ZIK GBEMRE LAMENTS ON THE WASTEFULNESS OF NIGERIA’S PRESIDENTIAL ENTOURAGE TO THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY SUMMIT
Nigeria’s Presidential entourage to the UN General Assembly was the highest in the history of the assembly…
We cannot continue with such waste of our collective wealth and expect the West to take us seriously as a people that want change…
Is it not ironic and a sad tale that all around the African continent have wealthy political leaders in Government spaces who love living in affluence and exhibiting wealth. Yet, the countries they govern, and their citizenry are respectively among the poorest nations in the world and stricken with lack and want. Whereas, their counterparts across Europe, America and Asia are best known for exhibiting modesty, consideration for their citizen’s wellbeing, and governing countries that are known as world powers and economic strong pillars.
Between African leaders in Government, and the leaders in the Western nations, which of them are supposed to be exhibiting this show of wealth and affluence? We all know the answer to that question. But sadly, the evident answer is not what we see around us.
Prof. Abubakar Sabo recently reiterated this fact when he observed in a write-up that African leaders are indeed the richest in the world – that is going by how they live and do things as against their counterparts in the West. Using the United Nations (UN) General Assembly as an example, he noted how “They arrived at UN in New York, each in a convoy of over 20 powerful vehicles hired from American Car Hire Companies.
“I was shocked to see European Leaders arriving at UN for the UN General Assembly in small cars, and some came as a group of European Leaders in Coasters. The Prime Minister of the UK arrived in a small car with the Prime Minister of Norway, while the Prime Minister of Italy arrived in the same small car with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg – one of the wealthiest economies in the world.
“The German Chancellor arrived in a Mercedes Benz with Prime Minister of Sweden and Prime Minister of Denmark, and three of them slept at a budget hotel in Manhattan.
“African leaders, on the other hand, took over very expensive hotels in lower Manhattan, which is the headquarters of Wall Street and the most expensive area in Manhattan Borough. Each African Leader is staying in a separate Five Star Hotel with his delegation of politicians from his Country. The African Leaders plus their entourage are buying expensive items in New York.
The Prime Minister of Israel is sleeping in a Budget Hotel far away in Queens Borough of New York, while the Dutch Prime Minister is in the same Budget Hotel with the Prime Minister of Malta, and the President of the Czech Republic which are highly developed Nations. The Prime Minister of Slovakia is sleeping in Harlem in New York in a Budget Hotel, together with Leaders from Jordan.
“The most shocking part of it is that African Leaders took over at least 39 Five Star Hotels in New York. The same African Leaders are engaging European Leaders, asking to help them to increase financial support to respective African Nations. I saw the German Chancellor looking at African leaders arriving in big motorcades in total disbelief. He was shocked, but still, he went ahead to meet them. African Leaders in New York are in pomp and proving how rich they are.”
It was estimated that “the Presidential entourage of over 100 delegates from Nigeria to the present UN General Assembly was the highest in the history of the assembly itself. It was also estimated that each delegate will cost the government not less than 10 million Naira in estacodes and other allowances. At this critical time of economic hardship, spending billions of naira to take more than 100 delegates to an assembly, where the president, who is the only relevant person, speaks volumes about the ineptitude of the government. It is such a shame that the same government with such embezzlement audacity continues to tell Nigerians that there is no money to fund education.” And as a result, our youths in tertiary education have been at home for over Seven months now and still counting, just because of the ASUU strike.
The myopic minds of Nigerian politicians, as well as most of their followers, are greatly worrisome and shocking. What will a President of a country be doing with an entourage of 100 people, going for an event that was meant for only him? This number of Government officials is also different from the Nigerian High Commission Staff in the US, as well as Nigerian Permanent Representatives to the United Nations.
China, Russia, Britain, US and France, etc., will not be this extravagant in wasting public resources/wealth, just to attend an event meant for one person. How can we develop as a country with this sort of misplaced priorities and a complete waste of our collective wealth?
I can recollect that I have advised President Muhammadu Buhari on five occasions within a couple of years, about this act of waste of the nation’s scarce resources. This admonition was always given to him in the past years, after attending the United Nations Summit. But it seems the advice has always fallen on deaf ears. The retinue of 100 government officials for just a summit is simply too much of a waste of the nation’s collective wealth in my opinion. President Buhari was not in New York to play a football match with another country – where they need supporters and fans to boast their morale. This sort of waste and mismanagement of our nation’s wealth and resources should simply be stopped and done away with.
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