Isaac-OguguaEzechukwu wrote from Lagos
The Nigerian media space is becoming agog again with reports of the various moves, manoeuvres; manipulations and machinations by the nation’s vulturous politicians jostling for choice positions come 2019.
One can see them now speaking to the press. You can see them appearing at certain functions, some of which are orchestrated by the politicians to serve their purpose of visibility. Some are decamping from their original Parties to other parties, especially to the ruling Party.
Many of them have no shame; know no shame, such that they talk from both sides of their mouths at the same time. Some abandoned the parties they personally founded to join the current ruling party, having decamped once to the previous ruling party. Those politicians will continue to flounder and will continue with such dance of shame which is not surprising because as reported by John Maxwell, “it is foolish to expect an empty bag to stand up straight.”
As these politicians without ideologies oscillate from party to party looking not to add any value but possibly to benefit from anticipated large campaign budget, they shamelessly make a loud noise and sling some mud on their previous party to justify their decamping.
The receiving party celebrates, assuring the ‘decampees’ of “their safety” in the new party. It does not matter if the decampees are those accused of embezzling funds belonging to the state or federal government. It does not even matter if they are standing trial for fraud and other financial crimes. Some of the decampees might be past or serving state governors or senators who have pocked funds meant for workers’ salaries and other public projects. No, it does not matter that some of them are ruling states where workers are owed up to twelve months of salaries; where pensioneers are owed in arrears of more than a year. They are the same politicians who either directly or through their off-springs have been on our political scene since 1979; and who despite earning trillions of dollars in revenues still keep the nation in darkness and most of our roads impassable.
They will soon begin to assemble the gullible Nigerians under the scorching sun to promise you how they will “make the sun rise from the west and set in the east,” if you vote for them again in 2019. They are the same people who after being elected will get into tinted convoy of cars and you can’t recognize any more which car conveys your supposed leader across the same street where you elected him.
They are the some leaders whose children will relocate abroad for their education after the elections, leaving your own children to struggle for admission in our local unfunded universities year in year out. They are the same politicians who go to the Whiteman’s country for medical treatment while you and I queue at the ill-equipped hospitals without electricity from 4 am to see doctors who hardly show up.
Nigerian politicians are already gearing up for 2019 elections in 2017, irrespective of how much or less they have delivered on their campaign promises in 2015. Of course, they don’t care whether or not they have fulfilled their campaign promises because they know they can easily buy voters cheap; so cheap like ‘two for five Naira.’ They will soon begin to heap promises with the microphones while we listen under the scorching sun.
But can we pause for a moment and check on the fulfilment of past campaign promises by the same people! Just check. Check your towns, local governments and your states. In what ways and means has life changed for the better for the ordinary Nigerian? The Predators are on the prowl again to prey on us. They will extort our votes and they will vanish with their empty promises until another four years. Let Nigerians prepare for real elections now!
