‎"PLUNDERING NIGERIA'S WEALTH IN THE NAME OF PUBLIC OFFICE"

‎Nigeria has practiced a Pseudo-Democracy to date since the inception of the party politics in 1999. The elections that ushered in the democratic government were flawed and never reflected the collective will of the Nigerian voters. Massive rigging and intimidation of voters marred the whole exercise as reported by the several independent and international election observers.

Nigeria has about17,500 political office holders at all levels (local, state and federal). These publicly elected oficials are using more than 30% of the nation's wealth as salaries and allowances. While 70% of Nigerians live on a $1 a day budget, unemployment at the moment stands at about 30%, with a very insignificant and non-vibrant middle class, the public infrastrutures and social services are inadequate, old and dilapitated. The national currency is also wortless in its purchasing power and value.

The salaries and the allowances of these elected officials are a great impediment to the nation's national development. Nigerian elected public officials earn salaries that are many times more than their counterparts in the advanced democracies and richest nations of the world. Most of our best patriots in Nigeria today are men and women that never went along with the government's positions on our major national issues, as a nation of diverse ethnic groups, varied social affliations and many religion faith or beliefs.

Nigeria as a nation will never develop and and be able to meet the basic needs of all Nigerians if the elected officials go into the government and public life with the primary motive of enriching themselves with the nation's wealth under the disguise of national service and patriotism. This is the biggest political deception and hypocrisy that are practiced in Nigeria today by our leaders.

Nigeria was a political creation of the then colonial power (Great Britain) and a marriage between over 250 ethnic nationalities. This marriage has not worked for the last 50 years in the life of this nation in all its ramifications and it is not going to work now or in the nearest future. The one practicable option is to organize a National Sovereign Conference of Nigeria's ethnic nationalities, presuure groups and trade unions where the future of this problematic political union will be determined.

The two possible outcomes from a national sovereign conference are either a confederal system of government or a national referendum for a succession into two or more independent, self governing and autonomous nations.