Executive recklessness and thoughtlessness of Nigerian electorate

In the last few months, I have written extensively, lengthily and comprehensively on His Excellency, Governor Rochas Okorocha, especially when he erected the statue of His Excellency, Mr. Jacob Zuma and a few weeks after he consummated the project that attracted heated criticisms from every right-thinking citizen of Nigeria, same statue was demolished symbolically when the former president was booted out of office. What is standing in Imo State today is not a symbol of heroism and excellence; it is that of sleaze and patchiness. And such a statue can only be found in this clime. Why? It is because we prefer unevenness to excellence. Surprisingly, no one in Imo State is kicking against the statue of a man—who was appallingly and dishonorably sent out of office.

A few days ago, Rochas Okorocha noted that four (4) previous governor of Imo State—late Sam Mbakwe, Evan Enwerem, Achike Udenwa, and Ikedi Ohakim—must have been over-estimated with regards to how wealthy they became after leaving office as governors. He further told journalists at the Government House, Owerri, that it was a wrong measurement and assessment for people to have concluded that the former governors left office as very rich people. According to Rochas, those four (4) governors left the seat of power very poor and dispossessed.

Just two years ago, 2016, Okorocha said that it was Ikedi Ohakim’s maladministration that made people throw him out as the Executive Governor of the State. Two years after, the same Okorocha said that Imo people should appreciate a leader—who was thrown out of office as said by His Excellency, Governor Rochas Okorocha. Truth is alien to politicians. And the major stock in trade of politicians is falsehood. They tell people what they want them for as long as it keeps them in power.

A man—who owes judges, teachers, pensioners…salary of many months, wants to build houses for those who are superrich! I do not have the accurate statistics of those who are homeless in Imo State, but one thing is sure, Imo is home to many homeless people. And instead of Rochas—who claims to love the poor—to build “Low-Cost Housing Estates” for the poor as His Excellency Alhaji (Dr.) Lateef Jakande did for Lagosians when he creatively led the Centre of Excellence—Lagos State.

Nigeria is a nation full of drama. Our Country is probably the only one where dead people easily get varied juicy appointments, while the living able and capable ones are roaming our dusty-streets, being jobless. While I celebrate late Sam Mbakwe for all he was able to achieve for Imo State when he was calling the shots, but I am of the opinion that it is an executive recklessness for Rochas Okorocha to build a house for him. Also, why would Rochas want to build houses for those who do not need them? Ours is a very interesting nation. We give to those who do not need it while we do not give to those who need it. We cover the rich (those who can afford to import foreign armed security men to protect them) with armed security men while the poor are praying to God to protect them. In Nigeria, the poor pray to God to provide what responsible governments of serious nations are providing for their own people.

In the last twenty (19) years, I have keenly observed the electorates in Nigeria and I have come to a painful conclusion that enjoy being be deceived by politicians. Politicians misleadingly fight themselves in the open, claiming they are members of opposition parties, but behind the scenes, they eat from the same plate, drink bottles of beer together and dance to same music on the inside of same ball. For the umpteenth time, for now, there is no opposition party in Nigeria. The PDP members are getting contracts from the APC members and the APC members are getting contracts from the PDP members. Their children are marrying themselves while too many thoughtless electorates are detesting, attacking and killing themselves for those who do not care a hoot .The PDP and APC are the same—in terms of ideology.

One of the effective weapons of politicians is religion, but the truth is, politicians do not have any religion. Their religion is money (and power). They are very good at dividing us along the line of religion. As an effect of this, people are forlornly being killed on the inside of both churches and mosques. The second effective weapon of politician is ethnicity. Also, politicians are dividing Nigerians along an ugly ethnic-line. This is responsible for the ongoing ethnic cleansing in some State in Nigeria. Nigerians would remain in shackles of poverty until we all rise and fight against those who are impoverishing us as a people.

After a drama—involving a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Senate was completely shut down, because all our Senators wanted to go visit Dino Melaye at the hospital! They all left what they are being paid for, because of one of them. It was an executive recklessness, but they did not give a damn. In the last three years, have they for once shut-down the Senate, because some faceless and poor people were either kidnapped or bombed? No! Remember, the only difference between our paid politicians and poor electorates is that politicians fight for themselves, but Nigerian electorates fight themselves.