Nigeria and stolen goods from abroad

Nigeria and stolen goods from abroad

For centuries, Africa especially Nigeria have been subjected to all sort of European influence and subjugation. It all started with river exploration purported to open Africa to the western market then descended to scramble and partition of Africa which eventually ended up in mineral exploitation and environmental degradation of Africa. The biggest African casualty of European expansionism and exploitation of Africa was human trafficking known as slavery. To this day, Africa still remains the only continent in the universe that suffered perpetual mass enslavement and dehumanization and yet has not adequately received compensation, confession and apology from the purveyors of the greatest evil ever-perpetuated on mankind.

Last year, two Swedish banks, Credit Suisse and UBS- AG paid a total of $1.5 billion as reparation to the Jews who were subjected to World War II slavery. In addition, Nestle, a Swedish food giant is contributing an extra $14.6 million to this pot. (Washington Times. August 9, 2000). This pot of money is in addition to the $5 billion foundation that the German government established to pay for Jewish Nazi slave. (Washington Post, July 18, 2000).

The second casualty of European venture to Africa was the looting of African artifacts, notably the Benin bronze and a host of other valuables. Most of these loots are callously exhibited at the museums of these nations that committed the theft. Out of inferiority complex, the African governments have shied away from aggressively contesting the return of these valuables. Some of the African leaders may be afraid to challenge the return of these loots for fear of being exposed from their own loots of their countries’ treasures.

However, the purpose of this article is to highlight the need to apply the principle: whatever that is good for the goose should be equally good for the gander. According to Comet news of March 22, 2001, Scotland Yard, Interpol and Nigerian police force collaborated to smash international syndicates that steal exotic cars from Europe, which were shipped to Nigeria and other African countries. It does not take long to have the British police to establish a joint action against those who perpetuated crime against Europe, but it is taking an awful lot of time to get the British government to help Nigeria recover billions of dollars in looted money siphoned to Britain by corrupt African government officials that were custodian of public wealth.

Then you have this thing called 419. The other day, I opened a local newspaper and right on the front page was an article on how some American businesses had received letters from miscreant Nigerian underworlds asking them to provide their bank accounts so that money would be sent to the accounts. The article stated that those who received the letters were told that they would receive some percentage of the money for the services rendered or not rendered.

First, this 419 letter is an old hat. Second, any one who falls for a cacophony scam to get rich quick without breaking a sweat is either a fool or is a crook. How can some one reap benefit from what one did not sow? It takes a fool and greed to succumb to a letter from someone that one does not know or have never heard of. We are talking of a ghost from the blues who have not proven beyond all reasonable doubt that they in fact work for the company or governmental agency that they purported to work for, to transact a legitimate business.

By the way, assuming that one received such a letter, say from a crook in the United States of America requesting for a bank account so that surplus fund from the Department of Defense could be sent to a personal bank account, wouldn’t the recipient report such act to the law enforcement authority? I can see people appear before TV camera screaming the waste of their tax dollar or that the FBI should investigate and prosecute the sponsors of such criminal letter. Why not apply the same principle to letters coming from a handful of criminal minded Nigerians, instead, greedy people who see Africa as primitive succumbed to the vast international conspiracy in defrauding Africa and in the process become victims themselves.

The mere mention of government unspent budget surplus that runs in millions have allowed the victims of this crimes’ ears to prickle like that of a dog who saw a bone on a TV commercial. What happen to the good old fashion norm where people get paid for an honest work? Every body wants to be a millionaire over night without putting long hours of work. This is called greed. We should not express sympathy for those who out of greed become victim of foul plays. In fact, those who oblige in compliance to criminal transgression should be charged with aiding and abetting in attempts to defraud a foreign government.

I am sorry to say that we should congratulate the fellas that fell for this criminal act by saying "good for ya." They should make the Guinness book of "damn fools" and if none exists, perhaps, one should be established for that purpose. How about this, if someone receive a scam letter imploring one to provide a bank account, one of the most cryptic possessions held dear, a prudent person should ask the scumbag to send as little as $200 to open an account for him so that the illegal money would be deposited there. By letting the scumbags know that they should send the money, that is if one has the time to play the game, then, the request would stop. If the crooks become aware that you are smatter than they are, they would leave you alone. Unfortunately, some have fallen victim to the get rich quick scams even to the point of endangering their lives in the process to recover their lost money.

