If the only thing achieved by the new government is to put these men in their place, that would suffice. If only we can let these heartless men realise they will no longer be able to get away with the reign of impunity they have become used to, that would have been a major step forward for this nation.
There is a reason why the rule of law, as opposed to rule of men, is fundamental to the entrenchment of the all-round development of a nation. Should men be given the impression that they can get away with infractions and breaches of the law, their hearts would swell with impunity, and they’d become heartless. They would live by their own rules. They’d take on wings to do as they like. They will also assume that rules exist to be broken and other men are lesser mortals before them. They would become gods.
Six years back, I was in some other part of the world to supervise the production of a print job. On one of those days, the General Manager of the company I was patronising asked if I was familiar with a particular Nigerian, and I responded in the affirmative. Who does not know him? On our way out of the factory, he made a detour towards the warehouse and pointed in a particular direction. Seated there were cartons of goods ready for shipping, being held back. He told me that job had been commissioned by this Nigerian several months back, but because he had refused or neglected to make the outstanding payment of $10,000, the company was holding on to the goods.
My Host asked, “Why are Nigerians like that?” The same man, he said, had called him when he came into town. He flew into that country in a private jet. He lodged in the penthouse of one of the most expensive hotels in town, but rather than pay the $10,000 he owed, he pushed it off the table. Rather, he dwelt more on dropping the names of the president, State governors, ministers, and engaged in all sorts of irrelevant side talks. Rather than pay his outstanding, he took on the outlandish, promising some future business, on the strength of his connections with the high and mighty. A man would not meet his current obligations, but had no scruples living large at the expense of tomorrow.
This man we all know. Flamboyance is his middle name. The same man who, in the good old days, flew in former presidents of the United States and better-forgotten prime ministers of the UK to deliver lectures in Nigeria for ridiculous fees. The same man who used to bring in assorted musicians from different parts of the world to perform in the country. It is the same man who allegedly refused to pay the salaries of his staff and opted to sack them for daring to ask. It is the same man who signed a lease agreement for the land where he erected his canopy but refused to pay since 2009, electing, allegedly, to threaten the owners of the space with blackmail in the media for daring to ask for their due.
A few heartless men, determined to hold on to a meaningless life of luxury on the backs of the majority of the people, deprived of the basics to be able to lead a meaningful life. Now that the law is finally catching up with some of them, a few misguided people are quoting the law, upside down, ignorantly querying the lawful process of debt recovery.
When we talk about the reign of impunity that had been over this land for many years, our man is obviously a poster boy. When the Hero claimed to have done well, having produced more billionaires and private jet owners, it was this sort of man he was showcasing. They are advisers and friends to every government in power, guiding them to doom. Men who, rather than pay salaries of his staff, would opt to pay a foreign musician. Men who, rather than pay salaries so that the Staff are able to afford to drink ‘pure’ water, would prefer to waste the money on Champagne. Who, rather than pay off the $10,000 he owes, would choose to fly a private jet and pay much more for a space in an hotel. Such men seek to impress people who they are incapable of impressing – people who wonder if there is something chronically wrong with the brain of some of our people.
These are men who borrow without any plan to pay back. They grow fat on debt. You need to see their names on the AMCON indebted list, with liabilities of millions and billions of naira listed against them. How they are able to sleep, one really wonders. These are the men determined to hold the country down. They hold the courts, the banks and institutions of government down while sections of the media, and ignorant and not-so-ignorant bootlickers celebrate them as captains of industry and entrepreneurs.
A few heartless men, determined to hold on to a meaningless life of luxury on the backs of the majority of the people, deprived of the basics to be able to lead a meaningful life. Now that the law is finally catching up with some of them, a few misguided people are quoting the law, upside down, ignorantly querying the lawful process of debt recovery.
We go out there and people wonder at the level of sanity of some of these ‘Big Men’ who will rather buy or fly private jets, than offset debts owed banks and meet obligations duly entered into. They treat us to a more stringent standard, deny Nigerians routine facilities and business terms that patrons from other parts of the world enjoy, simply because a few heartless men have chosen to take abroad the lack of integrity and reign of impunity that govern their operations at home. If the only thing achieved by the new government is to put these men in their place, that would suffice. If only we can let these heartless men realise they will no longer be able to get away with the reign of impunity they have become used to, that would have been a major step forward for this nation.
Simbo Olorunfemi works for Hoofbeatdotcom, a Nigerian Communications Consultancy. Tweet@simboolorunfemi
