#YNaija2016Review: Budget padding, thieving judges, the other room… See the year’s 10 most embarrassing moments

by Okon Ekpo

These 10 happenings weren’t our finest moments as a nation. Budget padding, hunger crises at Internally Displaced Persons camps, and a chauvinistic president. Living in Nigeria will lave you red faced. We present the most embarrassing moments, from least to most.

10. That time MTV made a mistake with Wizkid’s EMA

Wizkid had a fantastic year, becoming the first Nigerian to land on a Billboard Hot 100 Number 1 song thanks to his contribution to Drake’s One Dance. We were all happy to see him win the Best African Act trophy at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Colour us surprised when days later MTV rescinded their announcement and stripped Wizkid of the honours, handing it instead to Tanzanian singer Ali Kiba who won the public vote.

9. When students in Oyo state went mad

There is something rotten at the core of any society where secondary school students resort to vandalising government property and burning down a centre of learning to prove a point. This depressing act of violence played out in Oyo state when students of Isale-Oyo Community High School, Oyo Town, angered by the mass failure in a recent examination, set some classrooms ablaze in protest.

8. That time government failed to participate in Stephen Keshi’s burial

Stephen Keshi is by many accounts, is a national hero. One of African football’s best-known figures, the former Super Eagles captain and coach is one of only two men to win the Africa Cup of Nations both as a player and a coach. Following his sudden death at the age of 54, the Nigeria Football Federation made promises to participate actively in his funeral process. It turned out to be mere talk as the big boss was buried without federal government intervention.

Stephen Keshi’s burial ceremony

A cross-section of the super eagles 1994 team members during Stephen Keshi’s burial service in Illah, Delta state

7. That time Amnesty International indicted SARS

Amnesty International put out a damning report exposing inhumane behaviour and gross human rights abuses by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), an elite unit of the Nigerian Police Force set up to combat the country’s alarming crime rate. The Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Kpotun Idris in a knee-jerk response described the report as untrue and accused Amnesty International of bias, but anyone living in Nigeria knows the true picture.

6. That time the Olympic football team was stranded

The Bronze medal winning Under-23 football team had a hell of a time making it to the Olympic Games in Rio. The team was stranded in Atlanta for days due to failure on the part of sports administrators to arrange proper logistics and Delta Airlines had to step in to land the players and coaching staff in Rio hours before their opening match against Japan. The Dream Team VI won Nigeria’s sole medal at the Rio games.

Dream Team VI, Rio Olympics 2016

5. That time Judges were caught with their hands in the jar

The judiciary was jolted in October when agents of the Department of State Security brazenly arrested Supreme, Appeal and High Court Judges in a controversial sting operation that took everyone by surprise. According to the DSS, the Judges were arrested for various corrupt practices including possession of hard currencies and prime real estate properties. Some of the judges claimed to have been coerced into signing indicting statements.

4. That time the budgeting process was a fiasco

Poor long suffering Nigerians were confronted this year with a new lexicon, ‘’Budget padding,’’ the dubious and maybe (depending on who you’re talking to) criminal inflation of budgetary estimates, by top government officials with intentions of benefitting personally from the process at the expense of the country. By the time principal actors in this mess started to sing, everyone from the presidency to the legislature was caught with fingers in the jar. Oh! the budget was also ‘’missing’’ at some point.

3. That time senators threw out the gender equality bill

A bill sponsored by Senator Abiodun Olujimi representing Ekiti South seeking to protect Nigerian women from violence and provide them with the same marital rights as their male counterparts including the rights of widows to inherit their husband’s property was thrown out at the floor of the Senate. The Senators argued that the bill was an attack on religious and traditional beliefs. A modified version of the bill has however passed second reading.

2. Internally Displaced Camps of hell

Borno State government was forced to suspend the central feeding of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the camps after it was confirmed that food had been in short supply thanks to diversion by officials. Doctors from Medecins San Frontiers reported a malnutrition crisis at various camps. Human Rights Watch, an international NGO alleged that Nigerian security officials and government functionaries have raped and sexually exploited women and girls displaced by the conflict with Boko Haram.

1. That time Buhari sent Aisha to the other room

Our president is a small minded chauvinist and he chose a world stage in faraway Germany, right next to the most powerful woman in the world, Angela Merkel to disgrace himself and all of us at the same time. While parrying questions on a recent critique of his leadership style by his wife Aisha, Buhari dismissed her concerns, and maliciously consigned her to the kitchen, the living room and the other room.

https://youtu.be/K8NmSmZlVLs