“The alimentary canal of our state ministers does not digest gold.”
Dr. Tai Solarin
There is so much tension in the land, like a simmering volcano waiting for the right pressure…to erupt into ceaseless flow of deadly lava and destruction unfathomable.
National Assembly or Hoardsembly
I listened and watched with dismay, an event that occurred at the National Assembly, under the leadership of the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in which a motion was moved titled, “let the poor breathe” and in which he went ahead to raise a voice vote of those in favour of let the poor breathe and those against. And he concluded with, “the ayes have it to let the poor breathe…” and there was a cackle of laughter and giggling on the floor of the unhallowed chambers of the senate.
A couple of weeks ago, precisely July 23rd, 2023, it was announced that the National Assembly approved amongst others, N70 billion to support new members of the National Assembly. So, who really is letting the poor breathe?
The economy and the Nigerian society have been grappling with the spike in cost of living because of the removal of fuel subsidy and the attendant 3x increase in pump price of fuel. Now fuel, in this wise petrol is the life wire of the society for the movement of goods, services and products.
According to the Vanguard Newspaper published June 14th 2023, “By the end of 2023, Nigeria would have spent the sum of N2.618 trillion on the National Assembly, which has 109 senators and 360 House of Representatives members, going by budgetary allocations since 1999…The N2.618 trillion is 5.56 per cent of the N145.516 trillion appropriated by the Federal Government since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999…” (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/06/nigeria-spends-n2-618trn-on-nass-in-25-years/)
Data from available sources online showed the rise on NASS budget over the years:
| Year | NASS BUDGET |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 2,204,000,000 |
| 2000 | 9,458,000,000 |
| 2001 | 15,488,000,000 |
| 2002 | 28,162,000,000 |
| 2003 | 23,347,000,000 |
| 2004 | 34,727,000,000 |
| 2005 | 55,433,000,000 |
| 2006 | 45,000,000,000 |
| 2007 | 60,000,000,000 |
| 2008 | 73,741,000,000 |
| 2009 | 123,192,000,000 |
| 2010 | 154,205,000,000 |
| 2011 | 150,000,000,000 |
| 2012 | 150,000,000,000 |
| 2013 | 150,000,000,000 |
| 2014 | 150,000,000,000 |
| 2015 | 227,000,000,000 |
| 2016 | 115,000,000,000 |
| 2017 | 125,000,000,000 |
| 2018 | 139,500,000,000 |
| 2019 | 148,680,000,000 |
| 2020 | 128,000,000,000 |
| 2021 | 128,000,000,000 |
| 2022 | 134,000,000,000 |
| 2023 | 228,100,000,000 |
| TOTAL | 2,598,237,000,000 |
With each successive administration, the NASS budget has been on a continuous increase versus the Cost of living of the average Nigerians. Inflation and consumer price index has been on an upward trajectory since 2018, reminiscent of 1999. And with each change of government, there is also a wave of new purchases, houses, equipment, vehicles, office etc and it has become a vicious circle in our country. And not only that, but their salary also remains unknown till date…a closely guarded secret in the hallow chambers of people we elected to represent us.
With the advent of the phrase invented by the current president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, “let the poor breathe…” it has turned into a regular slang on the street of Nigeria, using as pun and comedy by all and sundry. Probably why the Senators reasoned, in their wisdom, to pass a motion titled, “Let the Poor Breathe”. While I have absolutely no scruples with the motion, the contents of which I must admit, I do not know, it’s the process of passing the motion that I really find distasteful coupled with the having splashed N70b on new lawmakers…. makes me realise, they lack empathy and sensitivity to the current realities of everyday Nigerians in this season and period. As elected representatives, do they really need a whole lot of luxuries to represent us? Is that office a call to luxury and retirement or a call to service…to serve and not be served.
Most times when I hear them investigating a matter, constituting a panel to probe…I marvel, is this all there is to legislation? I am not even going to go to the angle of them been boot lickers most times to the executive instead of as check and balance…reducing core legislative duties to mere “take a bow”, “ayes”, “nays”, “cackling in the chambers”, “inspection tours” etc. How many Senators or Representatives know the situation of their constituency? Do they know one family, not their political lackeys that they can recall the names of their children or their place of work? How many companies employ indigent people in their constituency? What is NASS interest in summoning a girl caught falsifying her Jamb score? Is it that there is no other legislative duty of interest that would impact the people?
No Honour Amongst Thieves
This is not only peculiar to the National Assembly but to all political appointees and the government. Why the ostentatious living amid poverty once you step into office? Why the humongous pension plan put in place for only serving for 8 years at the most, 4 years a minimum when people, who have served for 15 years, 30 years, 35 years are labouring to get their gratuity and pension? Not only that, you live affluently while in position, barely doing nothing to better the lives of your constituents and the people who voted you in but would rather commission some meagre projects in the name of the people just to score some cheap political points and earn a flashing goodwill.
