Opinion on this submission
Indeed, as the good book says: "In addition to prayers, there must be effort."
Consequently, it would be futile for Nigerians to continuously pray for good
leaders without strong collective action to elect Mandela-like leaders. In as
much as I believe that our corrupt politicos will be punished for their
political inequities, Nigeria's (and Africa's) civil society groups must act
more--and talk less--and write less!
Our corrupt Nigerian (and African) leaders must be taught a lesson; they must
be reminded that as custodians of the state, they are in power to serve fellow
compatriots not themselves, families and lackeys.
Regrettably, in Nigeria's politics today all of the elements that led to the
1966 coups are simmering in the society; they are even worse than they were in
the 1960s (that I saw with my own eyes). In fact, we are debating how $20
billion of the country's wealth can't be accounted for and those responsible for
this possible theft continue to take their country men and women for granted. In
the mean time, we continue to pray. This "God dey na poor man medicine syndrome"
has to stop! The government and its resources belong to the people, and not to
governor Akpabio and his ilk. So, what must we, as members of the informed
public, do to address this malfeasance in our polity?
Ike Udogu
----- Original Message -----
From: "Assensoh, Akwasi B." <aassenso@indiana.edu>
Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 10:48 am
Subject: FW: THE FUTILITY OF PRIVILEGED GREED
To: "usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Cc: "anthonyakinola@yahoo.co.uk" <anthonyakinola@yahoo.co.uk>, "ama@fahamu.org"
<ama@fahamu.org>, "iaduah66@yahoo.com" <iaduah66@yahoo.com>,
"africawatch.gms@gmail.com" <africawatch.gms@gmail.com>, "Afoaku, Osita"
<osafoaku@indiana.edu>, "Osili, Una O" <uosili@iupui.edu>,
"andohs1@southernct.edu" <andohs1@southernct.edu>, "afaugustine@yahoo.com"
<afaugustine@yahoo.com>, "dmwhiteh@iupui.edu" <dmwhiteh@iupui.edu>,
"dejigiri@yahoo.com" <dejigiri@yahoo.com>, "udoguei@appstate.edu"
<udoguei@appstate.edu>, "georgekieh@yahoo.com" <georgekieh@yahoo.com>,
"kwesiattasakyi449@gmail.com" <kwesiattasakyi449@gmail.com>, "drkieh@yahoo.com"
<drkieh@yahoo.com>
>
>
>
>
> The futility of privileged greed
> by
> Anthony Akinola*
>
> One admirable culture of contemporary "Western"
> politicians is what I would describe as their sense of moderation
> or proportion. They are able to draw the line between those
> matters that are private to them and those that are public.
> For instance, they do not make the birthdays or
> weddings of their loved ones a public celebration, and they would
> rather prefer to be left to grieve privately if they were bereaved.
> The manner in which they conduct themselves ensures they do not
> offend the sensibilities of those who elected them into public office.
> This can hardly be said of our politicians in Nigeria.
> Being in a public office provides an opportunity to flaunt and
> abuse power and influence. It is when they are in office that they
> remember to celebrate the birthdays of their loved ones. The
> weddings of their sons or daughters, in particular, provide an
> opportunity to be acknowledged by those they have enriched at the
> expense of the larger society. Paid advertisements and gifts of
> cars and rams reciprocate their generosity. Wait until they have
> left office, their more than 3,000 greetings cards at Christmas
> could be reduced to less than 30! I know of a politician who was
> the darling of all while in office but now remains in abject
> obscurity, deserted by those he had once benefited!
> Maybe this is one reason why our politicians want to
> remain perpetually in the limelight, even when their counterparts
> elsewhere appreciate that there is a time to quit the stage for
> others and spend quality time with family as well as exploit other
> interests such as reading and writing.
> Our so-called governors believe they must continue to
> enjoy the full privileges of governorship even after they have left
> office. The post-governorship pensions they design for themselves
> are geared towards their anxiety to continue to be relevant long
> after they have left the political stage. They want police
> presence in their homes and they want their numerous servants and
> cooks to be paid for by their respective states. They want the
> states to build them retirement mansions, not only in their states'
> capitals but also in the nation's capital of Abuja! It matters not
> to them that there could be five or more former governors at some
> stage. In a nation where ostentation is celebrated, they want to
> be able to travel around in a convoy of cars, with sirens blazing!
