Sadicom’s Blog

July 6th, 2002

Right Honorable Jeremy Corbyn MP
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Dear Mr Corbyn,

Re: Prime Minister’s Question Time 19.06.2002 - Debate on Poverty

Sir, permit me to draw your attention to the fast degrading standard living in Nigeria since President Obasanjo came to power 3 years ago.

It is public knowledge that at his in the region of $34 - $35 per barrel – and that the outgoing military regime of General Abdul Salami Abubakar prepared a budget on the price of crude oil at $9 a barrel.
Furthermore, it is still not clear what his administration did with millions of US Dollars retrieved from the family of late General Sani Abacha.

President Obasanjo was a man emerged from grass to grace (prison to president) and came to office as result of domestic as well as foreign general good-will based on his maturity on the premise that as head of state – he would be equipped with wealth of knowledge and experience to move Nigeria forward and that under him things would be better!

Unfortunately, corruption under his regime is Abacha and the high oil revenue, in the last three years, it is reasonable to argue this country would have developed positively. No wonder, Transparency International, the body to which Obasanjo was a member in its report last year ranked his regime as the second most corrupt nation in the world!

To conclude, Obasanjo is travelling around the globe preaching the gospel of “debt remission/ forgiveness, while in principle and spirit I support the idea, but he should not be listened to until such a time he puts his own house in order by way of curving massive official corruption thereby laying a solid investment climate. Nigeria is a very wealthy country, it does not need remission, what it needs on the contrary is good and accountable governance.

Last, but by no means the least, I would be grateful if you could send me a draft copy of the debate on “Poverty Eradication in Third world Countries” after the Prime Minister’s Question Time on 19/06/2002 which echoed my sentiment.

Once again, thank you for all the good efforts you are making and I will continue to count on you.

Yours truly,

A S AJIYA

Abubakar Sadiq Ajiya

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