Patronage and political leadership

While the electorates in developed democracies allow and support their political leaders to carry on with the task of nation-building, Nigerian electorates would rather look up to their leaders for crumbs as their democracy dividends. This is why our political office holders find it very difficult or almost impossible to provide the electorates the much […]

While the electorates in developed democracies allow and support their political leaders to carry on with the task of nation-building, Nigerian electorates would rather look up to their leaders for crumbs as their democracy dividends. This is why our political office holders find it very difficult or almost impossible to provide the electorates the much needed democracy dividends.

In the course of discharging their executive and legislative functions, political office holders are almost always inundated with insurmountable pressure from their relations, friends, colleagues and acquaintances asking for one favour or the other.
The distractions and diversions arising from incessant phone calls, visitation and courtesy calls in the office, worship centers and at home, makes political office holders uncomfortable that oftentimes they are forced to take refuge in guest houses or hotels where they find it convenient to work.
While it is convenient for ministers and other high ranking public office holders to use public transport in developed democracies unnoticed, their Nigerian counterparts are always ensconced in tinted, chauffeur-driven jeeps with a full complement of security to defray unwary transgressors.
The unnecessary but required security cordon around political office holders has turned our leaders into masquerades whose faces are not supposed to be seen in public.
Thus our leaders rarely go to mosques, churches, markets, hospitals and other public places unaccompanied for the fear of the unknown and of their pockets.
Once elected as a president, governor, chairman, and legislator or appointed as a minister, commissioner or chief executive of a parastatal, long forgotten friends, old class mates and even estranged relations suddenly remember the glorious moments they once shared with you in your formative years.
Having barely settled down to work, these unwanted parasites would bombard political office holders with long list of their demands ranging from unpaid medicals bills, their wards’ school fees, clothing, housing, pilgrimage seats and sundry unsubstantiated demands.
This plethora of requests from cronies and political hangers-on makes a serious drain in the pockets of our honourables and their Excellencies.
Closely related to this is the note- bearing job-seeker or emergency contractor who comes from an ex- president, a clergy, a monarch, a community leader or party leader introducing them as bona fide constituents who should be assisted.
This beggarly attitude has permeated the ranks of scholars, journalists, members of the Diaspora and other professionals who want to be appointed either as aides or consultants.
Alas, traditional rulers, student unions and professional bodies are not left out in the largesse-seeking business as they are falling over themselves to pay courtesy calls and confer Distinguished Awards of Excellence on their prey- Excellencies and Honourables.
It is worthy to note that those non-conformist Excellencies and Honourables who are not ready to play ball are sure to get the boot from the dissatisfied electorates come election time.
It was a combination of this mortal fear and the lust for lucre that perhaps propelled our public office holders to dip their hands in public till to ensure their survival in the highly monetized political environment.
Little wonder then, that our roads, hospitals, schools and other infrastructures continue to deteriorate in spite of the huge financial allocation.
It is imperative for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Federal Ministry of Information and the Mass Media to engage in massive voter education to sensitize the electorates on the ills of money-politics and dependency which imperils democracy, good governance and sustainable growth and development.
Political office holders on their part should shun corrupt practices and embark on the massive resuscitation of our socio-economic infrastructures to generate employment opportunities and make life more abundant for ordinary Nigerians. Let this be the only favour our electorates should ask of their leaders.

Mohammed wrote from Bello Anache Road, Funtua, Katsina State