By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi.
5-2-2025.
All but three of the ten richest people on earth are from the United States of America (USA). The exceptions are: Bernard Arnaurt of France at number 4 with $197 billion, Carlos Slim Helù of Argentina at number nine with $119 billion and Amancio Ortega of Spain at number ten with $119 billion.
But even in the USA, where they have Elon Musk of the Tesler car fame, the richest man on earth, whose wealth is estimated at $421, Jeff Bezo at number two with another humongous fortune of $243 billion, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook at number three with an incredible amount of $214 billion, Larry Ellison at number four with an amount of $194 billion, Larry Page at number five with an amount of $159 billion, Sergey Brin at number six with a fortune of $145 billion, Warren Buffet at number seven with a fortune of $ 120 billion, and the man who previously held the number one position for 14 years, Bill Gates, at number eight with a fortune of $115 billion, $400,000, is by no means a chicken feed.
The amount therefore, is not what every hardworking person would forfeit to any government without a mighty reason. But the then Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now the President of Nigeria, forfeited $400 million to the US government without batting an eye lid. This forced gesture says a lot about the ‘business’ he was engaged in.
Ordinary Senator Tinubu was alleged to have forfeited $400 thousand at one time, when he was in ‘God’s Own country’, as the Americans call their country. Godless, may be more appropriate, given that US is home to every conceivable crime against God and mam.
President Donald Trump of the US recently caused the mass deportation of many nationals, including Canadians, Latin Americans, Asians and Africans, among them many Nigerians. The Nigerians were alleged to be in the foreign country not only without valid traveling documents, but they had no visible source of income. This gives the impression that such people are engaged in ‘businesses’ that the US government takes very serious exception to.
Ironically, my compatriots are said to be the most educated foreigners in the US, well ahead of other nationals, including Europeans and Asians. Most Nigerians in ‘God’s own country’ are said to be graduates with one or two or three degrees as their qualification.
Even the rotten lots in the US do not have a hiding place, or a resting spot under President Trump. This is the same US that is the headquarters of the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender and Queer people with different sexual orientation (LGBTQ+) movement, founded and encouraged by the Zionists. The US is also home to the infamous Mafia, the also infamous Sin City (Las Vegas), and the ‘godless’ Los Angeles, inappropriately named the City of Angels. His action against some idle foreigners is therefore, not to be blamed entirely.
Many countries cried blue murder, and vowed to take retaliatory actions, forcing the US President to retrace his steps and back out gracefully. But not for other affected countries such as Nigeria.
For Nigeria that is alleged to top the corruption ladder in the world at number three (3), with former Sri Lankan President, as number two, and the President of Kenya, Ruto, as number one, President Trump’s heavy handedness to some foreigners must be seen as the thing to do to rid the US of such unwanted interlopers.
Perhaps, the unenviable compliment made some state First Ladies, prominent of whom are from the North Western States of the country, where millions of almajirais are roaming the streets in an area that is also ravaged by the insecurity caused by bandits. They spray dollars, not even the Tinubu naira, in some fanciful gatherings, such as weddings, naming or birthday ceremonies, despite the fact that SPRAYING money is an offence in Nigeria, punishable with six years sentence in jail, as was passed on a Southern transgender socialite last year.
One of the powerful First Ladies is the wife of another North West number one citizen, nicknamed ‘The Billion Dollar Governor’ because of his propensity for ‘executing’ billion dollars projects in his state, no matter how small or insignificant they may be. Last year, a young man, who the the supporter of the opposition party in the state, was sent to prison for sharing the video showing the First Lady spraying $100 (US) notes at a ceremony.
The video was said to be taken and shared on the social media by a close friend and aide of the number one woman in the state, before the youth shared it further. But because the unnamed friend and aide of the First Lady was well connected, the frustration of the governor fell on the unconnected young man, who was slammed into jail on the order of his excellency.
The latest video clip of the money abuse, shows a First Lady from a North Western state battling with banditry and the menace of millions of beggars, clutching a bundle of $10,000 (US) note in one hand, while the other hand was spraying the dollar bills on the celebrants at some fanciful ceremony of the highs and mightys.
