At the end, noone was arrested, state's resources went up just like that. The same situation is still playing out even with greater intensity in a more advanced form.This accounts for the mindless return of some persons unopposed, to re-contest for a position which they had occupied without any meaningful achievement, against the cries and refusal of a preponderant majority of the populace. Apart from the massive control of his clients particularly the governor (because of the strategic position in terms of decision making and allocation of resources), the state legislature is under his firm grip. The choice of contracts and contractors lies in his domain, some of the lords lay claim to the so-called security vote. The client who had been surreptitiously lured to some diabolical acquiescence is at the receiving end. At the national level, the lord is well connected, even within the military circle; the lord is untouchable, likened to a garrison commander, the state is in his pocket. Failure to comply with the heinous and insalubrious agreement attracts the wrath of the lord. He is capable of causing major upsets such as engineering the impeachment or removal of 'erring' client(s). His major interest is WIFM (what's in it for me), not what he can do to better the lots of his constituency. But the truth remains that he is fooled by the bee of persons that always swarm around him. He is only idolised by his followers' because of his stupendous wealth, without any iota of emotional reverence for his person ordinarily.This endemic social kwashiorkor has contagiously ravaged the nooks and crannies of Nigeria's political terrain with the rapacious and perilous force of feral locusts, in an unprotected agricultural farm land. Even barren seers could attest to the degeneration of social intercourse occasioned by this endogamous parlous cankerworm. From the East to the West and from the North to South; from state to state and from Local government to local government, the story is the same ' paucity of funds: From the national to the states down to the local governments, huge budgetary allocations are made annually, apparently for the provision and maintenance of basic infrastructure, but alas what the indigent masses have to show for their votes is threats to their assets left at the mercy of nature, sometimes, of arrests and beating should they question the authority of the lord who has commandeered their common wealth for self adulation. Some people cannot conveniently come out of their squalours without collapsing into waiting floods when the sky spits, not to talk of when it empties its bowel. Juxtaposing the triumph of this heinous system at the lower and higher level, one would marvel at the height of impunity that goes on in the polity. The grievous implication is that laudable projects are no longer executed, infrastructure are not maintained because funds allocated for socio -economic services are diverted to service the interest and protection of the lord. This is our own version of democratic governance; this is our heritage of democracy dividend. Power is built around personalities rather than institutions. While the West eandeavour to exhibit good will and vision towards leadership, the reverse is the case in Africa, nay Nigeria . Characters who are bereft of ideas lurk around the corridors of power with the support of power brokers, taking far reaching decisions that impact negatively on the entire nation. Is it not rather preposterous that an individual wades gargantuan socio-political powers, albeit illegally to the detriment of the populace' The law enforcement agents should rise to the occasion and save us from this naughty clientilism.
Click here to read full news..
