I have always had my suspicion about that class-influenced submission that people who grow up in poor environments develop built-in senses of deprivation that may cause them to steal even when they live in comfortable environments as adults. Ifkleptomaniacs– compulsive thieves – steal, regardless of needs, and some people with poor origins grow up to be honest and contented, there must be some other explanations as to why people steal, other than deprivation or starvation. I also do not buy the idea that stealing is a result of depression or some mental health disorder, a notion punctured by the existence of many thieving, kleptoparasitic animals. Like any other crime or socially unacceptable behaviour, not even those who indulge in stealing can tell why they do steal.
While waiting for a universal answer to this critical question of why people steal, I will turn to Andrew Yakubu, who was, on the 3rd of February 2017, caught in Kaduna with a cash ofUSD 9.7 million and GBP 72,000 by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) team. Andrew Yakubu is a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria’s cash cow, who was dismissed in 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan for insubordination.
Yakubu is one example of how public officials have bled Nigeria, a typical example of how corruption has ruined the country. There have been numerous reports and complaints that the NNPC is not remitting much of its earnings to the national treasury, but nothing concrete has ever been done to address that malaise. While the Government looks the other way, the Andrew Yakubus in the system are busy stashing away the country’s hard-earned dollars and pounds.
In writing about the state of the Nigerian nation as inherited by President Muhammadu Buhari, I had stated inter alia that:
Government business is still the easiest way to wealth and splendor in Nigeria. No business in the country is as profitable as government business; for here corruption has no dare consequences. The public condones it, and those who indulge in it get egged on by the conniving public. Accountability has no place in governance. Elected or not, anyone in public office sees public resources under their watch as their own personal property. Looting or conversion of public resources to personal property is not a punishable crime as poverty is, which is why Nigeria is still rated one of the most corrupt countries in the world. For Buhari to be the legend that he has the opportunity to be, he must face corruption head-on. Public resources must be used for public purposes. It is high time Nigerians started earning their wealth, getting rich from their sweat and legitimate earnings. The public sector must be a standard-bearer in terms of work ethics and productivity.
In relation to the NNPC, I had also put across the following case:
The country is grounded economically. The Federal and State Governments cannot pay salaries. The debt profile of the country has again gone beyond reasonable proportion – in spite of the tremendous gains recorded by Olusegun Obasanjo’s government in that regard. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has been bled so much by massive, unprecedented looting that it cannot even pay salaries. Most of its assets have been ripped off and corruptly cornered by Jonathan’s men and cronies. Lucrative oil blocks have been cornered, leaving the NNPC as a mere carcass. The nation’s cash cow has been milked dry by greedy, corrupt public officials. The impunity that has characterized the NNPC symbolizes the impunity that pervaded Jonathan’s government. From Ministers to police officers down to his cronies, Jonathan’s men and women exhibited spite and disdain for the citizenry. They were acting like conquerors and an army of occupation, looting everything fanciful and valuable, burning bridges and monuments. This country has never seen it that bad. Although it will take a miracle for Buhari to put this nation back on track, he has no choice but to do so if he is not to kill that flicker of hope in Nigerians.
What Andrew Yakubu must have stolen from the NNPC can only be imagined. In the first place, the whistle-blower who exposed him claimed that three other safes were removed by Yakubu before the raid. What that suggests is that the juicier safes were removed to leave the EFCC with some to play with and to distract it from the real loot. Also, Yakubu was kicked out of the NNPC in 2014. For him to still have that kind of cash should give an indication of the actual cash he must have retired to Kaduna with.
What is baffling is that Yakubu was simply sacked and not audited. It is also worrisome that he was given enough time and latitude to launder his loot from the NNPC. Against the threat to the life of this country due to the paucity of funds caused in part by the channeling of the resources of the state to illicit ends, one is thankful that the EFCC is going after the Andrew Yakubu of our land – even if belatedly. I am certain that there are one thousand and one Andrew Yakubus out there who have stashed – and/or are still stashing – raw dollars and other foreign currencies in their homes, gardens and other places. Through rigorous and robust surveillance and investigation, the EFCC would sure make further bursts and recoveries. The more of such monies are picked up the more the people will build up confidence in the willingness and ability of the EFCC to make life unbearable for those who have looted and are looting the resources of this great country.
