Return Of ‘Animal Farm’: As Animals Stage Revolution With Money, Voucher Swallowing

Nigeria, one of Africa’s leading and most promising nation is once again under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons following the bizarre tale of how termites ate most of the vouchers containing details of N17.158 billion yet to be accounted for by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund.

The said N17.158 billion, as stated in the 2018 audit report, was the total amount of money transferred by NSITF from its Skye Bank and First Bank accounts into various untraceable accounts belonging to individuals and companies from January to December 2013.

Reports even has it that the auditor-general’s office had in the 2018 audit report raised 50 different queries bordering on alleged misappropriation of funds by management of the agency, which is under probe by the Senate committee on Public Accounts.

This latest revelation has further proven that aside snakes and monkeys, even termites in Nigeria appear to be staging a revolution against the status quo. In fact, they can even be charged for engaging in acts that could be considered felonies, and even terrorism, if they were actually committed by actual human beings.

While we tend to laugh our heads off whenever animals make headlines for what we believe to be absurd reasons, this termites from NSITF has further  confirmed that it no longer the very first shots in a revolution to get animals recognition.

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Truth be told, these method of making innocent animals, especially those of the arthropoda phylum scapegoats in an attempt to cover up alleged corruption in Nigeria have left social media highly amused.

Termites Ate Vouchers Of Our N17.1bn Spending, NSITF Tells Senate

Now, it seems like the trend in Nigeria is for animals to steal money from government organisations or even masticate vouchers. Apparently, these animals are swallowing money and escaping the scene of the crime just by walking out (from all indications, animals are now playing Clyde and Bonnie for us). First, it was rodent, followed by a snake, then a monkey, later a fish, after which a gorilla was named and now it is termites.

All these further leaves one with the question such as, Is the militant faction of the animal revolution squirrelling money away to fund a future insurgency if peace talks fail? Time will tell.

LEADERSHIP  had reported specifically that, on the N17.158billion unsubstantiated transfers made by NSITF , the auditor-general’s query reads: “Management of NSITF as shown in statements of Account No. 1750011691 with Skye bank plc, for the period 1st January, 2013 to 20th December, 2013, and Statements of Account No.2001754610 with First Bank Plc for the period 7th January, 2013 to 28th February, 2013, transferred  amounts totalling N 17,158,883,034.69billion   to some persons and companies from these accounts.

Though we have timelessly heard strange stories about animals and their deeds where some have for instance been accused of attacks, killing humans and even stealing of food to survive. Some have been arrested, detained, charged and even sentenced. The story of rats eating monies or documents has long faded. Sadly, as far as Nigeria is concerned, today, the unacceptable tale of animals swallowing monies worth a life investment has stolen the spotlights.

To many, this narrative is one of the deepest wells of comedy genies. If making fun of criminal excuses in recent times is to be ranked, then, Nigeria will be the first destination to look out for . Just as the country might become an ‘A’ list entry for the world.

Disturbingly, the termite’s case is coming barely less four years after similar incidences were recorded in 2018 where a mysterious fish swallowed the sum of 52 million naira.

It was also widely reported  2018, that the money stolen by the ‘wanted’ fish was meant for the South East Entrepreneurship Development Centre (SEEDC) contract job and renovation of Women Development Centre in Abia state.

Although the mysterious fish was said to have miraculously stolen the money from a protected account/vault, reports on how the robbery was planned, executed still remains a mystery.

Prior to the fish saga, tale of monkeys that swallowed N70 million which was meant for organising a forum by Senators from the north of the country made the rounds in the month of February 2018.

Interestingly, the above story surfaced weeks after a shocking confession of a sales clerk ,Philomena Chieshe of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, in Benue which claimed that a mysterious snake allegedly swallowed N36 million naira, from the Board’s vault, which she made from the sale of scratch cards in 2018.

Recall also that in 2019, a local radio station in Kano State, Freedom Radio, had reported  that one of its finance officers  alleged that one huge gorilla sneaked into their office to steal  money, 6.8 million naira (equivalent to over $19,000).

While hungry Nigerians were at the verge of recovering from the rude shock of how the country was being made allegories of money? voucher swallowing, the grass cutting saga involving a Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr David  Babachir Lawal again surfaced in 2021.  The revelation was contained in the final report of the senate ad hoc committee which investigated the humanitarian crisis in the north east within the said period.

In fact,  Nigerians who were already in shock that the sum of N270 million was used to clear grass in a certain IDP camp in Yobe State, were further perplexed on hearing that the sum of N450 million was paid into the Eco Bank account of Lawal’s Rholavision Engineering Ltd, by five different

Interestingly, just a few days after the NSITF termites saga, the Ministry of Agriculture is also in the news for the wrong reason. The ministry is said to have used N18.9BN to clear bushes during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2019.

The Public Account Committee (PAC) of Nigeria’s House of Representatives revealed recently that it  launched a probe to determine how the nation’s Ministry of Agriculture awarded contracts worth about N18.9bn to several companies to clear bushes during the COVID-19 lockdown.

This N18.9bn bush clearing probe adds to a long list of scandals that have become characteristic of government agencies which – not surprisingly – has led to the abysmal ratings of the country  in transparency and accountability.