From comrade to come-and-raid By Wale Fatade

In a move that will shock molecular biologists, I can now confirm that something is inherently wrong with Nigeria politicians DNA. No, this is not about racism, neither is it one that will mortify my molecular biology teacher at the University of Ibadan, the revered Mark Nwagwu; but one that shows that most of our politicians are actually lower than animals in some instances.


They grab, and grab, until there is nothing left to grab. While they are yet to put up a good show in one performance, they are already preparing for another. Successive actions tend to make them sink lower in behavioural pattern. Just imagine the funny statement issued by our dear Garba Shehu, who in normal situation is an epitome of circumspection, telling us that our president will contest in 2019 when nearly two years into the current tenure, he is not making a success of it yet. Or the purchase of luxury cars, referred to by some journalists as ‘exotic’ by the House of Representatives in an economy pointing down south even when they have been given money to purchase cars for personal use.

After you could be pardoned thinking that we’ve seen the worst of them, they usually come up with another terrible action. But the focus today is on the one known as “Comrade Governor” who just handed over to his godson in Edo State. Apparently, all the dialectics about wealth, capitalism, Marxism, and bourgeoisie materialistic values meant nothing to the comrade governor. One could only imagine how he must have been longing for the comfort of the ruling class he so much rallied against as labour leader. And while there is nothing inherently bad in being comfortable, the primitive acquisitive tendencies of the Nigerian ruling class must rankle a normal human. Little is never enough and they must bleed the poor citizens dry.

Stories abound of deals brokered in the dark even while serving as labour leader masquerading to be defending the interests of poor workers. It also includes that of wild parties and orgies even while in office involving young girls barely entering puberty. But stories they must remain as they are yet to be laid bare in the public arena even while many know, and yet pretend to be blissfully unaware. He speaks of battles against notorious godfathers in the state, yet ended up becoming one after eight years as governor. Not satisfied with whatever he must have earned legitimately and otherwise, he arranged for a more than comfortable retirement complete with obscene perks.

As a son of pensioners of nearly two decades now, one ought not to raise any eyebrow at a plan that seeks to provide comfort for would-be retirees, after all one would be in their shoes in one day. One must, however, speak against a plan that seeks to perpetually impoverish they very people our dear comrade claimed to have spent all his years on earth fighting for. How could one possibly understand a N200 million plus retirement package in this season of drought? How, for goodness sake, did the spineless and wicked House of Assembly approve such? Sure, his is not the first in this strange country of ours and might not likely be the last, but definitely not the best.

Increasingly, states are not only being bled by those charged with providing succor, they would not even help in applying a Band-Aid on an ulcer as they step out of office. With a pliant assembly of legis-looters as they deserve to be appropriately called, they must traumatize helpless and hapless citizens the more even out of office.  Citizens are discovering that no matter how big your office is, it’s unlikely to confer on you what you ain’t got, integrity in most cases. The house, or more appropriately, mansion, in his village notwithstanding, the poor souls of Edo State must continue to maintain him for life.

Strangely enough, apart from a statement by a non-governmental organisation, Edo citizens are comfortable with this morally reprehensible legislation. Surely SERAP must be crying more than the bereaved as it seems more concerned than the people who would bear the brunt of this legislation.
 They are as generous and accommodating as citizens of other states where such bizarre pension laws are in place too for former governors. Further, there’s that other scenario where former governors are now serving senators drawing pension even while still in active service making one to wonder, what is it that ail us?

Last week, some gory pictures were circulated on social media of a robbery suspect lynched by people and some citizens actually felt bad with such action. We might need more stones though, not for street robbers, but for those plundering our commonwealth under the guise of public office.