The young people of today need to know that Nigeria has not always been ruled by corrupt leaders. Sadly, many of the young people are not interested in the History segment of the internet. All they care about is the small portion that covers the social media. 

Anyway, Tafawa Balewa and Shehu Shagari are just examples of the few imperfect but altruistic and honest Nigerian leaders with which our nation was once blessed. Ironically though, instead of being inspired by the pious lifestyles of our past leaders, many of the next generation of leaders (both military and civilians) have since become so financially insecure that their primary objectives in public offices are to embezzle the public treasuries in their respective trust. 

Naturally, the stress that comes from hiding and keeping track of those looted funds usually overwhelm them. Often, they are distracted from their duties and responsibilities to the public. And their children rarely amount to anything great in life. Rather, the kids become delinquents whose main occupation is to fritter away the same money for which their parents have sold their souls. Unfortunately, the accumulation of looted funds never guarantees a healthy life. And  neither will such looted "billions" ensure a long, fulfilled life for the foolish individual politicians. 

May the souls of our departed honest leaders rest in perfect peace.