In Nigeria, when we mention the damned phrase TREASURY LOOTER, the clique of people that immediately spring to mind are the political office holders such as the President and his Vice; the Governors and their deputies. But in reality and factually, TREASURY LOOTERS also include the following: The Legislators: Senators, members of the House of Representatives, members of the States Houses of Assemblies, Local Government Chairmen and Councillors - not only their highly inflated take-home pay that is never commensurate to their functions, importance or effectiveness, but also actively taking bribes) The Federal Ministers, the State Commissioners, and their accompanying Special Advisers, Special Assistants, etc - A drain on the economy, for most of them are square pegs in round holes, profligate and inept, and corrupt The Civil Servants, both Federal and States, and the Local government employees - In reality, the initiators and worst of the looting spree in the country. The politicians cannot loot without their cooperation, but they can loot without any assistance from the politicians) Political Appointees - into the parastatals and Boards, both federal and states (in fact, the remit of these dubious set of political jobbers is to go and loot, passing some of the loot to those who appointed them. Anymore? What about contractors who inflate, or are made to inflate contract costs, or simply walk away with the money without doing the job? Or the foreign companies, especially the oil companies, who are bilking the ignorant and corrupt government of trillions in undeclared revenues? Or the banking industry officials who help (and of course, take a cut in the proceeds of crime) all the above to secrete and launder the looted funds?
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 09:51:40 +0000