via Mugabe: Fighting Nigeria @ 90 – Vanguard News on April 14, 2014
IS there something so unAfrican about corruption that we do not understand, yet we can accuse others of corruption without noticing it seeping through our systems?
Brother Robert Gabriel Mugabe, ruler of Zimbabwe since independence on 18 April 1980, during his 90th birthday lunch accused Nigerians of corruption. “Are we now like Nigeria where you have to reach your pocket to get anything done? We used to go to Nigeria and everytime we had to carry extra cash to corruptly pay for everything. You get into a plane in Nigeria and you sit there and the crew keeps dilly dulling without taking off as they wait for you to pay them to fly,” said Mugabe, to rapturous laughter from his guests.
Why did Mugabe choose Nigeria for his point on corruption? When was Mugabe in Nigeria that he paid for anything, everytime? Which plane did he bribe the crew to fly?
Some Nigerians have applauded Mugabe’s diatribe. They say it reflects corruption in Nigeria. Mugabe was not talking about Nigerian leaders, which again would have been wrong. He was saying all Nigerians were corrupt. He had to bribe Nigerians for “everything”, “everytime” for “anything” to be done.
Mugabe’s remarks were incompatible with his office. He never paid for anything in Nigeria. We paid Zimbabwean freedom fighters to snatch their country, the then Southern Rhodesia from Ian Smith’s illegal government (Smith unilaterally declared independence from Britain and imposed an apartheid type government). Nigerians mobilised international opinion in favour of Zimbabwean guerillas who operated from Mozambique; we granted Zimbabweans scholarships, paid their leaders allowances, and availed our airplanes for their use.
President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari was among the 100,000 at the Rufaro Stadium in Harare to celebrate Zimbabwe’s freedom. He donated $15 million to Zimbabwe to train its students in Nigeria, its workers at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria in Badagry, and its soldiers at the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna.
We are witnessing Mugabe’s gratitude.
“Democracy in Zimbabwe is in intensive care and the leadership has decayed. Leaders around Mugabe are stashing cash into Swiss accounts just like the mafia,” said Edgar Zivanai Tekere, first ZANU-PF Secretary-General, Mugabe’s mercurial mate, who joined the struggle at 19. Tekere died in 2011 at 74. His disagreements with Mugabe began barely a year after independence, when he accused Mugabe of corruption.
Dictatorship, unknown to Mugabe, who is wired to numerous corruption scandals, is also corruption. At 90, it is unfortunate that Mugabe has riveted his attention to attacking Nigeria. He has wasted Zimbabwe, ruined its future, but he fails to notice the corruption he has installed over 33 years.
Nigeria should protest the Mugabe affront more vehemently.
COMMENTS
before he pointed his index finder at Nigeria ,he should have noticed that the 3 fingers are pointing at him surely the man is getting old,
This is the crux of thec problem with local,journalists!
TYhey want evidence of corruption from Mugabe but say freedom of speech allows them to say Mugabe is corrupt without ever having evidence.
This is why most celebrate when journalists are arrested as they think being a journalist gives them more powers than all of us including the President.
Forward more journalists arrested and jailed, so we have media ethics in Zimbabwe.
Are we to believe Mugabe never issued this statement? Are the papers creating this story?and b
I apologize to my Nigerian friends for these uncalled for utterances. The man is old and senile.
As you stood by us to get rid of white oppressors, we ask you again to stand byus against the black oppressors.
Mugabe is corrupt and you know it too.
Apolitical, this article by the way was not written by a local Zim journalist but by a Nigerian one. Maybe you suggest they be arrested too for just telling the truth about the corrupt Mugabe.
Apolitical could u at least read before commenting? The article is by a Nigerian protesting Mugabe’s assertion that even plane crews will make passengers pay a bribe before taking off.
Mugabe claimed that when he visited Nigeria they had to bribe their way through everything. This was an obviously malicious lie because visiting heads of state do not pay for anything since they will be the responsibility of the host government.
Apo twists the story and makes it about Mugabe being labeled corrupt by journalists who have no proof. There is so much proof that one could write several books. Only a corrupt leader cannot take action against those fingered. He draws more than $3million every time he flies out. He has on numerous occasions told the nation that his ministers are corrupt. On one occasion he said Mbeki had complained our ministers had demanded a $10million bribe from prospective South African investors and he knew their names.
The fact that Mugabe has presided over every corruption scandal during his 34 rule and chosen to protect the culprits means he is the main beneficiary.
Apolitical u r obsessed with repression. MUGABE IS THE MOST CORRUPT PRESIDENT ON THE PLANET. So there, even if you arrest every one who says it it won’t change the facts. Even the pot holes are evidence of Mugabe corruption Apolitical.
Judgment day will be a very interesting day with no where to hide and all exposed!
Judgement Day will see enormous queues forming outside the Pearly Gates, as billions of people start waiting for their paperwork to be processed. You will have to queue for thousands of years before you get into Heaven (or not, if you are in ZanuPF).
“Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule. And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the prince of princes.” Daniel 8:25
Shows the imbecility of the man and those around him.
That he can come out with such utterances when the scale of looting by him and his cabal is reaching unprecedented levels is hilarious.
I have Nigerian friends and they accept that without corruption, their country would have been even higher in the GDP stakes than it is.
We have to accept that Africa is deeply mired in corruption.
