Only last week, Mersimlawquest sort the opinion of some young articulating Nigerians on the subject and same was published with the write up for that day. Opinion varied so also were the faces of those who shared them. And this was understandably expected. One of such opinions was anchored on the definition of politics as practised in Nigeria; it did leave a trail and THE ACME has opted to navigate through that trail this week.
It was Genma Holmes that said that Influence is nothing if it’s not to Motivate or Inspire. Honestly, not much can be said about the Influence or Inspiration these breed of Politicians give out to us- the people; the very people they swore brine and stone for, while they desperately sort for our votes. They can’t fulfil their many promises, they can’t empower us, and they cannot even make us envy them- no style, no charisma, no wording skills; at least something to distract us from their dismay score card and make us tolerate them. No nothing! They can’t Influence, they can’t Inspire and they wouldn’t Retire? How have they managed, Christ! No thanks to the misplacement of the ideology on which politics is understood, packaged, practised and presented in our country, here is how:
· THE KINDS THAT RUN OUR GOVERNMENTS:
They are of three types-----The Kingmakers, the Suckers and the Footsoldiers.
The Kingmakers are those elite that form the crankshaft and pistons of the Engine called Nigerian politics. They decide who and what becomes government. Their nature is so infiltrating that they soon become 100% dependent on government. They don't have working factories or run businesses that are independent of government. Every other business would be struggling and at the brick of dying, theirs do not belong there; they have the government (the very one that owes allegiance to them) patronizing them. The government only have to leave office when there are no immediate businesses in the horizon. Now that is retirement negotiation!
The Suckers are another group of elites who do not have any semblance of economic independence or direct power. They do not run businesses at all. Their livelihood is completely dependent on politics. They move with the movement of the crankshaft (kingmakers) in a harmony that will ensure a smooth running of the engine. They must not differ lest the engine knocks and the vehicle (Nigeria) stops. They are the ones that would never want to hear the word Retirement. These are the ministers, ambassadors, commissioners, contractors, civil servants, party officials, etc. Each of them carries out an auxiliary function that helps the engine. They are the top-cylinder, the muffler, etc, accessories to the engine that enables it receive inputs and dispose of wastes (our resources, money, hopes).
The Footsoldiers are the defenceless, anywhere-would-do majority. They constitute the body and load of the vehicle, relevant only to carry the load and provide coverage. It could be made of anything: steel, wood, leather, etc. (Relates to people from different professions),the load could be of anything: firewood, sugarcane, refuse, money, just anything to cover up the government mess. They do not have a say as to the running of the engine or the direction it takes.
They are passive. These are the grassroot members of the political structure of any ruling party at state or national level. They include party leaders and delegates from the nooks and crannies of the country. They are among those we saw on our TV screens on the 13th of January at the Eagle Square venue of the PDP national convention. These ones do not know when to retire until they are told ‘’time-up’’ when there is no more mess to cover up anymore or when they can no longer ‘’perform’’. And they would always respond ‘Yes Sir’.
So retirement in Nigerian Politics is as Complex as the country itself. But this need not be so. In fact, it falls far below the minimum standard of a true democracy. And it should not be condoned. There are ways out. There is a way out. And that would form the base of our next discourse in the continuation of this series.
Additional words: A. Tilda
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