By Political Animal
THEY WANT THE PEOPLE IN THE DIASPORA TO FUND THEIR HABIT.
Listen to the LAMENTATION OF A YOUNG NIGERIAN,THOUGH A BENEFICIARY, AND THE QUESTION OF CORRUPTION.
A Nigerian student told a friend that he came to the realization that his parents were either liars or thieves based on their salaries as compared to assets and expenditure.
That his parents worked with government but could send all 3 kids, himself and his siblings to school abroad with ”savings”.
That they also owned houses.
He said that all didn’t add up.He decided to ask them and discovered much more to the fact that government corruption is not just stealing from contracts but finding a way as government officials to take away foreign exchange from estacodes and store it elsewhere at good investment rates.
“My parents normally travel a lot for the slightest reason as civil servants exploiting such opportunities at the detriment of the government and national development.
They are paid volumes of foreign exchange as estacodes ,or foreign currency allowances.
Such allowances thy were accumulating and investing over the years to make us comfortable.
They bought houses in UK very early which has now appreciated.
They also had scholarships abroad whole (hundred percent ) of their salaries were still being paid, which they took all abroad as foreign exchange for investment.
Though I was not happy and satisfied with my parents explanations but what can I do.?
They took every opportunity they had in government to buy cheap government assets with loans.Their houses were paid for with an FHA mortgage and the land was almost free.As it is true of my parents ,it is also true , and the same thing with other civil servants ,my friend confirmed same for his father.
The discussion with my friend made me to realize a couple of things.
1.The civil service will always only serve civil servants unless overhauled.
2.It is a cult for personal benefits and not national benefits.
3.It is also contributing to our need of foreign exchange and the inability to control foreign exchange supply and exchange rates.
4.The old advantages and certain privileges granted are not gone,but many are refusing to accept that.
5.Nigeria as a nation shall continue to maintain those privileges without the corresponding productive outcome that is causing most of our tension and misgovernance.
Free time is not over.
My father was given a Maitama plot for N30,000 then as a civil servant, which he sold for N50,000 and was very happy.
Some of my friends,their parents had more foresight than others and didn’t sell off such lands and have become billionaires.
Now in my own time,I have been to a good number of public offices to know very well that corruption is deeply rooted in the civil service.That it actually where it starts.
I trained some NNPC staff in Nigeria when I started work at GICN and they saw it as punishment to do basic computer courses in Nigeria.
The company paid a lot and many didn’t show up. I later discovered another course “ten times” the cost of ours was preferred.
It wasn’t the cost of the course that mattered ,it was the foreign exchange benefits to the participants that was the reason.
I tried to sell some big IT solution to a ministry, some of the techies in the ministry told me to make sure we include their “abroad” training as estacode ,because that is their only means of making it,or else they would actively kill the proposal.
During my internship at NNPC,half the time,
I spent processing foreign trip estacodes for my boss.
This foreign exchange racket is still ongoing till today and part of the reason our Naira is under so much pressure.
You can hardly get some Government officials to sign off on oil industry projects,if the design review meetings are not held abroad.
Yet, you get abroad for the meetings,they don’t show up until the last day because they are busy shopping for electronics.
They now want the Diaspora to fund this habit.I would not be surprised if the Government will soon come out with fanciful statistics on how their N5 per dollar incentive has led to an increase in repatriation of diaspora funds.
Dear Diasporians don’t fall for it ,they need your money more than ever.Majority of the masses in Nigeria have become spectators.
CIVIL SERVANTS !!THERE IS GODooooooo.
If you are a Christian in this racket ,there is what is called restitution.You can ask a holy man of God,he will put you through.Don’t say that you used to pay tithes.
For Moslems you can discuss the same issue with your chief Imam.
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