> When some talk of the presidential system of government
> being expensive, I counter that argument by blaming that
> "expensiveness" on the celebrated recklessness of our politicians
> Any system that provides our politicians with liberty will be
> abused. Had the oil wealth been around when we practiced the
> parliamentary system in the First Republic, politicians of old
> could have been as reckless as those of today are.Major Kaduna
> Nzeogwu, conqueror of the First Republic, described the politicians
> of that era as "ten per-centers", not least because they cornered
> to themselves ten percent of every contract they awarded.
> The United States of America would long have been dead
> and buried if that nation had been unfortunate enough to have had
> our type of politicians. The USA is the most accomplished nation
> in the world today, it is home to great universities, and it is one
> nation many scramble to be citizens of. Has the presidential
> system of government not been with America since 1787?
> Good leaders live for the future of their societies. For those of
> them in Nigeria, today is the future! Elected politicians seek the
> best for themselves and their families. Even when the job of
> serious law making in a society as complex as ours should be full-
> time, the excesses of our politicians make ill-considered
> viewpoints very attractive. The salaries and allowances our
> elected politicians corner to themselves make the rest of society
> feel as if they have been fools or idiots.
> Our elected politicians behave as if there is no God but I say to
> them that there is God in everything we do! Our greedy politicians
> will one day answer for those shoe-less kids roaming the streets
> hungry and aimless. Those who mend our roads as well as those who
> clean the toilet have families who deserve to be as happy as those
> of our politicians.The millions of jobless Nigerians have families.
> Because of our selfishness we assume we are the only ones who
> matter. There is God!
> The first warning that our greed might come back to haunt us has
> been fired by the Americans. It is said that they would no longer
> be buying our crude oil and this suggests there could be a possible
> decline in funds. The time may be fast approaching when those who
> have stolen our collective wealth would lack the moral authority to
> ask the rest of us to tighten our belts.The Boko Haram insurgency
> could be like child's play when the "goats" our corrupt and greedy
> politicians have been breeding are finally driven against the walls
> of unbearable economic austerity. They will bite very hard at
> their oppressors.
>
> *Anthony Akinola is a writer resident in Oxford, UK. His new book,
> "Party Coalitions in Nigeria: History, Trends and Prospects", was
> recently published by Safari Books Ltd, Ibadan.
>
>
--
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Indeed, as the good book says: "In addition to prayers, there must be effort."
Consequently, it would be futile for Nigerians to continuously pray for good
leaders without strong collective action to elect Mandela-like leaders. In as
much as I believe that our corrupt politicos will be punished for their
political inequities, Nigeria's (and Africa's) civil society groups must act
more--and talk less--and write less!
Our corrupt Nigerian (and African) leaders must be taught a lesson; they must
be reminded that as custodians of the state, they are in power to serve fellow
compatriots not themselves, families and lackeys.
Regrettably, in Nigeria's politics today all of the elements that led to the
1966 coups are simmering in the society; they are even worse than they were in
the 1960s (that I saw with my own eyes). In fact, we are debating how $20
billion of the country's wealth can't be accounted for and those responsible for
this possible theft continue to take their country men and women for granted. In
the mean time, we continue to pray. This "God dey na poor man medicine syndrome"
has to stop! The government and its resources belong to the people, and not to
governor Akpabio and his ilk. So, what must we, as members of the informed
public, do to address this malfeasance in our polity?
Ike Udogu
----- Original Message -----
From: "Assensoh, Akwasi B." <aassenso@indiana.edu>
Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 10:48 am
Subject: FW: THE FUTILITY OF PRIVILEGED GREED
To: "usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Cc: "anthonyakinola@yahoo.co.uk" <anthonyakinola@yahoo.co.uk>, "ama@fahamu.org"
<ama@fahamu.org>, "iaduah66@yahoo.com" <iaduah66@yahoo.com>,
"africawatch.gms@gmail.com" <africawatch.gms@gmail.com>, "Afoaku, Osita"
<osafoaku@indiana.edu>, "Osili, Una O" <uosili@iupui.edu>,
"andohs1@southernct.edu" <andohs1@southernct.edu>, "afaugustine@yahoo.com"
<afaugustine@yahoo.com>, "dmwhiteh@iupui.edu" <dmwhiteh@iupui.edu>,
"dejigiri@yahoo.com" <dejigiri@yahoo.com>, "udoguei@appstate.edu"
<udoguei@appstate.edu>, "georgekieh@yahoo.com" <georgekieh@yahoo.com>,
"kwesiattasakyi449@gmail.com" <kwesiattasakyi449@gmail.com>, "drkieh@yahoo.com"
<drkieh@yahoo.com>
>
>
>
>
> The futility of privileged greed
> by
> Anthony Akinola*
>
> One admirable culture of contemporary "Western"
> politicians is what I would describe as their sense of moderation
> or proportion. They are able to draw the line between those
> matters that are private to them and those that are public.
