01122019 - 13 states struggle for 7.5 metric tonnes of rice

Nigerian politics: Great
award winners emerge
Some simplistic fel
low Nigerians quite
often naively assume
that persons who are
nominated for awards in
the country may have
achieved a lot. It is not always
so. Even our national
honours award lost its credibility
long ago when government
started allocating
figures to certain institutions
and positions like
governors, top legislators
and ministers instead of
outstanding citizens. Perhaps
the most common but
annoying awards are those
organized by the media
and civil society groups
who for their own material
benefits are seen falling on
each other to honour the
same characters. Sometimes
some governors who
failed to pay workers’ salaries
are honoured while
some other honourees have
had to walk into EFCC
cells a few months after
their lavishly published
awards.
We do not mean to deny
the existence of many Nigerian
with integrity; our
point is that no one needs
to labour to find out what
informed an award. Among
governors for instance, no
matter how much political
PhD,Department of
Philosophy,
University of Lagos
08116759758
The normalisation of suffering and
self-deception in Nigeria (2)
opponents may dislike
Nyesom Wike, Rivers State
governor, there is a high
degree of consensus that the
title, ‘Mr. Project’ given to
him by Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo for his hard work
is deserving as it is constantly
corroborated by any
visitor to Port Harcourt. It
is against this backdrop that
this column today presents
its own award for the most
outstanding Nigerian politicians
of the moment. We
have three winners of our
Gold, Silver and bronze
medals by a set of winners
with uncommon disposition.
Our bronze medal goes to
the Zamfara State House of
Assembly where a bill was
passed last week, to abrogate
a particular exploitation
of the masses by the
privileged class. What the
legislators did was to simply
repeal a law which hitherto
authorized the payment
of extravagant pension
and other allowances
to former governors and
deputies, as well as to
Speakers and their deputies.
Among other things,
the old law had allowed a
former governor to earn his
previous salary for life in
addition to an allowance of
henever buharimani
Wacs led by the Vice President,
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo,
boast garrulously about the
economic blueprint of this
government and throw
around numbers purporting
to show that the policies are
working, I wonder whether
they are living in a fantasy island
far removed from the
harsh realities facing ordinary
people like myself. Everywhere
people are begging;
to even have two good meals
a day is becoming very difficult
for thousands of families,
not to mention decent accommodation
with modern amenities.
The problem of begging
is no longer restricted to the
unemployed or physically
challenged. Majority of workers
both in the public and private
sectors are poorly remunerated,
while artisans and
self-employed Nigerians running
small businesses are
complaining bitterly about
the drastic reduction in their
income due to low patronage.
Moreover, rising inflation
made worse by the border closure
is corroding the purchasing
power of the naira, which
means that keeping poverty
at bay has become more challenging
than ever for the average
Nigerian. Unfortunately,
the President and sycophants
around him seem to think that
making optimistic statements
claiming that things are looking
up means that things are
actually improving, which is
a delusion. Things are not improving
for over hundred million
Nigerians. On the contrary,
the level of poverty is very
alarming: since 2016, I have
been receiving phone calls
and text messages from total
strangers soliciting for financial
assistance. Nigeria is
steadily turning into a country
of beggars; yet those in
positions of authority appear
to be unconcerned about it.
Now, despite Buhari’s claim
that government will pull one
hundred million Nigerians
out of poverty in a decade,
there is no guarantee that it
can be done, nothing to show
that the government is moving
in the right direction. Poverty
is spreading faster than
ever before. Government officials
who parade carefully
distilled data that contradict
the existential poverty pervading
the country right now do
not understand that statistics
are like bikinis, what they reveal
is interesting, but what
they conceal is even more interesting.
Everywhere one
goes, one sees poverty and suffering
on the faces of Nigerians.
Let me put the matter
plainly: no amount of finagling
with numbers can hide
the fact that more Nigerians
are poorer since APC came to
power. But the issue of rising
poverty is beyond partisan
politics, although the ruling
party must bear the heaviest
burden of blame for the ugly
situation. The political elite
are mentally unfit to govern
because virtually all of them
are bulimic hypocrites stealing
the resources that ought
N10million every month
plus other wasteful benefits.
Presenting the bill before
the House, Frank Dosara,
the House leader, urged his
colleagues to, as a matter
of urgency, consider the repeal
of the law, which provided
jumbo pay for former
political leaders in the state
amounting to over N700m
annually. The repeal was
expeditiously done.
The commendable action
of the legislators brings to
an end a scandalous law.
How could a group had
been so pampered when fellow
citizens who were only
entitled to an insignificant
percentage of their meagre
salaries hardly got paid,
notwithstanding that they
worked for as long as 35
years? Among the legislators
who approved the repeal
were those who are or
had been speakers and their
deputies who would someday
on account of this patriotic
consideration lose
their privileged huge allowances.