419 scam is a multi-facet dimensional problem that cut across international boundaries. There are 419s perpetuated by the Europeans that are rarely mentioned in the press. Some of these scams were the looting of African artifacts and the enticement of African fat cats to starch away-looted funds at the European banks. According to BBC News of March 8, 2001, an UK group known as Financial Services Authority (FSA) upon investigating 23 UK banks for money laundering practices found a substantial violation through what it termed "control weaknesses."

"Control weaknesses" is a fancy connotation for encouraging money laundry between African fat cats and their European partners. They would not call it 419 because such word is dirty and is reserved to be used in reference to a people or groups that are perceived as lower class, in this case, the Africans.

This type of European artifice and thinking goes to show how much they valued their relationship with Africans. They see Africa as naive, backward, manipulative, and exploitative and down right fools. All that the Europeans can think of is how much they would exploit from Africa and not what they may contribute to African maturity and progress. Just look around Africa and you will not find a single area that has not been exploited. For instance, it is a well-known fact that without oil; Nigeria may not exit, as we know it today. It is also a known fact that billions of barrels of oil are being pumped and shipped out of Nigeria daily. The question therefore is how many billions of extracted oil and other minerals from Nigeria were documented? What is the value of this stolen wealth in the real world market? What percentage of the exploited mineral’s funds was spent to restore the degraded environments? How much has been spent, tangibly or intangibly directly benefit the citizens whose land produces this colossal source of wealth? The fact still remains that nobody I will ever know. Any attempt to expose the exploitation of Africans often result in mysterious elimination of the inquisitor – take Dale Giwa as an example.

Africa will continue to be subjected to all kinds of abuse until their voices are heard. Africa will continue to be demonized until they install good government that is bereft of all the manifestations embodied in the past and present leadership. Africa will not free itself until the intellectuals proclaim and pronounce their heritage with pride and by letting the whole world know that Africa is no longer inhabited by the naïve, apes, naked people and bandits.

The more Europe continues to demonize Africa, the worst for Africa. Africa should help the Europeans in their war against theft; likewise, the Europeans should help Africa by repatriating the billions of dollars stashed away in their banks by the African fat cats. They should return all the stolen artifacts to Africa. They should publicly apologize for enslavement of Africans, just like the Swiss and German’s have to the Jews. They should vow to see Africans as human beings and not apes or sub human beings. They should educate some of their ignorant citizens, those that would ask an African if a house exists in Africa, whether Africans lived like Tarzan, which supposedly live in the jungle. To the later, I have consistently responded that if Africans live on trees, then the United States Embassy is seated on the top of the longest iroko tree. Furthermore, those that would ask about Africa as if it is a country, and those ignorant enough to inquire where Africans bought their cloths as if cloths were not sold in Africa.

There are some Europeans who see African intellectuals as inferior until they come in direct contact with them. I am sure that majority of Africans who live in the Diaspora have witnessed some kind of prejudice and stereotypes wherever they reside. Ignorance is a disease and Africans have suffered from it for too long. Africans should stand up and demand respect for it is a matter of right and not a gift from anyone. If Europe refuses to educate themselves about Africa, its people and heritage, then it is left for the Africans to educate them. They should be educated in the need to treat Africans with respect and dignity; they should be educated to value the African treasure and to return all the stolen loots from Africa. They should be educated to the fact that colonialism is dead and that it takes two to tangle.

In fact, Africans should be at the forefront of educating the world on issues concerning Africa. So far, the world assumed that role and that is why Africa has been consistently painted and portrayed in a diabolic way that suits the European needs. It is now left up to Africans to re-define who we are, what we are and how we wanted the world to perceive Africa.

Those who indulge in crime should face the music when caught. No sane African should sympathize with anyone whose life centers on preying on people for a living. Nor should they sympathize with those who sanction official kleptomania that has become commonplace among the African elite. The other week, Obasanjo bemoaned the rush by the Nigerian elected officials’ penchant to export millions of dollars to western countries where they are invested in real estate. He argued that an intelligence report before him contained names of the culprits. Well Mr. President, publish the list. Let us start shaming these fat cows in the public, perhaps that would help in reforming their behavior. Stealing is stealing regardless of how it was carried out.

Meanwhile, it is about time that the British people and other European countries persuade their governments to help smash the Nigerian official exportation of people’s wealth stashed away in their countries as the Nigerian police is helping in smashing syndicates who steal and ship exotic cars out of Europe to Nigeria and other African countries. And also to return the artifacts stolen from Africa. Whatever that is good for the goose is also good for the gander.