Since thepartial opening some years ago of Kadunas eastern bypass road thatsnakes past Rido and right behind the Kaduna Refinery, I alwaystake this route into and out of Kaduna. It passes right throughSabon Tasha, a place recently thrust into national consciousnesswhen EFCC agents raided a rusty house in this ghetto and foundmillions of crisp American dollars and British pounds. Before thisraid opened our eyes I always drove through Sabo, as Kaduna folkscall it, without a second look at its zinc sheds, wrought ironroofs reddened by rust, mud and cement walls reddened by dust frompassing petrol tankers and even the goats, sheep and pigs that dartacross the newly paved road. Most of the dwellings and shops inSabo look so hard up that I didnt expect to find a million nairain any of them.
Actually, I have been a more or less frequent visitor to Sabon Tasha since 1990, when I first went to live in Kaduna City. Even then Sabon Tasha was a sprawling slum. Merely driving through it was a motorists nightmare because dozens or even hundreds of petrol tankers lined up on both sides of the narrow highway that passed through it, the main gateway to southern Kaduna State. They were waiting for their turn to load fuel at the Kaduna Refinery. In 1990 we had not yet starting hearing about problems with the refinerys Fluid Catalytic Cracking [FCC] unit or the vandalisation of oil pipelines. Passing through Sabo in those days, one could see hundreds of tanker drivers whiling away the time in various sheds and under tree shades. Tanker drivers are relatively well to do and their presence was a boon for Sabos landlords, hoteliers, food sellers, shop keepers and women of easy virtue, as the UN called them then; it had not yet invented the phrase commercial sex workers.
Since 1990 Sabon Tasha has been hit by three consecutive socio-economic calamities. One was the virtual collapse of the Kaduna refinery. The second was the serial inter-communal riots that bedevilled Kaduna between 1987 and 2012, leading to mass relocation of people to Sabo and its severe crowding. The third, more recent hit has been the economic recession affecting the whole country. Before the discovery of Andrew Yakubus dollars I was beginning to compare Sabo with the slums of Cairo, Manila or Mexico City. Now however, I am reassessing my view of Sabon Tasha and I am looking at its reddened iron roofs in a new light.
Quite often in life we are reminded that appearances could be deceptive. One should never judge a book by its cover. Everyone thought that the centre of dollars in Kaduna is the bureaux de change right by Hamdala Hotel. It now turns out that all of them combined do not have the dollars found in one shack in Sabo. I once thought of mansions in Asokoro and Maitama as unofficial vaults of the Central Bank. Since EFCCs Eagleclaw software made hiding money in bank accounts a hazardous business, Nigerian officials that milk government coffers dry have looked for alternative places to hide money. It turned out that fire proof safes and deep freezers hidden in ghettos was the answer.
For me, this episode was only a reminder of a fact I knew long ago, that looks can be deceptive. In 1991 I was driving my old Fiat car from Kaduna to Sokoto when the shaft broke at Samaru. I chartered a taxi that took me back to Kwangila where I bought another [second hand] shaft. I carried it from the spare parts dealers shop, past two Igbo men who were playing draught under a tree, to the taxi. Presently I saw my taxi driver with both hands on his head, his eyes popping out. I asked him what was the matter and he said, See dat man under di tree! Him get 100 taxis and buses for dis Zaria! I glanced back at the man playing draught. He was wearing short knickers. Half his shirts buttons were open, revealing most of his chest and abdomen. I had almost trampled on the mans feet as I carried the heavy shaft back to the car. Now, with the taxi drivers revelation, I suddenly saw him in a new light.
Sabos new status as a secret extension of the US Federal Reserve Bank suddenly made me less awestruck by the huge mansions of Asokoro, Maitama and Wuse II. Very few if any of them hold ten million dollars in cash. Nobody will keep a lot of money in those mansions, not after DSS agents clambered up the houses of Supreme Court judges in the dead of night looking for evidence of bribery. Not after DSS searched a former National Security Advisers house and carted away five rifles as exhibits. And certainly not after government blew the whistle on its whistle blower policy.
There have been long running arguments in Nigerian joints as to who, between political office holders and mainstream civil servants, has creamed off more money from the public till. Most Nigerians think politicians have creamed off more money because they are constantly sharing it with supporters. Civil servants on the other hand hardly share out money outside their circle of relatives. They often sit under trees and spill out the secrets of politicians, but not their own. They tell stories about all the vouchers that passed through the treasury that day; which financial rules were broken; which tender was selectively opened; which contract was awarded without due process; which audit queries were ignored; which subhead was overdrawn and which vote underwent virement. They spill politicians secrets but they keep mute about their own roles. Andrew Yakubu is the biggest evidence yet that primed and proper technocracy could be more deadly than rambunctious politics.