“We have to accept that Africa is deeply mired in corruption.”
So was Europe when it was developing in the 17th and 18th centuries. There is still plenty of corruption in Europe, but less now than then.
I think it is largely a stage of development.
If you look at the statements The President made about Jamaicans the you realize that when he speaks he does not expect what he says to reach that far. The Jamaicans were so hurt by that statement until today a lot that had thrown their support behind him in the 80’s now despise him. North and East Africans have treated Mugabe as a hero and have tended to not believe the stories about Zimbabwe and Mugabe. As usual he will run his mouth and forget just how small the world has gone. Around himself he refuses to see the corruption. Correction ..he does but he has to include another country. What ever corruption we see in Zimbabwe was not learnt from Nigeria. I t was created by Zanu pf and it’s leadership.
This is true. Why is he insulting Nigerians and Jamaicans when they supported him so much before independence!?!?!Even more confusing is that he says “Pamberi nema British” recently because they taught him the Imperial system as opposed to Metric. I think he has his jokes the wrong way around. Mind you – he is a total Anglophile underneath it all. Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned eh.
Face it Mugabe is a senile fool who makes comments to satisfy his immediate audience. His utterances on stamping out corruption, jailing ministers, investigating. All come to nothing, it is just hot air from a senile old fool!
Seriously, pot calling the kettle black, what an imbecile!
In terms of corruption, Nigerian are in the top five in the world index and number one in Africa. There is no doubt about that. I have watched them deal in South Africa’ dark corners selling all kinds of illegal substance, acting godly (Oh we thank. God my Brother everything is going well)
To liken Zimbabwean to Nigerians means Zimbabwe approaches top 10 in being corrupt too.
For the first time, Mugabe gave a relevant example
Mugabe is notorious for pointing his wizzened athritic fingers at everybody else other than himself.As far as he is concerned he is the ultimate example of everything righteous, moral,patriotic compasionate, voice of Africa you name it. He is so deluded he has no introspective ability at all. He can’t even learn from the mistakes of others.So what if Nigeria is corrupt what has he done differently from Nigeria?
He has totally lost the plot and every time he opens his wide mouth these days you can almost predict the vitriole that spews out. Its old and tired.Sing a different tune old man.
Nigeria is the original source of African corruption. The old man is right. Who doesn’t know that?
Hlaba lungene don’t talk nonsense. Zanu was corrupted without Nigeria. Name one Nigerian in Mugabe’s Government. Mugabe and his band wagon are dirty, plain and simple. You obviously have learnt from him blaming others for his short comings.
the old become children when they become very very old.In the next few years he will be walking on four again as like in the beginning of life.Great grandfathers should be rearing chickens and milking cows. Young old man you are too too antique to become CEO of the country.go and play around with your children.You no longer know which words cause diplomatic misunderstanding.
@Small Axe there will always be people that try to spin things they don’t know about. All I can say is that with a population of 168,833,776 people compared to Zimbabwe’s 14000000 Nigeria has a population 12 times as much as Zimbabwe but Zimbabwe is 12 times more corrupt at this time and point.Any how that has nothing to do with your reply to the above where you correctly imply what influence did Nigeria have in Zanu pf’s corruption. He is right that there is a lot of corruption but why all of a sudden is there comparisons? For instance corruption is rife in South Africa We all know that. But there if you are caught you still get jailed for it. Here if you are caught you just move on to take over Zifa, or the people are told you have been punished enough by being caught.The only thing is that Hlaba lungene is a bit confused when he uses the word original. There is no proof that it originated or invented corruption in Nigeria. There is however proof that Corruption in Zimbabwe (if we can call it an invention) was invented by Zanu pf and they are the original source of Zimbabwean corruption
Sadly, Apol and ZPF are simply unable to see the truth. Without the truth a person wallows around in darkness. “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”
Maybe Mugabe bribed Obasanjo to endorce the July 31 elections. Who knows.
And Zuma and Lindiwe and, and, and. He just couldn’t buy Ian Kharma could he?
Its typical of gukurahundis; always attacking fellow africans. Malawians are Mabrandaya; Ndebele are Dzviti; Batswana are stupid goat hearders; Nigerians are drug peddlers; South Africans are uneducated white colonised etc, etc. As far as they are concerned, only them matter – yet with nothing to show for it!!
the list is endless with things coming out of his foul mouth!
Watch out BTO.
There is something called high blood pressure.
Can play havoc with one’s brain.
ZANU is responsible for many reprehensible activities in our country and most of us want it gone like yesterday.
To group the majority in Zim with this lot is to be twisted beyond belief.
This scribe is being emotional about nothing. Isnt it Mugabe who saved Sarowiwa? Zimbabwe also did many things to remove Nigeria from military dictatoship
Nigeria is the offspring of Ham Bin Noah and Zimbabwe is the son of Daud/Sudan, so there is no conflict between them, Daud is the son of Issa and Issa is the brother of Nigeria, you see how they are related, the homeworkers are EU as usual but there is no hostility among Africans and this is tricky for EUs, if they hear that Africans are sitting pretty haven that is their early wound.
UMAARI you are a very sick man. SICK IN THE HEAD.
Jack the rabbit, i can’t reply ignorant like you, i am sure you will ever be slave if you don’t study where you are originated and you can’t defend a nation as well.