In this part of the world, many see national and electoral representation as a lottery jackpots rather than service to the people who elected them with their votes and approval.
The desperation to emerge ahead of other candidates in many political contest, have turned many bright visionary individuals into assasins and terror promoter by arming willing youths to maim and kill opponents who are in the race of similar course within the same party and others of different political party.
This bitter politics have been integrated into Nigeria democracy, and have led to the loss of breadwinners of some households, enmity between close friends and archrivalry among members of the same community who see winning the election as a do or die affair, and ready to uproot any stumbling group or individual they perceive as internal and external threat.
Some individuals whose belly interest comes first before communal interest, join political race without clear vision and practical manifesto, depending on godfather approval after allocating cash gifts to party leaders to declare them as party flag bearers even when they are not popular among the people. It is true that some aspiring politicians take loan from financial and credit institutions to finance their electoral campaign with promise to repay back the credit instrument after victory in the election.
This orientation and perception is been passed down to the next generation of leaders, with followers carefully studying the actions of the leaders, with councillors adopting the corrupt pattern of state assembly members as a political strategy and decoy through mismanagement, kickbacks, diversion of resources meant for community and constituency development.
The new generation of aspiring leaders are already innovating corrupt practices and public service fraud. We can identify them through their actions and statements when their masters in political offices are been questioned by their constituents on how they utilise constituency development fund and budget, even when it is obvious that their master is not honest in their response, the followers will defend their leaders even if it required them to tell lies and deceive the electorates with propaganda and fictitious figures, they call this dishonest principle “Loyalty”.
Truly, everyone needs to protect the bakery where he/she is getting his/her daily bread from, what if the bakery bread is only reaching the least of people but the air pollution from the bakery is affecting majority of people?
Until corrupt practices in public service attract death penalty and other capital punishments, the new generation of aspiring representatives in government offices are already mastering the lessons of maladministration and exploitation at the expense of the masses, while recruiting social media praise singers as data boys to defend their heist, and other impoverished individuals as foot soldiers ready to wage war when questions for accountability and transparency arises from concerns citizens and members of their constituents.
Prince Samuel Adesegun Egunjobi, MBA, is an entrepreneur and public affairs commentator writing from Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.
