That advert is touching as it exposes the magnitude of
losses Nigeria incurs from oil theft. It is also saddening that our citizens
will be stealing our oil, our main source of income, thereby preventing our
government from earning her well deserved income. Come to think of it that only
Nigerians among the citizens of all oil producing nations engage in that
dastardly act. What a shame!
But when one looks at it more critically and also looks at
other areas of thievery in the Nigeria economy, what came to mind is a case of
pot calling kettle black. How do I mean? Even though this attempt at
discouraging oil theft is laudable we need to look at what were the remote
causes of these acts being perpetrated by some Nigerians.
In my opinion the people helping themselves to our oil
illegally see this as an opportunity to take their share Nigeria’s wealth. They
see that they have no access to government positions where they can steal from
the treasury so they decided to steal direct from source. It is their way of
taking from the national cake. What they are doing is similar to what some of
our top government officials but just in a different area.
The underlying problem is the problem of greed which has characterized
every stratum of the Nigerian life. This is responsible for all forms of
stealing whether in the government office or at the creek, whether it is a
policeman collecting twenty naira or an office clerk collecting a little bribe
before forwarding a file. It is the same greed when we in our respective
offices collect more our own due share or cheat our colleagues or clients and
customers.
Pot calling kettle black or kettle calling pot black! Whichever
you choose to say is a case where one bad person is calling another bad. Many
of the government officials are stealing from the government treasury and are
now blaming those stealing crude for causing problem in our economy. Is it not
a case of one set of thieves calling other set thieves?
The stealing of our oil must stop so also the stealing in
our offices. Right from the top down to the bottom of the ladder, the stealing
must stop. A thief has no moral justification to call another person, doing
same thing he does, a thief.
The government should come out strong in fighting
corruption. It should be beyond paying lip service to the fight against
corruption. Corrupt officials must be punished and seen to be punished. Enough of
the plea bargain, negotiations, or out of court settlement. We need to see action;
we need a decisive step to be taken to prevent others from indulging in the
same act.
Nigerians too in their respective places of responsibility
should refrain from acts of corruption. A Nigerian who is corruption to steal
ten thousand naira is as guilty of corruption just like the man who stole one
million naira. My argument is that if he can steal that ten thousand naira in
his small position he can also steal millions when he occupies a bigger
position.
The fight is ours to carry out. Let us all put hands on deck
to make Nigeria corruption free and a better place for us and our unborn
children.
#2015OnMyMind
#PoliticalGabriel
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