Since 1993 when billionaire Moshood Abiola set the pace from the private sector by throwing his hat into the ring for the presidential election, he used his charisma to lure a lot of young people into partisan politics.
Chief Abiola ignited a mini revolution by going into some higher institutions in Nigeria and donating to several causes that would better the lot of the entire community. Many of them who were students in those days have graduated and some are still struggling to make ends meet till this day.
The owner of Concord newspaper achieved similar feats outside the shores of this country which earned him the title of pillar of sports in Africa. His constituency was mostly young people and he never wasted opportunities to help them become better citizens.
Almost 20 years after his demise, the opposite is the case now because the population of young people keep increasing and most of them have been edged out of the political system. And you know what that means, they will be bouncing back with violence if not well handled. And the implications of this will mean that the so called god fathers will become endangered species in the entire country.
These young people they underestimate have shown what they can do if united as we saw in the end SARS saga. They will then take back the country using their population from the god fathers who have used them for so long. And we should watch out for this.
If over 70 percent of the population of Nigeria is made up of some of these young people, who saw the winner of the June 12, 1993 election move around and received the kind of acceptance he got in company of his Vice Presidential candidate Babagana Kingibe, then all those politicians in the older bracket of the age ladder should be terribly scared about the current enlightenment around the young people of today. I am talking about those in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s who form less than 6 percent of the Nigerian population.
These young people have suffered lingering frustration over the misbehaving political class and have vowed to take back the country from these political Casanovas. People who defect from one party to another without principles. I mean the foundational principles laid down for them by Aminu Waziri, Solomon Lar, Obafemi Awolowo or even Zik of African and many others who lived up to the early eighties. These people have passed on hope to their followers. And even when such hope is diminished, like when Awo lost to Shehu Shagari, the principles of being progressives guided them on.
The unproductive culture of defecting from one party to the other
Politicians who defect from one party to the other do so mostly for their personal interest and not for the people they claim to serve. That is why some of them who have contested for the same position several times unfortunately do so to oil the engine of me, my wife and children. And not for the generality of their people. Very few political stalwarts can actually claim to be innocent of this awkward behavior including the progressives. After defecting some of them are promised of sure victory because they are sure of using the young people to rig them into office. They believe that the winner takes it all mentality is a good thing and the shortest route to join the upper class. So let’s rig and win. This is so since there is no guarantee of such long term riches again in the middle class which is almost wiped out in Nigeria.
The benefits of defecting manifests at times in a Senator acquiring so many cars and houses yet the condition of his people does not improve in anyway. The young people are watching and they see all these flagrant ostentatious living from their constituency allowances that should have given them roads or drinking water. Stolen mostly from the porous system created to favor a particular section of the country. They award contract to themselves in the name of settlement and patronage for those who work for them to be rigged into office. And they share the butty with the civil servants who are willing tools in the hands of these political plunderers.
Sadly some defect when they are deprived of stomach infrastructure or a chance to get to a particular office. And when they ultimately move to the new party they will contest several times until they are in position of power which is the ultimate aim. Some even see partisan politics as a profession that should feed them instead of a call to service. And that is what most Nigerians who flock around them know as feathering their nest by acquiring so much to keep them going during the rainy day.
The sad reality of what is going on in Nigeria is that ignorance is perpetually used as a weapon to keep the followers from knowing the truth. And when that is done, they begin to hope that the next President will be better. If he is not better, their hopes begin to deem till it gets to a point of no return. The cult like figure that some of these politicians have will surely disappear if by the end of the 2023 election, the young people do not see hope at the end of the tunnel.
The billions that some of the recycled politicians have, will no longer work as a bait and these political stalwarts will no longer be safe. Some may be going back to their mansion in London to hide from their lies while some will stay. This time not for politics but to stay underground. Of a truth some of them had billions made from businesses before coming to look for the power like Chief Moshood Abiola, who was a philanthropist and longed for power, while others came to power purely out of greed before looking for the cash using the very civil servants they met in the system.
Bad influence of the politicians on the civil servants at all levels
Once upon a time, it was mostly the political holders that used to end up being stupendously rich before the present sick form of corruption in government which has become the norm disturbingly at the Federal level in spite of anti graft agencies breathing down their heads. Now it is the civil servants that are eying the billions. At present, the civil servants no longer want to teach the political elites how to steal while they go home with a paltry gratuity after 35 years. They too now steal with impunity as we have seen from the statistics churned out by the Economic and Finance Crime Commison (EFCC).
Top notch Civil servants have been indicted and prosecuted. Permanent secretaries and directors now own billions in their accounts and they dare anyone to challenge them. Some state Auditor Generals and Accountant Generals now compromise with their Governors to loot the treasury. Council chairmen compete with the Governor to steal the common wealth in some states.
Indeed, some of the reasons why Africa has so much backwardness is because most of the people who clamour to get into political offices are equally backward and possibly unemployable. So the only option is to steal through getting into the system or come in through the backdoor as a credible contractor, collect juicy contracts and steal most of it after the Accountant General has been given his share to placate him. Investigations indicate that some of these political thieves claim to have gone to school but gone are the days when the sound of their certificates draws one to attention. This is because most of them bought their teachers and acquired the certificates at all costs. And that is why when some of them stand up to speak for their people in the National Assembly people wonder how this one got there.
When they get out of school, their mindset is channelled on how to get a white coloured job where they can be able to steal as much as they cannot spend in their life time. That explains why a man will climb the ladder of the ministry of finance only to get to the level of Accountant General of the federation and steal as much as N200 billion in the period of his appointment.
