I would say that Nigerians are uninterested because it isn’t interesting, hang with me. Remember Dasuki, tell me did the uproar about his arrest last a week? This will be viewed as Northerners fighting, the more cynical will say Jibrin is only talking because he wasn’t cut in. Nigerians have been conditioned by the political actors in our society, the politicians and media to only react when our perceived interests are attacked.

I’ll give you a scenario, replace the name Abdulmunin Jibrin with say Nnamdi Uba, I’m sure you agree with me the reactions will differ. There will be talk of oppression and secession. Making matters worse, its an intra-APC affair, in the Nigerian context, there is nothing to be outraged by.

Ohh, you expect outrage at corruption, come on, you don’t know your people?

Seriously speaking (ehh writing), they are two possible reasons in my view. There is a minority that cares, their voice is however lost amid the noise of “the other room” and Mourinho and United being trashed. These lone voices in the wilderness, they likely bear the brunt of taxation, so they feel they ought to have some stake in the affairs of the Nigerian state. The numbers will however show they are a minority, you can’t expect the outrage in Nigeria over mismanagement of public funds to be comparable to say Germany where their tax-to-GDP ration is 40%, ours comparably is 6.4%.

Second is that the vast majority of Nigerians are struggling so badly that the matter is seemingly abstract over the daily grind to keep body and soul together. The figures being bandied being so astronomical as to lose all significance. You can’t compare the fear a boxer feels towards a punch to an aje-butter about to have their first fight. Nigerians are Samuel Peters after that Klistchko fight.

Some care, some don’t. Ultimately though there is a feeling that there is little we can do to change it. Maybe if we draw some cartoons for Sai Baba and beam it into Aso Rock, the DSS will look into it.

I generally advocate for respect of the office of our political leaders, but the sheer incompetence of these guys has left me weak. Worst part, I got sun-sick waiting to vote, my head is bowed.

Emmanuel Francis

Who sigh? Change begins with us.

we no go ever sigh nau, afterall, shey na like dis we go dey dey??

Rayplanet:
Who sigh? Change begins with us.

Most Africans are not even aware of their rights as human beings not to talk of demanding that these rights be recognized.

how does a society unable to rationalize the premise that all men are equal, implement a democracy where human rights are respected? the answer is, it simply cannot.

naijalander:
There is a minority that cares, their voice is however lost amid the noise of “the other room” and Mourinho and United being trashed. These lone voices in the wilderness, they likely bear the brunt of taxation, so they feel they ought to have some stake in the affairs of the Nigerian state. The numbers will however show they are a minority, you can’t expect the outrage in Nigeria over mismanagement of public funds to be comparable to say Germany where their tax-to-GDP ration is 40%, ours comparably is 6.4%.

This is the core reason why Nigerians don't care about corruption: it's not like the money being stolen is committing out of their wallets. Oil money is "free", so if those stealing it are "our son" or "our daughter", why should we mind? It's only a problem in the average Nigerian's mind when the looters don't happen to hail from his or her tribe - at which point it becomes a "witch hunt".

As long as most of the revenues of all tiers of the Nigerian government derive from oil, there will be absolutely no reason for the political class to consider themselves beholden to the masses, who in any case are easily swayed by tribalism, or bought off with "free" rice and groundnut oil on election day. Nigerian voters never ask of political candidates what their ideologies are, what their policy proposals will be, or how they can justify any stances they've taken in the past on issues of import; all that matters is where the candidate is from and what religion (s)he claims to practice. Is it any wonder then that the politicians we get are incompetent kleptomaniacs?

naijalander:
Most Africans are not even aware of their rights as human beings not to talk of demanding that these rights be recognized.

Do Many lumped up nationalities in African countries knows peace talk less of human right?,it is, a pathetic reality that has already become a ritual rites in African countries. Practically, many people are making a huge amount of money from war torn African countries and until the so called continent's citizens are given new orientation on the need to sheathe their swords I see no form of respect for human lives and dignity.

naijalander:
Most Africans are not even aware of their rights as human beings not to talk of demanding that these rights be recognized.

Do Many lumped up nationalities in African countries knows peace talk less of human right?,it is, a pathetic reality that has already become a ritual rites in African countries. Practically, many people are making a huge amount of money from war torn African countries and until the so called continent's citizens are given new orientation on the need to sheathe their swords I see no form of respect for human lives and dignity.

naijalander:
Most Africans are not even aware of their rights as human beings not to talk of demanding that these rights be recognized.

Do Many lumped up nationalities in African countries knows peace talk less of human right?,it is, a pathetic reality that has already become a ritual rites in African countries. Practically, many people are making a huge amount of money from war torn African countries and until the so called continent's citizens are given new orientation on the need to sheathe their swords I see no form of respect for human lives and dignity.

omohayek:

This is the core reason why Nigerians don't care about corruption: it's not like the money being stolen is committing out of their wallets. Oil money is "free", so if those stealing it are "our son" or "our daughter", why should we mind? It's only a problem in the average Nigerian's mind when the looters don't happen to hail from his or her tribe - at which point it becomes a "witch hunt".

As long as most of the revenues of all tiers of the Nigerian government derive from oil, there will be absolutely no reason for the political class to consider themselves beholden to the masses, who in any case are easily swayed by tribalism, or bought off with "free" rice and groundnut oil on election day. Nigerian voters never ask of political candidates what their ideologies are, what their policy proposals will be, or how they can justify any stances they've taken in the past on issues of import; all that matters is where the candidate is from and what religion (s)he claims to practice. Is it any wonder then that the politicians we get are incompetent kleptomaniacs?

This is a reason but not the sole reason. About a half Lagos state's budget is funded by tax revenue. Going by your reason, this would mean that Lagosians would be more concerned about transparency and accountability in government but is that the case? No.

Sweetguy25:

This is a reason but not the sole reason. About a half Lagos state's budget is funded by tax revenue. Going by your reason, this would mean that Lagosians would be more concerned about transparency and accountability in government but is that the case? No.

This is something on which we must disagree. It's quite obvious that Lagos residents care far more about how their money is being spent than do people in other cities, which is why the Lagos state government comes number 1 in assessments of governance year after year. It's also the reason why hardly anybody cared about allegations of Ambode being "from Ondo" or anything like that: what a candidate can do will count for more than where he or she is from when it's your tax money on the line.

Even the recent discovery by EFCC does not impress me. Nor did suspending Babachir and Oke. To me all na shakara oloje

omohayek:

This is something on which we must disagree. It's quite obvious that Lagos residents care far more about how their money is being spent than do people in other cities, which is why the Lagos state government comes number 1 in assessments of governance year after year. It's also the reason why hardly anybody cared about allegations of Ambode being "from Ondo" or anything like that: what a candidate can do will count for more than where he or she is from when it's your tax money on the line.