I’m good at doing catch-up calls with friends. This past week I did with two of my friends.
The recent piece written by my editor,
friend and brother, Simon Kolawole—a celebrated journalist and publisher
of TheCable—known for his crowd pulling ideas triggered the first
conversation.
At a time government has proved
toothless and clueless on how to revive the economy, SK as he’s fondly
called pointed us to common error in governance—a one jacket fits all
approach.
The government fantasy with agriculture
and back-to-farm slogan everywhere in government circle without serious
thought for industrialization was the subject of his piece, “agriculture
is not the magic solution.”
Kolawole performed exploratory
laparotomy on Nigeria’s situation. At the end he pointed us to the
disease with rhetorical questions.
“But how can we add value when, despite
the billions of dollars we have made from oil since 1999, we don’t have
the basic infrastructure to inspire an agro-based industrial explosion?
Where are the roads? Where are the rails? Where is the electricity?
Where is the security? Where is the finance? Yet I can point to
uncountable private jets, mansions and customised cars that politicians
and their friends have acquired since 1999 with proceeds from the oil
boom — while they keep preaching stone-age agriculture to Nigerians. So
if your governor joins this craze of declaring work-free days for
primitive farming, just ask him politely: Your Excellency, who
agriculture alone don epp,?” he wrote.
Pity, Nigeria is a basket case. It is a
country where the rich robs the poor. It is a reverse story of Robin
Hood. SK told me it is “Hood Robin.”
Really, If the recent statement made by
the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi—known for his frank talk—about
how this government has added to the fortunes of Nigerian billionaires
since 2015 from foreign exchange in a “rich take the profit” economy
with the poor paying the price does not convince you, I will now take
you to the IDP camps.
The other friend I had a catch-up call
with is Ms Serah Makka, the daughter of the former military governor of
Benue State, Brigadier-General Fidelis Makka, and an international
development expert with unusual devotion to Nigeria’s greatness.
I met Ms. Makka while she was working
for Tony Elumelu Foundation in Lagos and we have had several occasions
to compare notes and share ideas in the last four years.
It is another reverse story of Robin
Hood going on across IDP camps, particularly in the northeast that
formed the kernel of our conversation.
Just think for a moment that you’re one
of those at the IDP camps and your foodstuff is being sold by your care
provider just to enrich himself.
Many donated items for IDPs that are
clearly marked NOT FOR SALE are now in the market with the internally
displaced persons dying of hunger. The world must be laughing at us.
Clearly, the statistics of death from
IDP camps is not good for the book. The serious sin here is error of
coordination among government agencies and lack of seriousness in
implementing good policies on the part of government.
But Ms.Makka and some other concerned
Nigerians that include ‘Yemi Adamolekun of Enough is Enough Nigeria,
Bukky Shonibare, of Adopt-A-Cam, Evon Idahosa of Pathfinders
International, Nanre Maiyegun of IAMSafe Coalition and Ier
Jonathan-Ichaver, Sesor are not sleeping over the issue.
In a recent letter sent to Veepee Yemi
Osinbajo, the group said: “There have been several allegations of
corruption in IDP Camps in relation to distribution of food and
supplies.
“For several months, there have been
citizens’ reports that food and supplies marked ‘NOT FOR SALE’ or
stamped with the logos of various international development agencies are
offered as is, or repackaged and sold in markets in Borno State.
“This is clearly unacceptable and urgent
attention needs to be given to ensure that supplies meet their intended
beneficiaries in good time to meet their needs. If goods clearly marked
‘NOT FOR SALE’ are being sold, what happens to donations by citizens
that are unmarked?
“In June 2016, there were reports of
trucks of food being diverted from IDP camps. There was also a report of
hoodlums taking over a food distribution event in Borno State and
stealing bags of rice. Also last month, pictures and a video surfaced
online and the report stated that food allocated for IDPs were being
re-bagged for resale.
“Furthermore, the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in their May 2016 Report,
found that cases of ‘sex for food’ by women and girls in government-run
camps had increased.
“In January 2016, the Chairman of the
House Committee of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Alhaji Sani Zoro
(Jigawa, APC), announced that the Committee would investigate
allegations of ‘sex for food’ in IDP Camps.
“Despite these allegations, there has been no published report by the Federal Government of the findings of any investigation.”
Makka and her team simply want Osinbajo
to use his office as the nation’s vice president and chairman of
National Emergency Management Authority to act swiftly before things get
out of hand.
That letter was sent out to Osinbajo by
mid- July, but it is not clear why IDPs are still dying of hunger. After
surviving the terror and horror of Boko Haram, it is a shame that the
government couldn’t stop the IDPs from second death. It is our reverse
case of Robin Hood story.
Hometruths By Adeola Akinremi: Email: adeola.akinremi@thisdaylive.com
Follow me on Twitter:@adeolaakinremi1
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