The core foundation of a democratic institution is the hypothetical social contract between the people and its rulers. According to the Greek philosopher Plato, it is the idea that a state exists only to serve the will of the people, who are the source of all political power enjoyed by the state. Politicians are elected to serve the people, and when their interest runs counter to the public interest, democracy is undermined, and the people suffer for it.
Thus a politician whose source of wealth is shrouded in mystery must not be allowed to step within a mile of power.
For decades, Nigerian politicians vying for any political office have paid lip service to the yearnings of the citizens who questioned the source of their big money. They promise heaven and earth to distract from the pertinent question that asked the origin of their enormous wealth. When queried, they’ll usually dismiss the question or obfuscate, and most voters lacking curiosity accept and move on.
The concern remains and will always be that a corrupt person will always be corrupt once given power. Making the saying “power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely” very practicable in the Nigerian context. Because once a Nigerian politician ascends a political throne, he becomes drunken with power, unaccountable, willful financial misappropriation, and engage in grubby power grab which the law has not given him while leaving the people he leads in constant despair and in perpetual beggarly state.
Once in power, the politician greed knows no boundary. Only family, friends, and stooges benefit from his betrayal and thievery.
If his wealth were via dishonest, crooked, scandalous, and corrupt means, he will most certainly continue his shameless feat once elected. He will be assuredly absolutely corrupt. His evil deeds and traits pervade his government. His cabinet will be corrupt, his administration will be corrupt, and everyone will turn a blind eye to the other’s misdeeds. All feasting on the nation’s commonwealth while national growth is stymied and lethargic to the masses who desperately need it.
Because the masses have not been probing the wealth of politicians or taking the source of many nouveau riche aspirants seriously, candidates for political offices have seized on the people’s apathetic and unbothered attitude to steal elections through vote-buying, malfeasance, and election rigging; all with money acquired through unscrupulous means.
This dark and dirty money permeates the entire political system, mainly used to stuff the ballot boxes, buy votes from naively hungry voters. N500, a few pounds of long grain rice, or a few packs of “indomie” will do to bribing election officials. Practically corrupting the system and our most desired public office. The apex of our national service sold to the highest corrupt bidder.
Consequently, the candidate or party who perfects the art of electoral fraud wins the seat. And the nation suffers for this national and civic robbery.
These continued disgusting practices have made the average Nigerian politician brazen and unaccountable. Infesting our body polity with crude perpetual affliction. It is unassailable and irrefutable that corrupt politicians have hindered Nigeria’s growth. Pilfered the people’s hopes and dreams and now bent on stealing our future. Unequivocally, their rotten thieving character has kept us in a state of perpetual affliction. They have ravaged our country and set ablaze every national pride we have in it. Their corrupting influence has eaten into the national fabric that we have lost all trust in government and now in the private sector and ourselves.
Because corrupt politicians and public officers continued to torment us, we must attack this national malady from every angle if we must get well. This includes demanding that aspiring public officers, including presidential candidates, disclose their wealth’s origin. If found that their source of wealth is questionable or unverifiable, this should automatically disqualify them and make them unsuited for the sacred office they seek and unfit to serve the good people of Nigeria in any capacity. Now is the time to start the healing of our nation. Beginning from this 2023 presidential campaign season.
The author is a Social Justice advocate and current president of the League for Social Justice
Email: jlabode74@gmail.com
Twitter: @Obanor
Good read. I hope many wouldn’t just scroll but take time to read and digest this nice piece.
Even though most public officers aren’t obliged to declare their assets, I think it should be a requirement as well as the sources of their income.
Someone can’t sojourn overseas for years running scam and illegal business and hope to govern a state or a country some years later.