My Heart Is So Burdened - I Practically Weep For Nigeria

In the words of President Woodrow Wilson, “the world must be made safe for democracy.” There is a need for a voice of reasoning like mine to be heard and those who keep quiet in the face of ‘evil and tyranny encourage the perpetration and continuity of dastardly acts. In writing this missive I am about to embark on, I ask myself, where do I begin?

Do I start with the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), PHCN/NEPA, address the never-ending problem of Electricity, the newest branch of Al- Qaeda called Boko Haram, the lawlessness of the Nigerian Motorists, the state of the Nigerian road, the various corruption & extortion in high & low places up to Tin Can Island, resource control, or maybe the Nonchalant attitude of some or most Nigerians in Diaspora? The list is endless

Well, the fact remains, I get to begin somewhere, and hence, I pitch my tenth at the doors of the NPF because I believe once we resolve this knotty issue called NPF so many other things will fall in place. I am however not oblivious of the power of electricity which is why I will be speaking concerning that while dwelling on NEPA or the power holders as u may chose to call them.. Somebody once said the decay in the Nigerian Police is a reflection of the Nigerian society.

This decay is powerfully pronounced even in our churches. I once drove to a church in Nigeria, a pastor “test ran” my car and by the time he came back, the car was dented. After about 30 minutes of collecting my keys from this pastor, who gave me some funny excuses why he can’t buy the car, I discovered the damage and I quickly called his attention to it through another pastor who introduced him. This “pastor” denied knowing anything about the accident. You can see I put the pastor in quote.

My first impulse was to give him a ‘dirty and hot slap’ but wisdom or common sense prevailed and I restrained myself but was shocked beyond words. Majority of Nigerians have thrown integrity into the winds within and outside of the churches, mosques, synagogues and what have you? There is so much rot and decay in Nigeria and this has crossed over the Atlantic as some Nigerians who live abroad colluded with those at home not only to defraud the government but fellow Nigerians.

A typical example; I sent a car through a man who lives in America, in Lanham Maryland, to be precise. Note that before the end of these series, I will be publishing the full name of this man, his wife, their addresses in America and Nigeria as well as information on his so-called agent (Lekan) in Tin Can Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

This guys shipped my car, a Nissan Altima 2000 along with another car, a Honda Accord in a container also having toys. We got the vehicle in Nigeria & Two & a half (2 ½) months down the line while selling the car, the buyer checked the papers with customs/Tin Can Island and you won’t believe what happened next….

The duties weren’t paid! This man collected $230,000 & paid no kobo into the government purse. The car was shipped in May and sold in August. Before taking this to the law in Nigeria (if there is any), I have decided to take it to the law of public opinion. The reason being is that while we are punishing these offenders, we will highlight what needs to be reformed in Nigeria.
 I, Wale Mandela, owned & sold the car hence, I am not relaying a story given to me and I live less than 20 minutes away from the man who shipped the vehicle.

 Let me fully dwell on the men in black, the Nigerian Police. I have a couple of friends in the DOC - Dept of Corrections (USA) who are working frantically to bringing about reforms in the Nigerian Prisons. I am highly excited with the work these my former colleagues are doing. As they work to bring change in the Prisons, I am pondering on ways to bringing sanity into the rank & file of the men in black - NPF. Before I go further, I was reliably informed that once customs impound your car on the road for lack of proper clearance, genuine papers, improper duties or fake documentation which is not a fault of the car owner but the corrupt element at Tin Can Island, it is auctioned off.

 I begin to question the sense in this rule? The Law or Redress? I don’t know what exactly to call it. How do you stop agents at the Port from corrupt practices when innocent motorists are being punished? I sold a car & the buyer discovers he got fake papers. He brought it to my attention and I then informed Mr. so and so who shipped and “cleared” the car for me. Is the car owner supposed to suffer for this? What happens to those who defrauded government?

Well, in this case, the buyer quickly called me and made sure I paid #170,000 to duly clear the car before proceeding with the transaction. As it is, a car that was supposed to be cleared for 170,000 naira, has gulped 400,000 naira and Mr. Jimmy, the shipper is claiming it was duly cleared while the buyer claims otherwise.

I conducted a private investigation and discovered not a dime was paid on the duties & here are the particulars necessary for the public to verify who the criminal is in this case because I intend to take this to the highest places in & outside Nigeria irrespective of the monies involved - enough is enough!
Important info you may need to check who the criminal is:
C36374 of 17-05-2011. SGD 36715
Vehicle Cleared by SILC Nig Ltd (A980). 
Consignee: Adebayo, Olayinka Folasade (A4117842)
Agent: Lekan - 2 cars & toys.
Payment shows $100.00 GTB Ibafo.

If I must use my case to begin the needed reform in Nigeria so be it. I need the appropriate authority especially the Lagos State government and the Presidency to be aware of this case & like I said, I must get to the bottom of this mess & turn it into a powerful message to change the situation in Nigeria.

Isn’t it time for decent Nigerians in the Diaspora to rise up & say enough is enough like the Americans said in 1870 - 1900? “That part of the 19th century, there was a close balance between Democrats & Republicans. Each party drew support from particular geographic, social, and political groupings.

Within the parties were several competing factions, each headed by a political leader called a boss. Most bosses were after personal gain, so bribery, corruption, and graft became a way of life. Some of the worst corruption took place in the Grant administration.

The Tweed Ring in New York city and party machines in various other cities was also notorious for their bribery and graft.” Africans! Can you believe this happened in America? Well, while politicians may have ignored the social problems, ordinary Americans did not. The spirit of reform was rising in each city & towns. From the coalmines of Pennsylvania, elegant parlors of Boston, dormitories of American colleges and the slums of N.Y., they looked at the danger, the long hours and the low wages of the work place and said ‘something must be done.’ They looked at the crowding, disease, and the dirt of the city housing and said, ‘something must be done.’ The reformers called on government to improve urban housing, transportation and recreation.

 Isn’t it a shame that most Nigerian/Africans don’t even know they can recall elected officials? There is this believe that once elected, you must complete your term! I am not talking about election tribunals; I am referring to the rights of the ordinary Nigerians. It is sickening the way Nigerians see corruption as a norm. So while my former colleagues are reforming the Prison Systems, I am focusing on the Nigerian Police Force… To be continued….