By their action,
Zamfara legislators have
set a standard that would
be hard to change without
massive rioting. Again,
they have created a platform
for citizens in other
states to agitate for an end
to such bogus allowances
which could now be diverted
to helping the poor masses
in society. Barring any
unforeseeable developments,
Zamfara people appear
blessed.
The Silver medal would
to be used to improve the living
conditions of the masses.
The most painful aspect is
that they do not really need
the billions and other material
things they are accumulating.
The academics, senior
journalists, politicians, and
businessmen who packaged
and repackaged Buhari as an
ascetic disciplinarian immune
to the attractions of
materialism should be
ashamed of themselves: they
overrated Buhari and ignored
the lessons of history. If Buhari’s
government is really
fighting poverty and Nigeria
has become the poverty capital
of the world ahead of war
torn countries like Afghanistan,
Iraq and Yemen, then
something is seriously wrong
about its poverty alleviation
strategy, including the socalled
social intervention programmes.
Overall, the most
vulnerable segment of the
Nigerian population which
constitutes an overwhelming
demographic majority is not
experiencing the alleged positive
impact of buharinomics.
Instead, what we are seeing is
the gradual normalisation of
poverty and suffering nationwide.
A key component of deception
and propaganda tool
used by the APC was hyperbolic
projection of Muhammadu
Buhari as an anti-corruption
crusader. Nostalgic
references to the War Against
Indiscipline (WAI) was the
lodestar of the party’s presidential
campaign in 2015, although
it was not very effective
and convincing this year
compared to that year due to
the mutation of corruption
into more dangerous forms
since Buhari became President.
On the other hand, even
if one concedes that WAI
might have achieved some
limited success from 1984 to
August 1985, it was not a guarantee
that more than thirty
years later Buhari as a civilian
President still had what it
naturally go to the state
governor, Bello Mohammed
Matawalle who was
the architect of the policy.
Of course, it could not have
happened without him
Sometimes some
governors who failed
to pay workers’
salaries are
honoured while
some other
honourees have had
to walk into EFCC
cells a few months
after their lavishly
published awards
which also explains the
speed with which the bill
was signed into law. Some
critics might argue that he
initiated the policy out of
malice to punish an adversary
– his immediate past
predecessor, Abdulaziz
Yari. For us, such an argument
is superfluous as the
policy will affect every person
who becomes a former
governor and speaker and
their deputies. Besides, anyone
who has followed the
activities of Matawalle
since he became governor
cannot but perceive the visible
people-oriented disposition
of the governor. Although
he inherited a beleaguered
state that had
been in the hands of bandits,
he has by sheer statesmanship,
pragmatism and
managerial prowess, freed
his citizens from despair.
That he had to depose an
emir who was reportedly in
league with bandits is instructive.
Again, like his
Overall, the most vulnerable
segment of the Nigerian
population which
constitutes an
overwhelming
demographic majority is
not experiencing the
alleged positive impact of
buharinomics
takes to fight corruption effectively.
Of course, the War
Against Indiscipline was
flawed in many respects: it
was arbitrarily selective,
heavy-handed, and haphazard.
The same shortcomings
are evident in the current war
against corruption, the major
difference being that the flaws
now are more malignant than
they were when WAI was
launched in 1984. This is not
the first time I have argued
that Buhari’s government is
fighting corruption badly. The
point I want to highlight presently
is that discerning Nigerians
no longer believe that
this government is serious and
sincere about killing corruption
before it kills the country.
Moreover, some of them think
that the APC is more corrupt
than the PDP. Instances of corruption
at the top echelons of
government are legion, several
of which I have discussed
earlier in this column. But
there is a special brand of corruption
that APC has perfected
in the last four and half
years, namely, flagrant nepotism
and deliberate harvesting
of corrupt prominent politicians
from other parties, especially
the PDP. In a bizarre
manifestation of the corrupting
influence of power, APC
chairman, Adams Oshiomhole,
proclaimed that corrupt
politicians will be forgiven
once they join the ruling party.
Yet, irredeemably gullible
SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 1, 2019, PAGE 33
lawmakers, he has cancelled
a personal future fact that INEC had no pow-
she took advantage of the
benefit.
ers to determine the subject.
