Sunday March
08, 2009 |
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in PDF)
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As one who belongs to several Nigerian
listserv groups, I can attest that one of the most e-mailed and
discussed headlines was from the March 4, 2009 edition of Next.
The caption read: “We are all thieves in this Assembly”.
On first reading the headline, I
thought it was a news editor’s ploy to put the most sensational spin on
its subject’s words. But the opening paragraph of this story, reported
by Dimeji Adedeji-Kayode, quickly disabused me. The report stated that a
“member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Oluseyi Moses, on Tuesday,
declared that all the 26 lawmakers in the state are fraudulent and
should immediately be arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC).”
|
After reading through his
unflinching confession,
I can never again write the word “lawmaker” without retching.
It’s still early in 2009, but I’m willing to bet that Mr. Moses’
words will make the list of the most
memorable words of the year. In fact, it’s likely
to be in the top league of quotable quotes. |
What
manner of spirit moved this man to
unmask himself
and his fellow
thieves? |
|
It’s not the sentiment itself that
made the statement startling. Most Nigerians already know that most of
their “leaders” are certified thieves. The novelty lay in the open
confession by one of the thieves.
According to the report, Mr. Moses “made the allegation on the floor of
the House of Assembly, shortly after the suspension of two members of
the assembly.” Irate, he called on the anti-graft agency to hasten and
arrest the twenty-six members of the State Assembly. The “lawmakers,” he
stated, get paid much better than PhD holders. “Yet we still steal,” he
said. Then this invitation to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission: “I am calling on EFCC to arrest all of us…I will cooperate
with the organization in exposing our financial mess. We should all be
arrested. We are all thieves in this assembly. We are only fighting
because of our selfish interest and pockets.”
What got into Mr. Moses, you ask? What manner of spirit moved this man
to unmask himself and his fellow thieves? Perhaps the man is haunted by
the collective anguish of the people of Ogun State, victims of misrule
by a callous breed foisted in power by the Peoples Democratic Party and
its do-or-die demagogues.
It’s not everyday that one hears a Nigerian politician own up that he
and his fellow assembly members “were all paupers before being elected
to the House of Assembly.” Or admit that “their action so far was unfair
to those who elected them and other citizens of the state.” Or pledge to
“open up and confess to EFCC.” Or declare, “We should all be locked up.”
Or reveal that “Virtually all of us have built mansions and have chains
of cars on getting to office [sic], and where do we get the money?”
Far from admitting to his iniquities or conceding to exploitation of his
constituents, the typical Nigerian politician is wont to declaim that he
has “delivered the dividends of democracy.” He gives himself credit for
“totally transforming the lives of the people.” He beats his chest and
states that he has “totally redefined governance.” In an excess of
vanity and pomposity, former President Olusegun Obasanjo even prevailed
on his party to festoon him with the hollow title of “father of modern
Nigeria.”
Ogun – incidentally Mr Obasanjo’s home state – is embroiled in the kind
of political crisis patented by the visionless, inept fools who run
Nigeria. From all accounts, there’s no salient principle involved in
this broiling feud. The dispute has nothing to do with how best to
address the ever-worsening economic climate. It’s not about differing
strategies for transforming the state into a more livable space.
No, it’s – as Mr. Moses bluntly acknowledged – an exercise to determine
which set of men and women are to preside over the uninterrupted
exploitation of the masses. It’s all about which group of “stake
holders” is to seize political leverage, and the exclusive use of that
advantage to accumulate riches while sticking it to the so-called
ordinary man.
The messy state of affairs in Ogun is a microcosm of the larger Nigerian
tragedy. Nigeria is a space hijacked by the most unconscionable
parasites, from the highest executive posts through the National
Assembly to local government councils. Mr. Moses indicted twenty-six
members of the Ogun State Assembly. But – give or take a handful of
exceptions – we could invoke his words to say to the collectivity of
Nigerian politicians: You’re all thieves.
