As we wait for the next big thing in corruption and money laundering charges out of Nigeria, following Ma Baker at Oceanic Bank comes Calamity Jane of the Nigeria Stock Exchange a.k.a Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke.
I have written about this lady before in an article titled ‘Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke – What a girl!’ because I have always thought of Ndi as special and unique in the Nigerian environment but 135 Rolex watches at N1.2bn? That’s stretching it a bit.
It still baffles one that Ndi Okere-Onyiuke could hold the positions she did as Director General of the NSE whilst also chairperson of a large corporation listed on the same SE.
No one batted an eyelid when Ndi could have been in a position that influenced the performances of rival corporations and maybe to the benefit of Transcorp.
During the privatization process of selling off prime National properties who would have stopped a Transcorp bid if Ndi did not want it so?
Lest I be accused of casting aspersions on the person of Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, it just did not make any sense, morally, to head the NSE and at the same time be in a position to bully other listed companies to do your bidding to the advantage of a corporation you also headed.
The current allegations leveled against Ndi project a corrupt official, yet to be confirmed, who arbitrarily ran the Nigeria Stock Exchange for a number of years.
So powerful was Ndi that during the Obasanjo administration, she was one of those deemed untouchable. Like many of the same ilk, things change as governments do and friends quickly become enemies.
There is a bid to bring Ndi down this time around. One wonders what those pursuing her now were doing when she held sway as DG of the NSE.
The interesting thing about Ma Baker and Calamity Jane is not the fact that they have been accused of impropriety, one convicted so far, but the amount of money in question and more importantly what the funds were spent on.
There is nothing wrong with purchasing gifts for awardees as would be expected be they Rolex watches or Mont Blanc pens. All 135 of them. However, when as reported, 95 of those watches never made it to the designated receipients, then you have to wonder who is about to open a watch gallery at the mall.
I much prefer watching the universal eye-candy Doris Day playing out the role of Calamity Jane on any stage.
Corruption itself is not alien to the world and even developed countries. From country to country, the amusement and sometimes bewilderment stems from the levels or indeed characters of the act.
A £1500 false expenses claim in the United Kingdom will raise a lot of hoopla from the electorate, an attempt to sell a President’s Senatorial seat will result in the sacking of a state governor in the United States but in Nigeria we have to raise the ante each time and smash world records for theft while ensuring national ridicule over what we spend embezzled funds on.
We laugh at UK Parliamentarians for being so silly with the opportunity given to them to raid the treasury. £1500 is certainly not worth the effort of waking up in the morning for the Nigerian politician or corporate executive with opportunity.
We will snigger at the US State Governor who merely wanted to sell the President’s Senate Seat when we can sell the entire State for much more money.
Whilst we wait for the male recrd breakers, if they are ever brought to justice, the women, like our female National Football Team, are helping us save face as one of the world’s most corrupt nations.
It goes to the saying that what a Man can do, a Woman can do better. Trust a woman to acquire so much jewelry.
Without the likes of Ma Baker and Calamity Jane, we may have had the misfortune of falling off the all important list of Most Corrupt nations. Thanks Girls!
I have said on numerous occasions that the ills of Nigeria do not lie in the people. It is the weakened institutions that permit the emergence and sustenance of the culture of corruption.
If the institutions were strengthened and the process of justice was quick and fair, there would be reduced numbers of corrupt practices and corruptible individuals.
It does not matter if the ladies have it for the moment. Ma Baker has successfully made it onto the World’s List at $1.3bn while Calamity Jane is seemingly making a play for a prime shop spot in Geneva to sell Rolex watches.
It does not matter if you fill all the luxuriously refurbished rooms of Reddington Hospital with the likes of Ma Baker and Calamity Jane. Soon enough, some male is going to come and blow away the records held by the girls.
We just wonder what next. What do you think?