She moved to the
Matawalle’s silver medal
shines brightly because no courts and won. Thereafter,
one else has had the guts to Natasha Akpoti moved
stop the inexplicable squandermania
especially the votes in a volatile state
around campaigning for
bigger benefits going to where a deputy governor
former Presidents or ex-military
heads of state. We had probe panel had just been
declared innocent by a
waited in vain to find someone
strong enough to oply
not intimidated by me-
impeached. She was clearpose
a continuation of an dia reports that her state
expenditure reportedly well had more fake than authentic
police. They burnt her
over 15.3 billion naira as
‘upkeep’ to our former office and party secretariat,
yet the lady remained
number one citizens and
their families. In the states, standing. When a peace
governors of Akwa Ibom, agreement was put in place,
Lagos and a few others are the fake police stopped her
paying more than the profligacy
that Zamfara has signing ceremony, while the
from participating in the
just halted. The only reason authentic police served
Governor Matawalle is not their Inspector General,
going away with our gold INEC chairman and other
medal today is because another
Nigerian has fought including the state gover-
personalities in attendance
the statusquo in perhaps a nor some doses of teargas.
more extra-ordinary way. In On election day, live ammunition
and other weap-
earnest, we didn’t need to
search too long for the gold ons were reportedly thrown
medalist we are now unveiling.
sources including air raids,
indiscriminately from all
Our star winner is a yet Akpoti endured. After
young highly educated Nigerian
lady, who has spofied
hands burnt another
voting day, some unidentiken
truth to power against lady alive; yet, citizen Natasha
Akpoti survived. In-
all odds and yet survived.
Natasha Akpoti, the governorship
candidate of the forting words from anyterestingly,
she got no com-
Social Democratic Party where, not even from fellow
SDP in the recent governorship
elections in Kogi state women organizations and
women. Nothing from
has no doubt written her associations be it trader
name in gold. She began groups, professional bodies
with a clash with the Independent
National Electortional
Council of Women
etc., nothing from the Naal
Commission, INEC. Societies, nothing from the
When the latter announced minister of women affairs,
her disqualification from nothing from female activists
known for their aggres-
the election, the reason given,
that her running mate sive demand for affirmative
was underaged, appeared action. Indeed, nothing
cogent but the lady knew from first ladies, be it federal
or state making Nata-
better. She established that
since she, was not found sha Akpoti easily the most
wanting, she deserved to be outstanding Nigerian politician
of the moment.
allowed to pick a replacement.
More importantly
Nigerians still believe that the
APC government is fighting
corruption. Of course, not all
Nigerians are naïve and stupid:
some perceptive commentators
have consistently
drawn attention to Buhari’s
negative triumphalist nepotism.
For instance, in a rare
moment of courage, one of
the most outspoken foot-soldiers
of Fulani caliphate colonialism,
Dr. Junaid Mohammed,
complained that
the number of President Buhari’s
relatives working in the
presidency or Aso Rock is too
high. Even more telling are the
recent articles by Dr. Farooq
Kperogi, Associate Professor
of Journalism and Emerging
Media at Kennesaw State
University, USA. Incidentally,
Dr. Kperogi was one of
those intellectuals who naïvely
thought that Buhari would
be a better President than Dr.
Jonathan, before the scales
fell from his eyes. In two essays
entitled “Buhari’s Nepotism
on Steroids” and “Buhari’s
Government of His
Family, by His Family, and
for His Family,” Kperogi disclosed
the unprecedented
familocracy of Buhari, which
has meteorically catapulted
his relatives such as Sabiu
‘Tunde’ Yusuf from the ranks
of those managing to survive
to the class of nouveaux riches.
Kperogi also uploaded a
video in which Mamman
Daura, President Buhari’s
nephew, was celebrating his
eightieth birthday with more
than thirty family members
and top government officials
at a posh London hotel while
Nigerians wallow in poverty,
disease, disillusionment and
death. Reading through Dr.
Kperogi’s writings, the overall
picture one gets is that of
an insensitive President unperturbed
by the negative psychological
effects of ostentatious
wealth displayed by his
family members on the suffering
masses who defied so
many odds to vote for him. According
to Kperogi, this was
the same person who, “before
he was sworn in as President
in May, 2015…publicly told
his immediate and extended
family members to stand back
from his incoming government.
He even warned that
any family member who used
his name to peddle influence
would face dire consequences.”
Now, why should anyone
be surprised by President Buhari’s
philosophy of do as I say,
not as I do, considering that he
had tacitly abandoned most
of his pledges shortly after he
became President in 2015?
The handwriting had always
been clearly written on the
wall but people refused to see
what was before them, namely,
that Buhari is probably a
closet Machiavellian who is
willing to tell messiah-hungry
Nigerians what they want to
hear in order to secure their
votes, while his real intention
is obscured in a carefully
crafted smokescreen of integrity.
Several examples can be
cited to show that on many occasions
Buhari does not keep
his word, but two of them
would suffice to make the
case. First, after losing the
presidential election for the
third time in 2011, he told Nigerians
with a voice dripping
with anguish and disappointment
that he would not contest
for the position again. But
what happened? In less than
two years he allowed politicians
like Bola Tinubu and
Rotimi Amaechi to drag him
into the presidential election
once again. Two, during the
2015 electioneering campaigns
Buhari lamented the
frequency with which top political
office holders embark
on medical tourism abroad
and pledged to do everything
in his power if elected President
to discourage the wasteful
practice. We now know
that Buhari is the medicaltourist-in-chief
- he did not really
mean what he said.
To be continued