Whistle blowers are now scrambling after every kind of official. Security men, butlers, chefs, gardeners and cleaners now have their necks stretched out like so many giraffes and their ears strained like so many hippos, hoping to blow the whistle on someone and get a cut that will change their lives once and for all. One newspaper claimed that it was a woman that blew the whistle on Andrew Yakubu and that she is about to earn N256million in accordance with Governments whistle blower policy. Phew. I thought about it for a while. I have worked in five different academic and media establishments over three decades and have not made a fraction of that money. If I can get N256m for just blowing a whistle, what is the use of sitting up all night punching computer keys?
My only cause for pause is that millions of Nigerian youths who have been looking for opportunities to make fast money have already jumped at the whistle blowing opportunity. I hear that already, there are thousands of bands of youths roving around the streets of all Nigerian ghettos, searching for an Andrew Yakubu-like safe house to blow the whistle on. Although government has adequately advertised the rewards of successful whistle blowing, it did not advertise the perils of unsuccessful whistle blowing.
I suspect there are dangers. Even professional referees sometimes blow the whistle wrongly. During the Challenge Cup final in 1972, referee Sunny Badru glaringly allowed a goal wrongly scored by Enugu Rangers and he glaringly disallowed a good goal scored by Mighty Jets of Jos. The Nigeria Football Association cancelled the match, suspended the referee and ordered a rematch. So, if a desperate young whistleblower alerts EFCC and it undertakes a costly raid in a dozen vans and nothing is found, what is the penalty? I want to hear the answer before I change my career from column writing to professional whistle blowing.
View post:
Seeing Sabon Tasha in new light - Daily Trust
- Modern Survival Manual Surviving the Economic Collapse - December 18th, 2016 [December 18th, 2016]
- What Explains the Collapse of the USSR? - E-International ... - January 13th, 2017 [January 13th, 2017]
- Where Should the External Priorities of the Visegrd Lie? - Visegrad Insight - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- PH gov't, communists urged to pursue talks even without ceasefire - Inquirer.net - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- New Texts Out Now: Helga Tawil-Souri and Dina Matar, eds. Gaza as Metaphor - Jadaliyya - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Kazakhstan Going Into Soft Power Overdrive - EurasiaNet - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Economic Crash 2017 and How the Next Financial Crisis Could Be Worse Than 2008 - Lombardi Letter - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Mass incarceration and the perfect socio-economic storm - OUPblog (blog) - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Give peace a chance, not 'all-out' war, say solons, Leftist Cabinet members - InterAksyon - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Celebrating Black History: Detroit Techno icons - Mixmag - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Why 'financial inclusion' may be the wrong terminology - NewsDay - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- 'Conspiracy' in peace talks collapse seen - Inquirer.net - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- 2017 and beyond: Future unpredictable - Zimbabwe Independent - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Zuma's interventions will deal with white monopoly capital - Office of ANC Chief Whip - Politicsweb - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Lobster crash erodes West Coast way of life - GroundUp - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Hopes remain for revival of peace talks - Manila Bulletin - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Lobster crash erodes West Coast way of life - News24 - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Financial Black Swans Could Rock 2017 Stock Market Forecast - Lombardi Letter - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Zimbabwe: A Crisis Unfolding - Zimbabwe | ReliefWeb - ReliefWeb - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- 'Bumper harvest to stop aid politicisation' - Nehanda Radio - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Zimbabwe: A Crisis Unfolding - New Zimbabwe.com - New Zimbabwe.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Who We Play For saving lives through athlete heart screenings - Tallahassee.com - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Terrorist resurgence - Daily Times - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Facing tragedy with courage - The News International - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Socio-Economic Collapse | Prometheism.net - Part 3 - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Rethinking Nonviolent Resistance In The Face Of Right-Wing ... - Huffington Post - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Vladimir Putin Isn't a Supervillain - Foreign Policy (blog) - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- First ceiling collapse at Charlotte Maxeke in January already, claim staff - News24 - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Rethinking Nonviolent Resistance in the Face of Right-Wing Populism - The Wire - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Historical Materialism Versus Historical Conceptualism - Dissident Voice - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- World Bank, Sokoto Govt commit N9b for rebuilding of collapsed ... - THISDAY Newspapers - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Nigeria: Sokoto Govt and World Bank pledges $28.8million for rehabilitation of collapsed Dam - Ecofin Agency: Economic information from Africa - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- Time for a rebirth of Zimbabwean politics - Bulawayo24 News (press release) (blog) - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- This