How ‘Ogas At The Top’ Govern For Themselves

Nigeria was the elite. These are a privileged band of individuals that have piloted the affairs of this country since the 1980s, either from inside government or from the sidelines. They include career politicians that never seem to leave the political arena, constantly recycling themselves.

A typical CV of these politicians would read: ex-Personal Assistant, ex-Minister, ex-Senator, ex-Governor plus a string of other exes and political appointments. For these privileged individuals, being in government is “until death, do us part”. They move from one political office to the other “sharing the money”. Also numbered among Nigeria’s ruling elite are shakers and movers in the civil service, traditional rulers, retired senior military personnel, influential academics and captains of industry who wheel and deal in the corridors of power.

For the majority of these individuals, involvement in government in one form or the other, is not about serving the people but about their own interests. These “Ogas at the top” have crafted a brand of democracy in Nigeria that can best be described as the government of the elite, by the elite and for the elite. They preside over a system of governance in Nigeria that is based on patronage, not merit. You must get that vital introduction from these godfathers before you can get a job in the public service; and you must carry the right party card to get that vital government contract. This brand of governance has created a society of the privileged few that have everything and a docile majority that scramble for crumbs from their tables.

In a starkly divided society of the haves and the have-nots, or as some have put it, “the oppressor” and “the oppressed”, the oppressed must take their share of the blame for their plight. It is incredible, from debates in the social media, the number of people that actually supported the President’s pardon of ex-Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Some even expressed sympathy for Alams, using phrases like “He has suffered enough”, “it is not only him that stole” as if this justified the crime. These are the same oppressed that would have had better health care, better roads, and better schools if this man had not stolen from them.

It is worth noting how the American news media, many weeks after the terrorist bombings in Boston, that cost the lives of three American citizens, continue to analyse and run this story. Also worth noting is how quickly President Barack Obama visited the families of the bereaved and wounded, shortly after the bombings, just like he did in December 2012 when he attended the funerals of the children killed by a lone gunman at Sandy Hook primary school. Contrast this with Nigeria where scores of people, including security agents are killed on a daily basis from terrorist attacks and this barely gets a mention on the NTA news, if at all.

It is also rare to find the President visiting or commiserating in person with bereaved families of terrorist attacks. The response soon changes if the deceased is one of the elite or a family member, then you would expect to see the full presidential entourage commiserating with the families of the bereaved, with state governors and politicians jostling for attention. If you don’t fall into this category of the privileged, then you are basically on your own.

In a country where for most people, government is an irrelevance, the odds are stacked against the oppressed. But come 2015, these same suffering masses will lay red carpets and sing Hosannas to their oppressors, as if to say, here is my other cheek, please slap me some more, and harder this time. The elite know this and count on an electorate that is gullible and easily swayed by tribal and religious sentiments. They count on the short memory of Nigerians and their reluctance to hold their leaders accountable.

Poor Ibori, he must regret leaving the country. He would most definitely have been a free man “sharing the money”. But who would bet against him contesting the Presidency sometime in the future. A presidential pardon may well be awaiting him on his return. In a country where integrity has become a swear word and where public officials have become anaesthetised from shame, anything is possible.

A foreign observer going through our newspapers would find astonishing the sheer pages of advertorials taken up by the elite to congratulate themselves on their birthdays and other perceived achievements; achievements that amount to very little, if you consider where we are as a nation. The weddings of their children often provide an occasion for public show of wealth – with such gifts as Ipads, and other expensive souvenirs given as presents to bemused guests. Even Bill Gates will be loath to spend money in such a nauseating manner.

But this is the kind of behaviour you expect from people who have not worked for their money; the kind of debased society that the Nigerian elite have created; and then they complain about kidnappers wanting to have some of what they themselves have stolen from government. So ironic! In his many years in Europe, not once has this writer seen an advertorial congratulating the British Prime Minister or any other publicly elected official on their birthdays, or for doing a job for which they are paid anyway.

Nigeria potentially can be one of the greatest nations on earth, and this is no exaggeration. We are just handicapped by thieves disguised as chiefs; by corruption and poor leadership; and by powerful godfathers across the political divide whose greed and ego know no bounds. They build hospitals they won’t use because of lack of equipment and schools they won’t send their children. It is worth noting in the recent health scare of Nelson Mandela of South Africa, that not once was it reported that he was taken abroad for treatment.

This is because the leadership of that country made the right budget choices to invest in what really matters to the people, unlike Nigeria where corruption and personal pursuits seem to take precedence over national priority in budgetary allocations. We saw this recently in the way the National Assembly virtually capitulated over the approval of the First Lady’s N4bn budget proposal for her project, after much grandstanding by the same parliament.

Meanwhile, these “Ogas” are quick to catch the next flight abroad at the slightest hint of a headache. Regrettably, instead of challenge them to provide for their citizens, the same service they so quickly rush off abroad to obtain, the same oppressed will fete them on their return and sing their praises. So so bizarre!

For decades our collective leadership have fashioned a brand of democracy that have only served their interest; a type of governance that is based on patronage, “who you know”. We must begin to challenge them for more accountability; we must demand, perhaps a bit more loudly that they govern for the public good. Nigeria can do better, much better.

Source: Punch Nigeria