Presidential Jet: Continue with your obscene indulgence until the Day your hungry citizens can no longer bear to sleep on their empty stomachs – Oby Ezekwesili

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has sharply criticized the Presidency for the recent purchase of a new presidential jet.

In a statement shared on social media, Ezekwesili urged the government to continue with its “obscene indulgence” until the day when hungry citizens can no longer endure sleeping on empty stomachs.

She expressed her dismay, calling it a disgrace that political and public leaders in a country heavily burdened by debt would choose to spend scarce public resources on prestige projects and luxuries. Ezekwesili warned that “something” will have to give soon, as this level of “unjust governance” is simply not sustainable.

”No argument justifies the purchase of a 16 year old Airbus plane by the @NGRPresident @officialABAT for his indulgence.

No argument that can persuade reasonable people justifies this latest profligacy.

Continue with your obscene indulgence until the Day your hungry citizens can no longer bear to sleep on their empty stomachs.

*The Obscene Indulgence of our Political and Public Officials in a Season of Famine* ( A Long Piece)

What a big shame on the @NigeriaGov of @NGRPresident @officialABAT and the lawmakers @nassnigeria! The worst display of Fiscal Rascality is when political and public leaders of a country that is highly overburdened with Debts of all kinds,  choose to spend scarce public resources on prestige projects and luxuries.

Imagine the @NGRPresident and his Vice, @NGRSenate and @HouseNGR  of @nassnigeria and the Governors of mostly unviable 36 States enjoying obscene luxuries while asking the Poor “to sacrifice for the future”.  

Something will  have to give someday soon, because this level of unjust governance is frankly not sustainable.

The Class War that members of the Nigerian political class are asking for by their insensitivity to the plight of the people will for sure end their fiscal rascality.

Again, this level of unjust governance is frankly not sustainable. For one, the current Citizens’ restiveness will remain with us no matter how much the folks in @NigeriaGov pretend that it is not hunger that drove citizens into the massive #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.

Having been following the raging controversy on the “Salaries of Lawmakers @nassnigeria”  the deja vu is uncanny; recalling a similar uproar that followed a Keynote Speech I delivered on Cost of Governance on August 19, 2013

@cislacnigeria conference.

Yesterday was exactly eleven years ago of that saga. My presentation so riled up the Lawmakers in 2013 that they reacted by hurling insults through their Spokesman.

My legendary love for Data is widely known and people chuckle whenever they hear me say: “In God I trust, everyone else must bring Data”.

My speech in 2013 was replete with publicly available data from the Ministry of Finance which reveals that the allocations to the National Assembly known as Statutory Transfers between 2005 and 2013 were approximately One Trillion Naira as follows:

2005      N 54.79Billion

2006      N 54.79Billion

2007       N 66.4Billion

2008       N114.39Billion

2009       N158.92Billion

2010        N 150Billion

2011         N 150Billion

2012        N150Billion

2013        N150Billion

Imagine what manner of avarice doubled their budget between 2007 and 2008 and almost tripled it by 2010.

They continued with that wanton spending,  growing their obscene appetites every year, while offering Bad Governance to the hilt and worsening the conditions of our country and people. There are plenty available data which validate this statement.

But the “Distinguisheds” and “Honorables” could not counter my speech in 2013 with Data and so they just continued hurling insults.

I refused to insult them back and simply asked them for a Public Debate on their salaries so we could transparently enlighten our people. Guess what?

That 7th Assembly of @nassnigeria replied publicly that it had accepted my request for a Public Debate.

I was extremely delighted and mused, “Finally, Nigerians will know the facts of this opaque topic” and it would help strengthen our democracy through a culture of Public Accountability.

So I cleared my global travel schedule and started waiting to be invited to the Public Hearing within a few weeks.

Well……Thirteen years later, I am still waiting on @nassnigeria to schedule that Debate on their Salaries at a Public Hearing.

Sadly, thirteen years later, millions of impoverished Nigerians are still being traumatized by the same “story-story” from those that are supposed to serve them. What a big shame!

But then again, the concept of Shame is  blunt for this extremely poor quality of “political and public leaders” whose voracious appetite for filthy lucre cannot be tamed until a Day comes when the Citizens will act collectively and end their ruinous #BadGovernance”