BY NIYI ABORISADE
Welcome to Nigeria where political gladiators are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Political stage is meant for them permanently, they reasoned.
There was an old age sayings that “when fire die, it replaces itself with ashes and when Banana die it replaces itself with its offspring.” The wisdom in the saying is to remind us of our limitation of existence and encourages us to prepare the young ones to take over from us as we are not meant to live forever.
The Nigerian politicians have defied this saying by recycling themselves as if they are immortals that are beyond death. It is no longer news that the people in their 80s and late 70s are our ambassadors in some of the best countries in the world today but what is appalling is the rate at which theses politicians are draining the blood of our beloved country.
Recycling is an industrial process that collects used or abandoned materials and smashes melts, or otherwise transforms them into their constituent raw materials.
Nigerian politicians however, recycle themselves without going through any process of reformation but transforms themselves to political position by fire by force and of course they will smash, melt, shred and grind the masses instead, to recycle themselves.
It is only in Nigeria that you will see a man who was a senator, return as governor for another eight years and return as senators again.
The irony of it is that they collect pensions as governors and collect salary and severance package at the end of their tenure again as senators. These are fat salaries, having made laws that favours themselves believing that the masses are ignorants and handicapped.
Let us take Oyo and Ekiti States as examples.
The current governor, Abiola Ajimobi, was a senator before becoming a governor. He is collecting his salary and allowances as governor, he is now contesting again to become a senator and so if he is successful in his bid, he will be earning pension as a governor and he will be earning salary as a Senator. It can only happen in Nigeria, even the richest countries in the world cannot survive that prodigious spending.
Let us now travel to Ekiti State. Dr Kayode Fayemi was a governor before losing the 2014 election to Mr Ayodele Fayose and he was collecting pension as a governor and later became a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and earned salary as a minister. He has now returned as a governor for a second term spell. Meanwhile he will be collecting his pension for his first term as a governor and now salary as a serving governor. Can I hear you saying “everything na double double o‘.” This example is replicated across the federation without exception to any political party.
Now, let us consider the pensions of governors who only served for four and eight years. As pensions, they will be collecting their full salaries, these are aside the prescription of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission which recommends 300 percent severance for the governors. They further enjoys brand new cars every three years, accommodation at the state Capital and in Abuja, paid staff, 30 day paid holiday outside the country and also free medical treatment for the former governors and their immediate family members. In fact, Nigeria spends close to N40 billion on former governors and their deputies in the last couple of months.
How long shall this continue before Nigeria become bankrupt with excessive, unreasonable and unjustifiable wages earn by our politicians? There is no doubt that Nigeria operates the most expensive democracy in the world and probably one of the worst democracy in the world. The politicians have succeeded in caging the masses by divide and rule method. They use religion, tribalism and thuggery to subjugate us and our resistance to this indirect force rule lacks coordination because of the seeds of disunity that the oppressors have sown in us.
There should be a new order the system is too corrupt, the problem is not the weakness of democracy but in we ourselves.
There should be age limit to pensions even as a Governor and if there is no age limit, then, let all who were former Governors receiving pensions be barred from holding any political posts or if they desire to hold political posts they should forfeit their pension. We cannot and must not continue like this. Enough is enough. Albert Einstein said that” this world is a dangerous place to live in not because of those who do evil but because of those who watch and let it happen.” We cannot continue to watch evil in our society whilst we fold our arms.
The election is here again, some senators who have also completed their two terms as governors are gearing up to return to the senate again.
The power lies with us to stop this recycling of old wine in new bottle by rejecting them with our votes.
Let us break out of the cage, refuse to be bribed, confront their thugs, come out en masse and vote against them. Let us hold them accountable.
Fidel Castro once said “we cannot recognise as our brothers those who ingratiate themselves with the people by giving 10 percent of the money they have stolen, our people can not hold their freedoms to the thieves, we shall surely knock at their doors when the revolutionaries attain power.”
Niyi Aborisade is the National President a of Non-Governmental Organisation and democracy group, the National Movement for Positive Change (NMPC).
