Author: Staff Writer
What Africa's dictators could have done with their stolen loot!
It is generally
accepted that corruption to a certain degree is “good.” And that inequality in
society, to a certain degree, should be “desired.” On both accounts, corruption
and inequality, it is safe to say that mankind may never, but for divine intervention,
rid itself of these social scourges. Why corruption and inequality are “good”
is the very reason why Africa’s dictators could have done some good with the
stolen loot! Everyone is familiar with the astronomical sums of money filched
by African dictators from their respective central banks. In fact, it is as
though the national treasury has a private hallway leading into their place of
residence—that is the ease with which they conduct the thievery! Many are
outraged by this fact, and for good reason, too. Understandably, the “subjects”
of these dictators have legitimate qualms with this kind of banditry. The
stolen amount is often enough to make an appreciable dent on the unimaginable
poverty most people in these countries live under. Not to mention that there
just so happens to be a way for this group to steal the money while still doing
a considerable good for their countrymen. A quick look at two of Africa’s most
notorious dictators, their acquired largess while in office, and a more
socially benevolent way of spending their booty makes the point.
We begin with Omar
Al-Bashir of Sudan. According to the International Criminal
Court (ICC), the current Sudanese president, has bequeathed himself
and, no doubt, his family and friends with up to $9 billion (Euros 7bn; £5.6bn) of his country’s money. According to the latest figures from the
CIA’s fact sheet, Sudans entire yearly
budget revenue is in the neighborhood of $9.2 billion! A
more imaginative way of spending the loot would have been building a couple of
decent hospitals, in addition to a series of electricity power stations for the
millions of consumers (the Sudanese people themselves) who would appreciate
being able to lead productive lives not bound to the rise and fall of the sun.
Additionally, they would be able to avoid premature death from diseases whose
cures have been known since the turn of the century. How would this benefit
everyone, you may ask. Well, it’s simple. President Bashir and his friends
could use their newly found wealth to build these publicly needed
infrastructures. But we are not proposing that it be free to the public. No!
No! No!
The hospitals and power plants Bashir and his friends
build would be their private property, protected by the “law,” the very law
they broke to acquire their largesse. And they would be free to set the sale
price for these services as they like. Yes, many Sudanese would not be able to
afford these services, but there are those who would. The doctors and nurses,
who would work in the new hospitals, would most probably earn enough to send
their loved ones to the hospitals where they work for care. In addition, they
would be able to pay the electric utility bill from the power plants at the end
of the month. In turn, the engineers and those who work at the power plant
would earn enough to send their loved ones to the hospitals. They would also be
able to pay the electric utility bills at the end of the month. Undoubtedly,
there exist other professions within the Sudan with good remuneration as to
permit its members to afford these new services! Let us not forget the
businesses that would develop to act as suppliers and middlemen to these
hospitals and power plants.
Next is the former president of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida—notoriously known as
IBB by Nigerians (International Bad Belle). As president of Nigeria from 1985
to 1993, IBB could have made other African dictators blush from the reported
$12 bn he appropriated to his personal and front bank accounts
overseas. Perhaps the most talented magician, if magicians are now in the
business of disappearing enough money to fill the roman coliseum. IBB,
according to reports, has front Nigerian businessmen who act as proxies for the
investment of his largess. This column is interested in what can be done for
the betterment of everyone involved, the thief and his victims, after the fact!
So, we move on to the social benevolent acts available to IBB and his wealth.
The University of Wisconsin is endowed
with roughly $1.4 bn. If you have not heard of it, it is considered
the 27th best
university in the world as of 2012 and is in the Mid-West region of
America. The endowment means that IBB and his largess could have built the
world’s 27th best university in Nigeria four times over! The
University of Wisconsin has over twenty-eight thousand undergraduates and close
to twelve thousand graduate-level students. This means that as you read this,
on the continent of Africa would exist the 27th best school in
the world, instead of, well, number 103, the University of Cape Town. Which
makes South Africa and Egypt, appearing south of the 100th position,
the only representatives, with 3 schools in total, on the continent out of 400
global universities. Did we mention the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that 57 disciplines at the University of Wisconsin were
in the top 10 in the U.S. in scholarly productivity, which placed it second
after the University of California-Berkeley in the number of top ten programs?!
How many Nigerians would have graduated today with a reputable diploma if IBB
and his friends had built such a school with their new-found wealth?
Well, that brings us to our conclusion. We are talking
about a lot of money here! And even though you expect nothing less from these
dictators, it still doesn’t stop your jaw from obeying gravity down to the
floor, when you hear how much they have fleeced from their country. Instead of
the stolen money providing capital investments to ventures across the Atlantic
Ocean and the Mediterranean, they could provide socially beneficial enterprises
for Africans. It would appear that the stealing is not easily abated. However,
there is still good to be done with stolen money. The infrastructures Africa
needs do not care from whence the funds come. Hopefully, Africa’s future
dictators realise this and make efforts to better invest their loot!
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