Sambo Scandal & the “Owners of Nigeria”
The “Sambo Scandal” (concerning one Col Sambo Dasuki) is just another story when compared to the full scale of looting in Nigeria; it’s just ‘Hot Air’ and Hollywood. The Government of Nigeria (GON) since the military regime of Yakubu Gowon has squandered around $1 trillion on nothing but personal enrichment and the provision of mostly shoddy goods and services to Nigerians. Call it the “national cake” (that has no bakery) or the “pot of soup” (that has no kitchen), Nigeria’s wealth is on a daily basis being shared like cake and soup at parties for and by the “Owners of Nigeria Technostructure” (ONT) and at their very own imperturbable convenience. This situation is incredibly far beyond the stilted fanaticisms of All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) supporters.
When the news broke recently that Dasuki had “revealed” the names of co-participants in recently announced $2.1 billion NSA largesse scandal, while in the custody of the EFCC, it was astonishingly unusual and unbelievable. How could a member of the ONT rat on other members? Many accepted Dasuki’s “confession” as the truth. It showed that most people do not know who the ONT are or how they think and operate. It is a binding responsibility on ONT members to take their “collective evils, mischief and secrets” to the grave. The ONT is not a “cult” but a “club of men” that have learnt how take care of their own with superior coordination and tight exclusivity.
Countless Nigerians holler that the likes of Dokubo-Asari and Nnamdi Kanu are guilty of high treason, what is Dasuki guilty of? Worse. Why will a man born of a golden spoon and lives the golden life misspend $2.1 intended for “national security” and compromise the nation, especially ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian Army, for the whole world to see? One has to understand the thinking and “entitlements” of such a man. A man who could wantonly undermined Nigeria at its most vulnerable is not surprising to the initiated; it is just another installation in the “secret history of Nigeria”. Jonathan may not be looking too bad after all; we have known all along how the “president’s men” undermined him at every opportunity.
A question not being asked is why Dasuki and why now? Since President Buhari came to power the ONT is just as active as it ever was and with time a new set of factual giga-scandals will reach the Nigerian public. Who are these ONT?
The members of the ONT include ranking military officers, top politicians, first class “royalty”, leading bureaucrats, major business tycoons, flamboyant clergymen and grand intellectuals (especially the advocates of “Bongo Bongo Land” and neoliberalism). The ONT membership falls into two major groups; the “Compradors” and the “Auto-Colonialists”. The life ambition and sole focus of members of the ONT is to use the state’s resources / powers and the citizenry of Nigeria to ruthlessly and systematically enrich themselves exclusively.
Every contract or project be it a new hospital, road, highway, school, university, power plant, port, government agency, and in this case “national security deals”, are just another move in the grand game rigged to put more money into the pockets of the ONT members at the incredible expense of everyone else. The rapacious greed of the ONT is the genesis of the “contradictory underdevelopment” of the nation and the “uncompleted projects” that ubiquitously litter Nigeria; the inflated $20 million profit was not enough, why not plunder the money need to undertake the project.
The “Comprador” is a Nigerian who belongs to the ONT (and his / her proxies) that loyally serves and represents the interest of foreign concerns in Nigeria. The Comprador essentially impoverishes and immiserates Nigerian citizens to enrich and empower foreign concerns and himself. The original Comprador served on British interests but ever since Independence other players have joined the game. The USA, Canada, the Rest of Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, India, Saudi Arabia, Libya (when it was still together), Zimbabwe, South Africa etc. These are usually fronts and executives that staff the Nigeria face of “neo-colonial corporatism” in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s richest men, from a corporate perspective, by default are Compradors. Alhassan Dantata (UACN) Sunny Odogwu (Leventis), Ernest Sonekan (UACN) Louis Ojukwu (Shell), Godwin Omene (Shell), MKO Abiola (ITT), Molade Okoya-Thomas (CFAO), Aliko Dangote (Dangote Group), Antonio Fernandez (Diplomatic concerns), Osawaru Igbinedion (Okada Group), Raymond Dokpesi (AIT); these are just some popular ones. It was men like these who caused Gowon’s “Nationalisation Programs” and other self-reliance economic policies to fail up to present day. Dasuki does not belong to this group even though there are other perspectives.
The “Auto-Colonialist” is a member of the ONT who specialises in colonising his own people, fellow Nigerians, ruthlessly for eternal wealth and power. It is a disgrace to Nigerian history that the prominent anti-colonial and pro-independence politicians where the original and most successful auto-colonialists the nation ever had. This is the group Dasuki “rightfully” belongs to. Dasuki forbears, starting with Usman Dan Fodio colonised Northern Nigeria directly through the Fulani Jihads and later Nigeria with far too much help for Lord Lugard, the British Governor-General of Nigeria. Any understanding of “political ponerology” will inform you the “colonial spirit” with all its virtues and evil are “in the blood”.
If we can put tribalism and the attachment to “cults of personality for just one hour with objectivity it becomes easy to see that evidently pro-Independence politicians like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, and Ahmadu Bello were Auto-Colonialists. Dasuki is part of those bloodlines. The only reason Yakubu Gowon, Shehu Shagari Buhari (military regime) and Goodluck Jonathan are considered to be personally good men is that they were never Auto-colonialists. Alas, as a democrat president Buhari has transformed into an Auto-Colonialist.
Then there are the legions of Generals, Governors, Super Perm Secs, Kings and others. Everyone else (with rare exceptions) who ruled Nigeria at various levels was an Auto-Colonialist or his proxy. Oil wells, solid minerals and magical money is their business. There is now evidence of the new phenomenon of Auto-Colonialist; the “gubernatocrat”.The [Papa Doc] Saraki Dynasty in Kwara State, Ibori Dynasty in Delta State and the Tinubu Dynasty in Lagos State, for instance;
Auto-Colonialists have one general weapon of control; hunger [and deprivation]. The Auto-Colonialist knows the hungrier the citizenry are the easier it is colonise and manipulate them. The socio-economic suffering of millions of Nigerians works out to be the greatest profit of the Auto-Colonialist. Compradors, on the other hand simply use their wealth to oppress in “creative ways”.
Have you ever seen how members of the ONT treat ordinary citizens with supercilious indignation? Dasuki even treated his boss, President Jonathan so. Yet, it is both interesting and repugnant to see citizens look for every excuse humanly possible to deify the ONT and absolve them of any blame. In fact, in Nigeria it very perversely seems as if helpless and hopeless Nigerians are responsible for the nation’s woes and not the ONT. This is responsible for the “followers not leader” blame idiocy raging in Nigeria.
Those who believe the Dasuki Scandal is a sign of “Change” are simply chasing mirages; stuff of the “time has come” fantasy. It is only those who can break the back of the ONT that can bring about Change in Nigeria. If you want Change in Nigeria, the ONT should be your only target.
Grimot Nane
