In Demand For Justice

There are people who will beat their maids savagely if they lend their madam's property to their next door neighbor. 

There are those who will break a househelp's head if he or she stole their jewelry or funds saved for Christmas celebrations.

There are pastors who will rain fire and brimstone on their members who dare to steal church funds. It does not matter if such are caught or not, the curses will flow.

There are these people of mine who will lynch anyone caught in their neighborhood for stealing clothes, food or goats.

When I was young, it was normal to hear shouts of "olè olè" in my estate and a few times we would climb up the living room window to observe justice. 

I remember tires around the neck of thieves but I never watched anyone set on fire. What I remember was when a fellow rushed to buy a bottle of coca cola for the thief after which he dumped cement into it and gave the captured man to drink or be set ablaze. He sure did drink of the semi solid mix.

I remember thieves dealt with on the spot even when we were in medical school. Months of stored up anger from stolen property was unleashed one day on a thief who dared to steal during the day.

Nigerians are not alien to shouting thief and descending upon them as rage dictates but what is fascinating is that folks who will readily fall into the above categories will in this day and age spill their blood in defence of those who are daily acknowledging their roles in defrauding Nigeria.

They are plenty in real time and on social media who will defend common stealing and say it is not corruption. My people will read the memo from Ngozi Okonjo Iweala to president Jonathan and fail to see how she lent her madam's property to her neighbor who would then return it before madam gets wind. 

Oh she disbursed the money for a good cause; to buy weapons to fight terrorists so it is all well and good. Money not appropriated was signed off just like that and we should take it like that because Sambo Dasuki is Jack Bauer.

This insanity has got to stop; on the part of both leaders and followers. There is a reason why English comprehension is studied in high school. It is done so that the JSS2 student can read the Okonjo memo and identify the loopholes therein so that no one claiming to be Harvard or Oxford trained will be able to bamboozle and hoodwink an entire nation and generations unborn.

We should learn good things from serious nations. I am not even saying coke and cement tonic; we can start by giving the Ehud Olmert treatment to any leader who has compromised this nation for personal gain.