Friday, March 8, 2013

Bill Clinton’s views on Nigeria


Bill Clinton’s views on Nigeria
Former president of the United States of America, Mr. Bill Clinton, has identified lopsided distribution of wealth in Nigeria as the causative agent of the Boko Haram insurgency, pointing out that the only solution is to enthrone fairness in the system so that everyone could participate in the equitable sharing of the country’s patrimony.
He also noted that the mismanagement of natural resources, particularly oil and gas, by successive administrations over the years contributed immensely to our underdevelopment. On the issue of squandering of the country’s oil wealth, there is a consensual prism that is known by virtually everyone in Nigeria and even the global community.

The official revenue misappropriation of this black gold runs into billions of dollars, which excludes the menace of illegal bunkering and destructive activities of all manner of militants who diminish oil revenue by blowing up pipelines. Efforts at blocking these loopholes have remained a mirage! Clinton’s diagnosis of the ethno-religious menace is fundamentally wrong.
There is no interconnectedness between their advocacy and destitution. In fact, going by the modus operandi and sophistry of the group, there is nothing that suggests any form of deprivation or lack. If it was essentially a function of poverty, they would not be pushing for the Islamization of the country and enthronement of a particular form of religion in Nigeria.
From the manifestations of their deleterious activities, there is no relationship between their heinous disposition and their prevailing circumstances. Essentially, the Boko Haram incivility is informed by the destructive triad of religion, politics and absolute illiteracy. It has nothing to do with the pervasive poverty ravaging the land.
If this argument is stretched, a lot of Nigerians are suffering from a lack of access to the basic things of life, yet they have not declared a war on their country or taken the law into their own hands. To that extent, poverty cannot be a rationalization for the criminalities carried out by the outlaws.
What is required in our precarious circumstance is the elimination of ignorance among members of this sect by educating the terrorists on the need to be law-abiding and imperativeness of peaceful co-existence of the disparate and multi-religious constituents that make up the country. Once this aspect of civilization is embarked upon, the question of poverty would naturally be addressed.
Poverty cannot be a justification for lawlessness of any hue! Linking the permissive insurgency to poverty is like saying that kidnapping, banditry and official graft are offshoots of impoverishment! Committal of these crimes transcends the actors’ circumstances as most of the perpetrators are not by any imagination in dire straits as to warrant such outlandish improprieties and violent conduct as the situation determines. Government must evolve ways of reducing poverty in the land quite all right as it could be a marginal contributory factor to the current insecurity in the country.
When people are hungry, they can be destructive and disrupt social equilibrium. This, however, cannot buttress the Boko Haram nuisance. It would only mitigate the inclination to hazardous public conduct. As regards the misuse of our oil wealth, put at $700 billion dollars at the last count, a drastic overhaul of the entire machinery of our oil management starting from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to the upstream and downstream sectors is urgently required.
Otherwise, the drift, wastage and corruption that have characterized the industry will continue, endlessly. A situation where the NNPC is almost like a parallel government and above proper monitoring is untidy. Overall, Clinton’s diagnosis may not be totally correct, but his critical therapies cannot be diminished. There is an imperative need for wealth redistribution in the country and a deliberate, planned and organized approach to the Boko Haram distraction, while proper management of our natural resources can never be overemphasized.

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