Re: Boko Haram, Alex Badeh, Jonathan and the Stolen Trillions

Please enjoy a sample of the reactions that last week’s column generated. I’ve heard a lot of people advocate that President Buhari s...

Please enjoy a sample of the reactions that last week’s column generated.

I’ve heard a lot of people advocate that President Buhari should bring you back from America to serve your fatherland given your education, experience and exposure. I disagree, and your article this week is one evidence for my disagreement. Who would have caused us to get as rightly angry as you did with your wonderful piece on what you called “this astonishingly conscienceless heist” of our national resources in the name of fighting Boko Haram? Although you live far away physically, you are near. Paradoxically, the moment President Buhari brings you home, you will be physically near but far from us.  Please continue your good work! As you advised, we will keep asking until we get an answer. Where are the trillions?

Dele Tomori

This was certainly one of your most viral articles. It trended on Faceboook, Twitter, Whatsapp and other social media platforms. After reading your article I went to look for the original Alex Badeh interview and, oh boy, was I angry? I doubt that the man was in his right senses when he granted that interview. As you rightly observed, “It’s the worst form of self-indictment.” English people call courage resulting from drinking too much alcohol “Dutch courage.” I hope Badeh’s revelations were not influenced by “Burukutu courage.” President Buhari has no option but to get to the root of this Olympian theft!

Rasaq Tijani

The opening assumption missed the simple fact that Badeh was talking before he took charge, afterwards, armaments were procured that enable the military to dislodge Boko Haram from not less than 14 local governments just before the elections.

Badeh said that much in his hand over speech when he derided the US on the Leahy Act and thanked "friendly nations that sold weapons to us at the time of our need". We must not be seen isolating statements to drive a political point. It doesn't help the war against terror which is far from over nor does it help the anti-corruption drive because the money we quote as being stolen will not be traced to any person and the public misled into believing that trillions were diverted will be disappointed that Dasuki/Gusau/GEJ are walking free.

Bile Nuhu

Oh! What a tyranny of figures! I knew of "thousands”, then "millions", now "trillions" what next...? I call on all who're arithmetically or mathematically inclined to excuse my ignorance. Please, after an unconscionable theft of trillions, what is the next stage? Can you now see how LUCKY a country can be under the GOOD WATCH of a "GOODLUCK" President? Allah ya isah!!!

Abdullahi Ibrahim

Certainly no one can tell what would have become of us all had the Jonathan cabal continued to ruin (not rule) this country. I pity those helpless soldiers who went and committed suicide in the name of fighting for our country. My solace is in the fact that this potbellied military officer and his ilk will not go unpunished. If not by the Buhari's government then by God Himself. If not here on earth then in the hereafter.

Abubakar Algwallary

Poor Nigeria Army. We blame them for not being brave to combat the terrorists, for running away from fields, for giving out their uniforms to civilians, unknown to us that they were ill-equipped. So where are the trillions spent in the name of defense? Prof. said, we should be asking this question until we get an answer. So I repeat, where are the trillions?

Muzaffar Ibrahim

Amazing revelations indeed. It is absolutely incredible to think that this large sum of money meant to bolster the dwindling security in our dear country disappeared without a single military equipment to show for it. This development really undermines the sacrosanctity of our security system in this country and by extension portends a great danger to good governance. These funds are enough to create millions of employment and provide quality education to millions of our youths. I pray that this administration will work assiduously to recover much of the looted funds and use them wisely to create jobs, provide quality education and better healthcare for the good people of Nigeria who have been deprived of these basic amenities over the years.

Tijjani Abubakar

I am a proud Farooq Fan but this analysis needs work. What has happened to our military is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the blatant looting and raping of Nigeria by the ruling and intellectual elite. You must start from Obasanjo and 1999 to today to understand how he and his hand-picked minions have decimated Nigeria. For many years I have been shouting on the rooftops that all of Nigeria's public institutions have been gutted and razed to the ground by thieves posing as rulers under the direct supervision of the grand criminal of them all, Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo. I have pleaded with Nigerian intellectuals to try to force the rulers du jour to come up with a Marshall Plan to rescue gutted institutions, whossai, all I have gotten is silence from compromised PhDs. They want us to believe that stealing and corruption started with the buffoonery of Goodluck Jonathan. Apparently there are enough clueless people who believe that claptrap.

Here is a bit of history. When Obasanjo ascended power a decade and a half ago, he was deathly afraid of coups. He proceeded to decimate the military structure and under lax supervision, service chiefs became service thieves. The situation we have today is as a direct result of Obasanjo's perfidy. Jonathan, Obasanjo's hand picked man simply continued with glee, the silliness. That is why a crook and millionaire like Badeh would say that the last time the military bought anything was in 2006.

Ikhide Ikheloa

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Boko Haram, Alex Badeh, Jonathan, and the Stolen Trillions