Undoubtedly, there is a new Sheriff on the Globe. He is the 47th President of the United States of America, Mr Donald Trump, sworn-in on Monday (Nkwo) 20th January, 2025, for his constitutional terminal second term. Constitutionally, he will be presiding over the affairs of the country for the next four years, terminating on 20th January, 2029.
Take it or leave it, the United States of America, USA, is the most powerful country on the face of the Earth. It is not doubtful that some other countries like China, Russia, Great Britain, France, North Korea, Germany, and Japan are also Global Powers but the United States of America stands unique above each of them.
For a very long term, the USA has been involved in a lot of global interventions. The World Health Organisation, WHO, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, United Nations Security Council, United Nations Education, Scientific And Cultural Organization, UNESCO, World Bank, and World Trade Organisation receive optimal assistance from the Government of the United States of America. Even an international voluntary organization like The Red Cross, depends greatly on the benevolence of the American Public.
Obviously, the economy of the United States of America, in the main, determines the comfort or discomfort of many other countries’ economy.
For many decades, the United States of America has been a ‘safe heaven’ for many Citizens of other countries, especially those from the African Continent.
To many of such citizens, the USA appeared to have become a ‘willing Refugee Camp or a place easily accessed by aliens as, according to Jimmy Cliff, a House of Exile.
The influx of foreigners into the United States of America has principally been hinged on putrid corruption that has been the bane of Governments of such countries from where the migration originates. Specifically, Nigeria has been under the weight of official corruption, tribalism, nepotism, and bribery for many decades.
Insecurity and frustration became the resultant effect of the above vices, to the extent that Youths in such countries, especially from Nigeria, consider leaving their country of origin, japa, as their only option.
Overseas, what do these young men and ladies do for a living? More than 90% of them only manage to survive on menial jobs, that are not, in any way, dignifying.
The burden of carrying the load of unbudgeted fiscal and social responsibilities of citizens of other countries that congregate in the United States of America is what President Donald Trump has vowed to address and fight, and squarely too.
Without mincing words, he insists, and rightly too, that Africa is blessed in every material particular. He openly expresses dissatisfaction that African leaders are so selfishly corrupt that they have, most unacceptably, reduced their citizens into the most pauperised group of human-beings on Earth, without any hope of survival or redemption.
True to his campaign promises, he has, barely 24 hours into his Administration, started an aggressive repatriation of illegal immigrants. No doubt, a good number of them will be Nigerians.
President Donald Trump has a very clearly defined message. He is urging illegal migrants to the United States of America, especially those from Africa, notably Nigeria, to go back to their countries and hold their leaders accountable. The President is right. Let what has happened in Abia State in the very recent past be put to global view. Where a State Government would claim to have spent about Six Billion Naira building a Recreation Facility, yet such a project is nowhere to be found in the State. Yet, the money can not be accounted for. Again, the State Government put it on its Website that it has spent more than Two Billion Naira on establishing an ICT Hub in the Ministry of Science and Technology, without the Commissioner in charge of the Ministry having an inkling of the expenditure, and, of course, when the Hon Commissioner tried to find out how such huge amount of money could have been spent in his Ministry without his knowledge, he was ‘bullied to resign’.
The above two instances, even though there are many more, are enough to make disciplined foreign leaders to ask Nigerians to leave their countries and return to their homes, as to hold their own leaders accountable.
These revelations were made possible because of Federal Government’s introduction of States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability(SFTAS) Policy, which demands that State Governments shall publish their financial transactions, income and expenditure, on their Government Websites quarterly.
If this level of dishonesty could be perpetrated by a State Government, even in the face of SFTAS, one could imagine what the magnitude would have been in the absence of the Policy!
It is, therefore, advisable, if not imperative, that African leaders should change and embrace honest, transparent and accountable governance.
Nigerians, themselves, should cultivate the habit of voting for people whose integrity they can vouch for. Only when these are done, that Nigeria and her citizens can be saved from the present embarrassment that Nigerians are undergoing in the United States of America, and other countries that will follow.
Sir Don Ubani is a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State and writes from his native Asa land beautifully situated between Aba in Abia State and Port-Harcourt in Rivers State.