Many of the so called First Ladies were yesterday the daughters or wives of ‘nobodys’, who somehow rose to become ‘somebodys’. They are however, all the time celebrated for ’donating’ or ‘giving’ some thousands or millions of the Tinubu time Naira to some charities or other groups and organisations that may or may not come with their caps in hand begging for their ‘support’. Such support is normally accepted anyway, because of the unfortunate and dare situation of the tribe less, religious less and non partisan poverty and hunger that are ravaging the country, at the moment.
The Nigerian First Lady, ‘generous’ Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who is in the habit of ‘donating’ frequently, is at it again in Dikko town of Niger State, where she was reported to have ‘donated’ N100 million to the 70 families of the victims of the recent tanker explosion. She said that, “We are looking at 70 families. Each family will have N1 million to help them settle and the remaining money will be used for other extra expenses for them like food items and others. The money is to help them, so that they will not feel the impact of the disaster much”.
Then there are men who became STUPENDOUSLY wealthy on account of their government positions, so much that they are in a position to sponsor the ongoing ‘Koranic Festival’ in the Federal Capital of the country, Abuja. Such ‘voluntary’ sponsors felt Nigeria was doing well for everyone, and therefore needs the ulama and traditional leaders’s extra prayer for ‘peace’ to continue to prevail in the country.
But only the proverbial yesterday, the ‘voluntary’
sponsor confessed to beginning as a wretched poor Almajiri, who made it to the pinnacle of his career, through which they made the tremendous wealth that he deems it necessary to return some of it to the country.
Nigeria under the leadership of President Tinubu has become a country where doing illegal things is the rule, not the exception. The Inspector General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun is on his seat illegally as he has long passed his retirement period by both age of birth and the age of starting the (Police) job. The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amendment, does not recognise ‘extension’ of service, even if done by the President.
An indirect indictment of corruption against the present regime of President Tinubu was made by Oxfam Nigeria in which it alleged that the “Wealth gap in Nigeria has reached crisis levels, with 70% of the population experiencing hunger”.
In a report, the organisation expressed the apprehension that billionaires are accumulating unprecedented wealth, so much that there may be five TRILLIONAIRES in Nigeria in the next ten years.
Oxfam Nigeria said that over 133 million people in Nigeria live in poverty, with women and girls disproportionately affected. “In Nigeria, the wealth of four billionaires Constituting $23.7 billion (US) could easily cover the whole of Lagos city in N500 notes”, adding that, Nigeria’s wealth gap is a moral and social crisis, with a few individuals amassing immense wealth while “over 133 million Nigerians face hunger daily”.
The Special Adviser to the President on Power, Olu Verheijen , announced that there would soon be (another) hike in the tariff of electricity, if electricity was the to be made available in the country. Despite the many past tariff increases by the present regime, there is more darkness for the poor in the country of plenty, but unfortunately harnessed and pocketed by the supposed leaders. And the money to be regularly generated from another electricity tariff hike would be embezzled as is the usual practice in the present corrupt regime.
President Tinubu should be asked about the pledge he made shortly after he was sworn in as President of Nigeria. He advised the electorate not to “Elect me for a second term if I do not provide electricity for Nigerians in MY FIRST TERM”. Is there any chance that such a mighty promise will be fulfilled by you?
Even former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who was the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Presidential Candidate in the 2023 election, recently cried out that the regime of “President Tinubu is using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to fight the opposition, instead of addressing the corruption ravaging the country”.
The former number two person, alleged that Tinubu’s regime had selectively targeted political opponents, while turning a blind eye to the corruption within its own ranks. It is his belief that “true anti-corruption fight should be transparent and impartial, but not motivated by politics”.
To be sure, right from the agency’s inception, the EFCC has always been used as a tool to fight the opposition, or any person not in the good book of the number one citizen in Nigeria. Therefore, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s allegation is not out of place. It is not a mare political grandstanding by an opposition politician, but a statement of fact, that all dispassionate citizens of Nigeria should be aware of.
Complaints about, and of, the massive corruption, poverty and pervasive hunger in the country are the staple making the rounds regularly on the social media every minute, as it is.
May God save Nigeria and its poor citizens from the greed and corruption that define the present regime of President Tinubu, and also from the avarice of those who support him whatever section of the country they may have hailed from.
Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.
