If you ever want a very good picture of fatuous self-obsession, look no further beyond Nigeria’s political class.
Always, at all times and since democracy and politicians (two words that will always force anyone into incantations) became part of our modern lives, the expected social significance of their existence resonates more in their nuisance value.
Just as shares mesmerize company chief executives, Nigerian politicians are enslaved in fatal controversies. All of these controversies borders only on the their tendencies to loot the future of the country.
This tendency is a recurring constant. It happened in the second republic in a repugnant scale. It happened uninterruptedly from 1999 to 2015.
The signal that it is going to be continued in the same repugnant scale has just been fired by the newly inaugurated National Assembly who have just lined up for their pockets with the unspeakable sums of N8.64 billion just to buy cloths. (Agbada and shokoto). N8.64 billion just to buy clothing?
I will not concern myself with the money they are about to appropriate to themselves. It is truly insignificant. Just a little over N500,000 per annum over four years-if I am correct.
The question is what contribution will that make to anything they are going to do in the next four years in the National Assembly? Should that be the very first matter of urgency for a national assembly men and women who where elected largely on the premise of change.
The stupidity in all of this is that it is the first major sign that they are prepared to continue in the already known path-the big bet against Nigeria’s future.
Any sensible or educated legislative arm of government will take steps that reflect the interest of the people once they get down to business in the chambers. Pronouncements and appropriations will be that which underpins the desire of the electorates. It should reflect largely the aspirations and expectations of the society. Utterances should be proactive not retroactive.
It is ironic, and to me disappointing, that the members of the new National Assembly preferred to already damage their reputation rather than set a tone that will resonate with the yearnings of the people-how to reconstruct the economy, how to fix the broken education system, how to fix the broken power economy, how to rebuild decayed infrastructure, create the enabling environment for businesses, redefine how the country should be governed-issues that sign-posts the desire to invest in the future of the country.
For me again, the debate should not be about what they got but about the insensitivity already displayed. The selfish regretful path they choose. It is annoying to see men and women who claim decent family background behave like a bunch of common thieves. Uninspiring, unconvincing and disappointing in their first act on call to duty.
What is demonstrated in this case is the lack of capacity to search for reasons in order to assign responsibility and create solutions. It is clear evidence that if Nigerians are looking to this set of men and women to devise solutions, to accept responsibility, to search for reasons, they will be equally disappointed.
