Elites and the Economy
The recurrent saga of ghost workers in the public service has again been played to limelight by no other than a top federal government official. Sources close to Dr Yerima Ngama, minister of sate in the federal ministry of finance is alleged to have said that about 20 per-cent of the names in the staff roster of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) of the federal government are fake or fictitious.
Incidentally, these ghost workers drain around N100 billion monthly which is about 40 per-cent (215 out of 535) of the ministries, departments and agencies.
It is sobering that the colossal waste has been bleeding the resources of the nation when neither the state nor the federal government is able to discharge its statutory obligations to indebted citizens. One recalls with evident horror why a country that is criminally owing its retirees has continued to close its eyes to the enemy mission of its ghost workers. Some of these senior citizens are bed-ridden, perching at the edge of death and pass on not because of irreversible health disorders but from the pains of continued government insensitivity to their obvious plight and suffering.
But who are these ghost workers? If 40 per-cent of the federal government’s work force representing 215 out of 535 federal ministries, departments and agencies are certified ghost workers, it then follows that the shady deal has the tacit endorsement of those at the hub of power at different levels of government. These fronted idle men and women labeled ghost workers are the seen and unseen boot lickers of the elites in government.
In fact, the disclosure that N100 billion monthly is being committed for the salaries of ghost workers is doubly galling as it is totally reprehensible. This clearly shows that federal government is less committed as a matter of fact in reducing unemployment in the country. This national tragedy is the creation of the political class. Otherwise, why has government not come up with blue prints to fight the cancer? Obviously, this is yet to be the case because every ghost worker in this country has apolitical god father. The apparent inability of the nation’s political class to rid the country of its population of ghost workers is a serious dent on their avowed patriotism. The malignancy of the ghost workers economic distortions creates and sustains youth restiveness in parts of the country and the various domiciled violent crimes. This world of crime could be put behind us if government decides to utilize money thrown away to ghost workers in setting up industries and investment in the agricultural sector.
Terrorism in Nigeria, The Boko Haram Story
Terrorism before 2009, had been an alien word in Nigeria until a sect popularly known as Boko Haram propped out from the northern part of the country. Though before their emergence, there had been issues of terror in the Niger Delta region which perpetuated by the Niger Delta militants.
Their activities where mainly kidnapping of foreign oil expatriates and pipeline vandalism. Claiming that the nations income is mainly from there oil, yet they are being marginalized.
In 2008, terrorism was taken to another diversion. With the emergence of the Islamic sect, Boko Harm, the era of suicide bombings and attacks dawned on the nation with public places such as churches, relaxation Centres etc as their major targets.
It would be recalled that in 2008/2009, without any provocation, this group suddenly began to attack police stations in some northern states of the country. Some of the states affected were Bauchi, Borno, Gombe and Kano States.
This Islamic sect are trying to do everything humanly possible to turn the people against the government by undermining the efficiency and effectiveness of our security agencies, claiming to be stronger than they are. This group would stop at nothing to distract the Jonathan led administration with the help of their perceived sponsors.
Accusing fingers have pointed at some prominent Nigerians, one of whom is a former governor of one of the northern states.
The book haram group carry out most of these activities through suicide bombings and serial killing of innocent and unsuspecting Nigerians going about their normal and legal businesses. This group were responsible for the bombing of the united Nations headquarters in the nations capital which claimed no fewer than twenty lives, the police headquarters also in Abuja, the Madalla bomb blast in Niger state and the killing of some military personnel in Borno state to mention but a few.
Though the federal government had set up a committee for dialogue with the Islamic sect with a view of granting the amnesty as was with the Niger Delta militants by the then late Umaru Musa Yardua’s administration, the group refused to dialogue and embrace the amnesty after of the federal government.
With the refusal of the group to dialogue and embrace the amnesty programme of the federal government and with the increase in the killings of innocent Nigerians by this group in the northern part of the country, the federal government declared state of emergency in some states in the northern part of the country. This Islamic sect are cowards that have been brainwashed and deceived into carrying out this various crimes by the sponsors while they themselves relax at the comfort of there homes watching and hoping when Nigeria would become an Islamic state which is their desire.
The federal government should as a matter of urgency, rise up to the challenges ahead by sending more troops to the affected areas to foster reoccurrence of killings of innocent citizens and also make way for foreign investors and economic development.