Political office is not a gateway out of poverty as we have made it to be in Nigeria, rather it’s a call to service… to serve the people and not some people or a people. The great men of renown, from the ancient times to our modern time, were not men who served their own interests, but rather the interests of the people. King David, Cyrus the great, Alexander 1, Charlemagne, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Genghis Khan, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa just to mention a few were leaders who thought of the people first before their personal comfort. The forebears of our nation, Nigeria will surely be turning and cringing in their graves at what has become of governance and leadership presently. Are our leaders alone in this? No, they aren’t.
The Peoples Court.
We the peoples are not spared out. We encourage and goad our representatives into committing financial atrocities in our name against us. We operate an entitlement mindset when we have our representatives in office, either elected or selected. We expect that once they are in office, it’s our turn to partake in the national cake and to milk it for all its worth…leaving behind crumps for the next person. Hence, they are quick to sell us dummies, and use us a cannon fodder in their quest for political power… ensuring we are brainless and thoughtless when it comes to what we really deserve from good governance. Little wonder we can’t demand for good governance cos’ we think with our stomach, suffer amnesia during elections and think only in the short term, ignoring the long-term consequences and whine for good governance while the head is buried in the sand like the ostrich in feigned beseeching to the Supreme Being for intervention. Fools! Who is deceiving who?!
“Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child and when your [incompetent] officials and princes feast in the morning. Blessed [prosperous and admired] are you, O land, when your king is a man of noble birth, and your princes and officials feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.”
Ecclesiastes 10:16-17 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/ecc.10.16-17.AMP
Generational Disfunction
A generation comes out to claim and blame their fathers for failing to confront the government and blame the government and cuss the nation for every single misdeed and wrong that happens to occur. Excuse me, please… if your fathers had failed, would you have been born? Would you have the education that allowed you to be able to communicate that negative energy and displaced thought? Are we quick to forget where we are coming from… our journey, our roots? Oh, I forgot, we have severed our roots because we have ‘japaed’.
Who are our opinion leaders? Leaders of thought? Who are the Men that can stand before a demagogue and shutdown it’s treacherous flatteries? Are they the wannabe influencers? Featherbrained social media influencers? Crooked celebrities? People with ill-gotten wealth and larger than life status that gets blown away at the puff a big bad wolf.
What is our future as a nation?
Until we really seat down and start asking critical questions, not to point fingers but to understand how we got it wrong and start planning and thinking of how to correct the wrongs, and charting a viable path for the next generation, then I fear for the future of this new generation we are birthing. Japa all you want; you will come home to a place where the walls are broken, and jackals and wild beasts have made it home…and you would be forced to build under duress. Ask Nehemiah…when the Israelites were forced into exile for 70 years and a decree was made for them to return by force to their father land. (If such law/decree is passed…, where would you call home?).
It is critical that all hands be on deck to build a new Nigerian starting from our utterances and thought process, building up to our engagements in the polity, quality policy making, and having round pegs in round hole, jettisoning bigotry, and nepotism in all its forms. This is not a job of, ‘they’ must do it… it’s a job of ‘I’ must do it. Then collectively, we can work towards a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all Nigerians are created equal.
“But look! A king will rule in the right way, and his leaders will carry out justice. Each one will stand as a shelter from high winds, provide safe cover in stormy weather. Each will be cool running water in parched land, a huge granite outcrop giving shade in the desert. Anyone who looks will see, anyone who listens will hear. The impulsive will make sound decisions, the tongue-tied will speak with eloquence. No more will fools become celebrities, nor crooks be rewarded with fame. For fools are fools and that’s that, thinking up new ways to do mischief. They leave a wake of wrecked lives and lies about God, turning their backs on the homeless hungry, ignoring those dying of thirst in the streets. And the crooks? Underhanded sneaks they are, inventive in sin and scandal, Exploiting the poor with scams and lies, unmoved by the victimized poor. But those who are noble make noble plans and stand for what is noble. * * *”
Isaiah 32:1-8 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/isa.32.1-8.MSG
CONCLUSION
Our alimentary canal indeed does not digest gold, neither does it digest any currency, hence we suffer from constipation as a nation and people, and this cannot continue. The earlier we change our ‘lifestyle’ the better it would be for us all collectively…and the change starts from you and I taking a decision to stand only for what is right and just for us as a people. And what needs to be done is not farfetched. We just need to be deliberate about right leadership, having in place.
- Men with clear thought process and a vision of tomorrow, not now.
- Men who think of their people first, in all things and provide for them.
- Men who can inspire positive action in people.
- Men who lead by example.
- Men who are emphatic and just.
- Men who the fear of God, resides in their hearts and homes.
And as I said, leadership is not about ‘them’, but it starts with ‘me’ as a person and as an individual and ‘you’ as a person and as an individual.
Selah.
samaderibigbe 