By Nnaemeka Amanze
The above often quoted title is the anthem of the elitist right wing army.
But, when its time to send their kids to school, they will stylishly avoid all the private schools and wait on the entrance of the examination hall queues with the poor massesbso they can enjoy government’s subsidised education.
They will avoid DHL and use cheap NIPOST.
Go to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital LUTH, you will see them queuing humbly.
Put up admission into University of Lagos, UNILAG and admission in some ‘Parkview’ University, they will rush government owned UNILAG. They will even “out-sort” the indigent candidates to secure the admission.
Now they’ve invaded Rigasa Train Station. They hire entire coaches, so they can enjoy privacy. They won’t pay extra money. In fact, if they see the opportunity they will travel free.
Yet they will preach government has no business in business.
When they collect bank credit, and misuse the money, it is government that will bail out the banks.
When they invite unscrupulous private investors to scam the poor country, it is government that will be expected to pay the negotiated sums.
When government assets are to be auctioned as second hand, they won’t say: “hmm let me go and buy brand new ones from the mall jare…” They will rush and buy off the items at give away prices.
But government has no business in business.
Put a plum private sector job besides a plum job in a government run business, they will rush government job. In fact they will pay bribes to secure it.
Government has no business in business.
But they will never patronise private businesses in Nigeria. They buy pizza from London. They will snub Innoson Motors for Mercedes or Lamborghini.
I heard some import sand from Italy.
The list is endless.
Even when they send their kids abroad to school, their eyes will be on government run universities, where fees are cheaper.
Government has no business in business. Anything govt touches is lifeless, they say.
But they will not patronise private security outfits.
It’s the same police., I mean olopa that they will still use as body guards.
When they slap them in South Africa, they will not pay private mercenaries to “do back” for them; rather, they will ask the president to send government army.
Govt has no business in business, because government’s only business is politics!
But when electricity distribution is privatised, they will bypass their metres and strangulate the discos.
When government deregulated the downstream sector, allowing private sector to import and distribute petroleum products. With subsidy payments from government; what happened? They pocketed the subsidy payments. And diverted the petrol to neighbouring African countries, to sell at higher prices.
Some took the subsidy payments and filled their tanks with water.
Still government has no business in business.
The problem of Nigeria is caused solely by political leaders in public offices according to these people.
Private individuals are immaculate cherubims and seraphims…
–Nnaemeka Amanze wrote in from Lagos