The man who replaced him is suddenly replaced after being fingered as having soiled fingers by the financial intelligence agencies. And sadly these are the people that sometimes teach politicians how to steal using the books. Intel reports have equally shown that it is these stealing these young people have been seeing that has built up these pent up anger. That is why the general election of 2023 will be a strange one because so many unthinkable surprises will emerge.
Strange reasons some Nigerians politicians are desperate to hold on to power
Most Nigerians want to get into politics because it’s the easiest way to get rich quickly and establish members of their family. The Nigerian polity is so distablized because you have people with no principles jumping from one party to the other wanting to situate themselves where it is happening so that they will participate in the sharing of the Commonwealth of the masses, making them worse than they met them. They rely on the politics of patronage and settlement to achieve their goals. That is why the nation has not seen good governance since President Shehu Shagari left office.
It’s either we have a military despot like Sani Abacha who clear evidence shown was killing anyone who dared hin to civilian leaders who ran the country based on trial and error. Sadly, we have not had a Commander in Chief who has been able to handle security effectively for instance in the last 20 years yet every one wants to be President. And this includes some of the candidates who have never been mere councillors in their lives yet they want to be President thinking it’s a tea party. These are some of the worries of the young people whenever we engage them in discussions. This is why many political watchers are praying that the bill number 56 which would deal with defecting will soon be passed to deal with reckless defectors.
Sadly most of the contenders for the Presidency are not people that relate in anyway with the angry young people rushing to get their permanent voters card to punish those who have weaponised poverty into the country. Those who are unable to make Federal Universities work by reinventing the infrastructural decadence in them which is why the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is still on strike. They are mostly people above 60 the age where one starts to be regarded as old in Nigeria. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has a 75 year old Atiku Abubakar, the All Progressive Congress (APC) has a 70 year old as their candidate. The new Nigerian people’s party (NNPP) has Rabiu Kwankwaso a 65 year old as their candidate. Even the labour Party (LP) has Peter Obi who has just crossed the border line to 61.
The rest of them include the 60 year old Kola Abiola who is holding on to the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and 58 year old Prince Malik Ado-ibrahim who is holding fort at the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
What you have now looking for several offices are mostly recycled and sick old leaders who lack ideas but are holding tightly to parties to help them get into power. Most of them cannot in their individual merit run as independent candidates and even win in their council areas. That is why they will continuously drag their feet over the independent candidacy clause which could be added to the electoral bill in the National Assembly through bill 56. The few who can succeed independently can’t also do so until the National Assembly speeds up the approvals before 2023.
For now many questions are plaguing the minds of political watchers in the not too dirty game. One of which is why would there be so much desperation in the realm of politicking to become President? Why would anyone be so condescending to insist that it is his turn now when people are yet to vote for him? Even if we were in a federation of “turn by turn” inserted in the constitution, is it really his turn? How will these young people feel seeing anyone desperately insisting that it is his turn? And why is this candidate not seeing that kind of a pronouncement as a mistake which needs correction?
Sadly, these are some of the questions these young and angry members of the public use to pose to us whenever we come across them. As a journalist, I am trained to ask the questions and not to pretend to understand the minds of all politicians including the diabolical ones who loot with impunity and are dragged to court by EFCC. Of course the innocent ones will escape even without a good lawyer but what marvels some political watchers who keep attacking us on the road is what are you guys doing about some guilty ones who still find time to go back and re-contest for offices? Of course many of such examples abound but the system is putrid, there is nothing we can do about it other than to keep the enlightenment going on like this. This is because such politicians hardly have shame even to wait for the court process to end and discharge them.
Why is it that some of them who have actionable cases with the EFCC are not ashamed to contest? Known drug dealers and sniffers are in public offices and walking about with impunity in the name of democracy. Some of them contest elections and the same young people who take their drugs, go on rampage and kill on their behalf. Win or loose, they are allowed to walk around and pollute every one. Why should anyone vote for you when you disrespect and look down on the people by telling us that it’s your turn? Or you have contested 5times and you think you are the only one qualified to contest again. Why should we piety any sick candidate again just because he has thrown his hat into the ring? Are we done with the sick one that is about to leave office after spending the equivalent of almost ten months out of 7 years consulting with his doctors and holidaying? Who says our tribe is not qualified to have the presidency? How about our own religious group are we so useless that no one is qualified to represent us in the highest office in the land? Why is it that there is no ideological slant in the parties to at least carry the younger ones along? Rather all of them seem to lean towards a common front. The stomach ideology which is common to all the stronger parties.
The third force and that secret meeting in London
The bottom line for a peaceful national front for the country is for a “third force” to come as canvassed for by former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. A third force based on justice fairness and balance. A third force drawn from all the serious parties who mean well and not just those polluted with the winner takes it all phenomenon. That these god fathers have been meeting secretly in London over what Obasanjo calls “national issues” is good if it will stand by as a plan-B for the country in case their political permutations fail.
Nobody is praying for challenges but if the security situation is going to consume the Presidential election for instance, then one should begin to take the 63 year old Rev Chris Okotie serious that there may be need for an “interim national government” to calm fray nerves especially of these young people that Governor Obaseki of Edo state warned recently should not be taken for granted. They must be carried along by the third force if the present obvious puzzle of confusion should be dumped.
In that case, there may be need for an interim Government to first fix the dwindling security situation in the country before anything else. As a matter of fact, nothing should be more important than the protection of lives and property. Then we can conduct the national population census which has been wrongly inserted into a dicey election year. The third force will surely calm the nerves of myriads of pressure groups who are not happy with what is going on now.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kayode is northern Nigerian correspondent for METROWATCH
