Thief Na Thief! Whether Lawrence Anini Or Dezianini

Editor’s note: The mysterious persona of the yet-to-be named former minister in Jonathan’s cabinet who, according to governor Adams Oshiomhole, has gotten his hands on six billion dollars, continues to be the subject of interest for analysts. The Premium Times contributor, Ahmed Oluwasanjo, compares the activities of the yet-to-be named former minister in Jonathan’s cabinet with those of Nigeria’s foremost criminal, the late Lawrence Anini.

The realisation of the aphorism “All day for the thief, one day for the owner” caught up with Anini on December 3, 1986. His death sentence in March 1987 made news headlines that triggered jubilation amongst Nigerians. Little did they know that more sophisticated ‘Aninis’ were lurking in the polity.

How politicians deplete the economy

Many years after Lawrence Anini’s execution, Nigeria has been under the siege of successive administrative and political ‘Aninis’ who have held our beloved country to ransom at pen-point. They are spread across tribes, ethnic groups, regions and religions. From the 774 local government areas to the 36 states of the federation, the Aninis have impoverished Nigeria.

The 10.5 million out-of-school Nigerian children, epileptic power supply, poor healthcare system, fallen educational standard, and with over 100 million Nigerians living below poverty line, about 50 million unemployed graduates and above all, the Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed over 15,000 lives and left over a million as internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in their own country are pointers to how badly Nigeria has been managed.

Most remarkably, the immediate past administration in Nigeria featured the deadliest set of ‘Aninis’ in our history. If the revelations under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on how our common wealth was plundered are really true, then I doubt if General Sanini (the apple general), his predecessors and successors could stand without quivering besides the recently past looting record.

How awkward the situation is…

But, how could just one ex-minister temerariously steal $6billion?

The alleged one million barrels of crude oil diverted daily by cabal in the immediate past administration for four years should top the list of scams in the Guinness Book of Records, if confirmed. I expect that, very soon, heads would start rolling because these scams are too colossal to contemplate, talk less of being ignored.

We shouldn’t be surprised if protests are staged to shield Dezianini and co. from probe and prosecution. But, I will be the last to believe there is a difference between Lawrence Anini, General Sanini (the apple general) and Dezianini, because thief na thief.

Read the rest of Ahmed Oluwasanjo’s full column on Premium Times.

The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of Naij.com.

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