By S.A. Aina
The flagrant manner in which Nigerian Governors and other political office holders such as the President and Local Government Chairmen gift to some celebrities (who are already in the money) public funds typifies the culture of extravagance that characterizes the Nigerian political space.
In fact, these state, federal and local thespians are more ‘generous’ than Father Christmas, when it comes to dipping their almighty hands into the public purse and flinging it recklessly in order to gain cheap popularity.
These people seem to have forgotten that public office is a trust, and that public funds in their care should be accounted for without fail, just like in the hereafter when every soul shall be pumped for the detail of its earthly existence.
More is the pity; accountability is non-existent in Nigerian socio-political and economic space. Hence, public funds are spent with careless abandon.
The political institutions in the country are so weak that public offices are seen as an avenue to amass wealth or for personal aggrandizement, and nothing tangible is being done to tame this avaricious propensity.
For them, it’s never a call to service! More so, this institutional lacuna has given room for a lot of anomalies and misappropriation of public funds we are witnessing in the country today. It also allows these actors alongside their families to get everything for free while in office at the expense of the masses.
Yes, they get everything for free while in office- food, clothing, housing, cars and what have you! To cap it all, they dip their hands into public purse at will and throw it at whosoever they want.
No wonder they always do everything possible to get and retain power; no wonder they have made politics their full-time job; no wonder they always try to establish political dynasty; no wonder they often personalize government projects for which they should be praised; and no wonder they forget that some person somewhere does not know where the next meal will come from!
Unashamedly, this institutionalised profligate culture has become a model and foundation, unfortunately though, upon which the Nigerian structure and superstructure is built.
The political office holders often ostentatiously dole out tax payers’ money to these celebs or other people of choice on frivolity without following due process.
Ironically, this callous and ungenerous generosity can never come from their personal pockets. Never! How can one explain the moral grounds, populist philosophy and conscience of individuals who would be reluctant to cough out #20,000 from their personal pockets but go about donating #20million (tax payers’ money) mindlessly at functions? Some of these public donations are often made impulsively.
The latest of this show of shame, recklessness, irresponsibility, insensitivity and abuse of office occurred on the 28th of March 2021 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the Executive Governor of the State, Nyesom Wike, declared that he would give #10million each to all the guest artistes who performed at the Homecoming Concert organised in honour of Damini Ogulu aka Burna Boy who recently won a Grammy Award for his ‘Twice as Tall’ 2020 album.
This declaration was greeted with vituperations from many quarters, especially as the Santa Claus still owes civil servants in his state salaries running into months. It’s said that pensioners are also owed. Not to talk of infrastructural deficit and insecurity, which the money could be used in reducing, in the state.
One would begin to wonder why the people in power always misplace their priority. Why don’t they extend this Santaesque gesture to the poorest of the poor in their respective states? Why play to the gallery everytime?
Finally, the Yoruba people would say that when an eye houses a speck, it must be made to see the speck. Political office holders, especially the governors in Nigeria have, over the years, demonstrated recklessness and insensitivity when it comes to spending the tax payers’ money on frivolous activities.
And this trend has continued because there is no proper machinery to hold them accountable while they are still in office since they enjoy immunity (rightly put, impunity), and they would have stolen enough billions of naira to secure the service of good lawyers to defend them in court when they eventually leave office. Hence, this vicious circle continues, thereby subjecting the masses to perpetual deprivation, for they are the victims of this maddening spending spree!
