Benjamin Rush was an enthusiastic and outspoken patriot and politician, signing the Declaration of Independence and participating in the Constitutional Congress in Pennsylvania, United States. In April 1777, Rush was appointed physician in chief of the military hospital of the Middle Department of the Continental Army. He believed that patriotism was the engine that would transform the United States and prepare it for the numerous challenges ahead to become the world's most political and industrial super power.
His philosophy of patriotism led him to make enormous sacrifices for the United States alongside the 12 Founding Fathers of the United States: John Adams Samuel, Adams Benjamin, Franklin Alexander, Hamilton John, Hancock John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, Robert R. Livingston, James Madison, George Mason, Robert Morris, Peyton Randolph Roger Sherman and George Washington.
The case is different in Nigeria where most leaders are not patriotic to the country they are supposed to protect. They have institutionalized corruption, nepotism, hypocrisy, mediocrity amongst others which have retarded the progress of Nigeria.
According to the Leadership Newspaper of February 2024, while Buhari was being celebrated as Africa’s anti-corruption champion, the officials of his government had turned the national treasury to their personal fiefdom. It was under him that N30 trillion ways and means cannot be accounted for. The ill-advised printing of excess naira during his administration is one of the reasons why we are where we are today. It was under him that $3.4 billion loan obtained by Nigeria from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to finance the budget and respond to COVID-19 was missing, diverted or unaccounted for to this day. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) became cesspool of corruption under Buhari administration, yet, the anti-corruption champion of Africa was not aware!
Premium Times, January 8, 2024, reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had detained a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, for questioning over allegations of corruption in the handling of N37.1 billion social intervention funds during her tenure.
The EFCC has recovered N32. 7bn and $445,000 in the ongoing investigation. Investigations have uncovered fraudulent dealings related to COVID-19 funds, World Bank loans, and Abacha loot. “Banks involved in the fraud are being investigated, with Managing Directors providing useful statements.”
According to Punch, April 24, 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed a fresh charge at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory against the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
EFCC in the charge accused Emefiele of approving the printing of N684,590,000 at the rate of N18.96 billion.
In the charge sheets sighted by PUNCH Online, EFCC alleged that Emefiele broke the law with intent to harm the public during his implementation of the naira swap policy of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He was accused of accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipts. He was also accused of conferring a corrupt advantage on his associates contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act of 2000.
Betta Edu was suspended as Humanitarian Minister for Alleged N587Million Fraud. EFCC said it has made various recoveries as a result of the fraud and is yet to clear Edu of the allegations of fraud against her.
A report by The Cable, January 25, 2022, the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) said Abdullahi Ganduje, a governor of Kano (now former), has several corruption cases to answer.
Sadiq Radda, Executive Secretary of the committee, said this on at the 26th Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR) assessment held in Abuja in January 2022. He said the governor “has many cases to answer while in office and even more after leaving office”.
According to a report by Observer, January 20, 2023, Ortom served as the Governor of Benue State, Nigeria, from 2015 to 2023. During his tenure, he faced various allegations of corruption and mismanagement of public funds. These allegations included financial impropriety, embezzlement, and money laundering.
Ortom’s administration was accused of diverting state funds meant for developmental projects into personal accounts and using them for personal gains. Additionally, there were claims of inflated contracts and fraudulent practices within the government procurement process.
Ortom claimed that his administration generated a total revenue of N734.9 billion in his 8 years administration, yet, he refused to clear the backlogs of salaries, pensions and gratuities of Benue civil servants.
Most Nigerian leaders have taught us to be unpatriotic by being corrupt and promoting hypocrisy, mediocrity, nepotism and other retrogressive acts. Most of them are more concerned about their personal gains than the collective interest of the masses. Instead of being patriots, they have become traitors and are teaching us to be traitors and make Nigeria more miserable.
A leader who is a patriot will not be involved in the level of corruption that most Nigerian leaders are found in today. This involvement is tremendously detrimental to the well-being of the masses.
Unless most Nigerian leaders become patriots and put the collective interest of Nigerians above personal gains, Nigeria will never be great and the dream of being a great nation will remain an illusion that will never become a reality.
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