The former Governor of CRS, Ben Ayade, left a regrettable but an unforgettable legacy of Food on the Table appointments in which uncountable numbers of persons were appointed into various offices he created in order for them to have something to eat with members of theira families. Jobs were not created through an intelligent use of administrative and economic wizardry of any kind but were minted on the computer and announced to the bewildered beneficiaries and the helpless public. The appointees were not meant to work and add value to the state in any form but to sit in the comfort of their homes and receive credit alerts at the end of the month.
The capacity of men to copy bad examples is immense. And quite early in the life of this dispensation, someone, namely, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has announced himself as an adoring disciple of Ben Ayade. Recently, the man announced the names of 34 men and women he has appointed to help him discharge the work of his office as Speaker.
As a media person, I could count nearly ten media related appointments to do the work which one competent and trained person can do. We also have ridiculous appointments of special assistants, senior special assistants and special advisers, some to cover the geo-political zones of the country which makes some observers to wonder whether the man has an ambition to prepare for a presidential bid one day.
The greater wonder is that is the Speaker aware of the dire economic situation of the country? In fact, are the present crops of leaders aware of what is going on in the country at all? Do they still see governance as a jamboree? If so, there is no hope of our getting out of the woods we are in.
From the olympotic appointments of Speaker Abbas, I have a feeling that the man has redefined his work as the leader of the lower legislative chamber of the federal government. His work now, I think, is just to be advised. He is not to do anything else but only to be advised. If not so, how can one man have the time to be advised by 34 persons even if all will not see him at the same time?
In an effort to create as many offices as possible for the boys, many of the offices announced are a duplication of one another. Abbas may spend all his speakership time adjudicating turf wars and quarrels among his appointees. For example, in the media area, we have Assistant on New Media and an Assistant on Electronic Media. This is the nature of appointments that some of the governors are making, all in the bid to find work for their supporters, all at the expense of the economic health of the polity.
For how long will our politicians be raping Nigeria? With what is going on so far, one is forced to ask: Is there no sheriff in town to say no to the nonsense still being exhibited in the face of the extreme difficulties that have befallen the land?
It is not surprising that our leaders get away with these things because there are many of their followers who do not understand that what they are doing is what is diminishing the country. The country is not growing because those who are in a position to make it grow do not believe in productivity. They believe in bleeding the country any which way they can in order to satisfy their political goals.
I told a friend one day that Nigeria is like a car being ill-maintained and badly driven and that one day, it will knock and not move again. I am not a pessimist but there is nothing going on to give me the hope that one day we will not wake up to hear and see that things have simply grinded to a halt because of our recklessness and lack of consideration for the wellbeing of our country.