Brexit battle is cold, hard capitalism vs. civilised, co-operative order - The New European - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Swet Shop Boys: Why white skin is no longer a safety net - Deutsche Welle - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Impact of Prez Akufo-Addo's W/A tour on economy - Graphic Online - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Important meeting for our nation's future | Deniliquin Pastoral Times - Deniliquin Pastoral Times (registration) (blog) - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- Creating a Better Economy with Data Science - Stanford Social Innovation Review (subscription) - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- TB Joshua : 'Investigate Fani-Kayode's claims on Synagogue building collapse' - Analyst - Pulse Nigeria - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Integration and security: Estonia's Russian-speaking minority - New Eastern Europe - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- Late Matanzima celebrated as a visionary- Education, development described as his legacy - Daily dispatch - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Prof. Guy Standing: Every country can afford Universal Basic Income - EURACTIV - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Climate, social equality also behind collapse of govt formation talks: Green leader - NL Times - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Country needs USDA Rural Development - Iowa Farmer Today - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- The downgrade and retirement funds: what does it mean? - African Independent - June 18th, 2017 [June 18th, 2017]
- National priorities defy convention in St Lucia - St. Lucia Times News - St. Lucia Times Online News (press release) - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Use of harmful chemicals for fish preservation harmful to consumers - Ghana News Agency - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Use of harmful chemicals for fish preservation harmful to consumers ... - BusinessGhana - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Op-Ed: South Africa's central bank row points to dangerous levels of intolerance - CNBCAfrica.com - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Collapsed bridge cut off over 5000 residents in llorin - National Accord - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- The Wonderful World of Binary Categorizations - Geopoliticalmonitor.com - June 23rd, 2017 [June 23rd, 2017]
- Dangerous levels of intolerance exposed in Reserve Bank row - Independent Online - June 23rd, 2017 [June 23rd, 2017]
- South Africa's central bank row points to dangerous levels of intolerance - eNCA - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Reserve Bank battle points to dangerous levels of intolerance - Mail & Guardian - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- There is a strong economic case to preserve future of traditional fishing - Alfred Sant - Malta Independent Online - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Empowering Women in Developing Economies - HuffPost - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Is this the end of Daesh? - Arab News - July 2nd, 2017 [July 2nd, 2017]
- Nkomo could have saved Zim: Zapu - NewsDay - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Govt completes inspection 1.6 lakh bridges, plans new tech - Zee News - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Centre claims to have completed safety audit of 1.6 lakh bridges; to work on 147 dilapidated structures - Firstpost - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Collapse of UT and Capital banks A case of a collective national failure (Article) - Citifmonline - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- UNZA vice-chancellor lays down marker - Zambia Daily Mail - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- What Makes a Terrorist? - The New York Review of Books - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- How the Collapse of Venezuela Really Happened - The ... - February 18th, 2018 [February 18th, 2018]
- Socio-Economic Collapse in the Congo: Causes and Solutions - October 3rd, 2018 [October 3rd, 2018]
- Sick Bees Part 18F8: Colony Collapse Revisited ... - April 25th, 2019 [April 25th, 2019]
- Classic Maya collapse - Wikipedia - April 25th, 2019 [April 25th, 2019]
- Great Civilizations Aren't Murdered, They Commit Suicide ... - May 5th, 2019 [May 5th, 2019]
- Dollar Collapse Predictions: What Will Happen When It Happens? - May 5th, 2019 [May 5th, 2019]
- 10 Steps to Prepare for Americas Economic Collapse - May 31st, 2019 [May 31st, 2019]
- Do you really think NDC faithful would ever condemn a coup dtat? - Modern Ghana - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Economic and Institutional Restructuring for the Next Nigeria - Soludo - Proshare Nigeria Limited - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- ET CEO Roundtable: Build a wealthier nation with state help, industry execution - Economic Times - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Ghanaians could well face the wrath of God should they betray the Free SHS provider! - Modern Ghana - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- The Return to Power of Local Hotel Brands? | By Robert Govers - Hospitality Net - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Brexit: Systemic Risk and a Warning - Resilience - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Why is Poland's Law and Justice party still so popular? - EUROPP - European Politics and Policy - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Presidential elections in Tunisia: who are the globalists betting on? - United World International - October 16th, 2019 [October 16th, 2019]
- Kevin Taylor, youre a reporter, not an opinionist; youre guided by the rule of impartiality! - Modern Ghana - October 16th, 2019 [October 16th, 2019]
- The Unholy Mess of US Middle Eastern Strategy - Valdai Discussion Club - October 16th, 2019 [October 16th, 2019]