> For instance, they do not make the birthdays or
> weddings of their loved ones a public celebration, and they would
> rather prefer to be left to grieve privately if they were bereaved.
> The manner in which they conduct themselves ensures they do not
> offend the sensibilities of those who elected them into public office.
> This can hardly be said of our politicians in Nigeria.
> Being in a public office provides an opportunity to flaunt and
> abuse power and influence. It is when they are in office that they
> remember to celebrate the birthdays of their loved ones. The
> weddings of their sons or daughters, in particular, provide an
> opportunity to be acknowledged by those they have enriched at the
> expense of the larger society. Paid advertisements and gifts of
> cars and rams reciprocate their generosity. Wait until they have
> left office, their more than 3,000 greetings cards at Christmas
> could be reduced to less than 30! I know of a politician who was
> the darling of all while in office but now remains in abject
> obscurity, deserted by those he had once benefited!
> Maybe this is one reason why our politicians want to
> remain perpetually in the limelight, even when their counterparts
> elsewhere appreciate that there is a time to quit the stage for
> others and spend quality time with family as well as exploit other
> interests such as reading and writing.
> Our so-called governors believe they must continue to
> enjoy the full privileges of governorship even after they have left
> office. The post-governorship pensions they design for themselves
> are geared towards their anxiety to continue to be relevant long
> after they have left the political stage. They want police
> presence in their homes and they want their numerous servants and
> cooks to be paid for by their respective states. They want the
> states to build them retirement mansions, not only in their states'
> capitals but also in the nation's capital of Abuja! It matters not
> to them that there could be five or more former governors at some
> stage. In a nation where ostentation is celebrated, they want to
> be able to travel around in a convoy of cars, with sirens blazing!
> When some talk of the presidential system of government
> being expensive, I counter that argument by blaming that
> "expensiveness" on the celebrated recklessness of our politicians
> Any system that provides our politicians with liberty will be
> abused. Had the oil wealth been around when we practiced the
> parliamentary system in the First Republic, politicians of old
> could have been as reckless as those of today are.Major Kaduna
> Nzeogwu, conqueror of the First Republic, described the politicians
> of that era as "ten per-centers", not least because they cornered
> to themselves ten percent of every contract they awarded.
> The United States of America would long have been dead
> and buried if that nation had been unfortunate enough to have had
> our type of politicians. The USA is the most accomplished nation
> in the world today, it is home to great universities, and it is one
> nation many scramble to be citizens of. Has the presidential
> system of government not been with America since 1787?
> Good leaders live for the future of their societies. For those of
> them in Nigeria, today is the future! Elected politicians seek the
> best for themselves and their families. Even when the job of
> serious law making in a society as complex as ours should be full-
> time, the excesses of our politicians make ill-considered
> viewpoints very attractive. The salaries and allowances our
> elected politicians corner to themselves make the rest of society
> feel as if they have been fools or idiots.
> Our elected politicians behave as if there is no God but I say to
> them that there is God in everything we do! Our greedy politicians
> will one day answer for those shoe-less kids roaming the streets
> hungry and aimless. Those who mend our roads as well as those who
> clean the toilet have families who deserve to be as happy as those
> of our politicians.The millions of jobless Nigerians have families.
> Because of our selfishness we assume we are the only ones who
> matter. There is God!
> The first warning that our greed might come back to haunt us has
> been fired by the Americans. It is said that they would no longer
> be buying our crude oil and this suggests there could be a possible
> decline in funds. The time may be fast approaching when those who
> have stolen our collective wealth would lack the moral authority to
> ask the rest of us to tighten our belts.The Boko Haram insurgency
> could be like child's play when the "goats" our corrupt and greedy
> politicians have been breeding are finally driven against the walls
> of unbearable economic austerity. They will bite very hard at
> their oppressors.
>
> *Anthony Akinola is a writer resident in Oxford, UK. His new book,
> "Party Coalitions in Nigeria: History, Trends and Prospects", was
> recently published by Safari Books Ltd, Ibadan.
>
>
--
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