Holding our politicians accountable

ON September 10, 2017, I was in my home keeping an eye on how the United States of America was responding appropriately to hurricane Irma that was destructively sweeping through the State of Florida. It left me cringing and thinking almost at the same time. I did cringe because the nation that is being affected is a developed nation. Also, it made me think real hard when I remembered my fatherland. I asked myself a series of questions: “If what is happening to America were to be happening to Nigeria right now, how in this world are we going to live to tell the tale? How prepared are we for global mishaps as a people? Are we thinking on what to do on the condition that same thing hits us as a nation?” I think not.

It was while I was dancing between the two ladies of—ravishing cringe and fastidious thought that I switched my phone on to have a look at what was going in the fine-looking world of social media. As an effect of this, I decided to stroll for a few minutes on the dusty street of Facebook. While looking here and there, I saw on the Timeline of Seun Okinbaloye that he would be interviewing one of the senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the finger-pointing and accusation of Professor Itse Sagay against the 8th National Assembly that they were sucking life out of the wheezing country. Right before the whole world, our honorable senator refused to answer the interviewer. It was clear as water that Seun in point of fact wanted him to put Sagay wrong by giving our esteemed citizens the true figure of the take home of each senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The spokesman for the 8th Assembly said Prof Sagay was deceiving Nigerians, but he refused to disclose how much each Senator is running home with.

About a year ago, a senator was brought on a radio station to uncover same issue. It is only in Nigeria that those who are voted into power are higher than those who vote them into power. It is only in Nigeria that holding a public servant accountable within the confines of our constitution is seen as a religious sin that would later attract the punishment of God. It is only in Nigeria that employees (politicians) are superior to employers (citizens). It is only in Nigeria that the citizens sleep on the floor while the politicians sleep on “water bed.” It is only in Nigeria that those who are voted into power are recession-proof while those who vote them into power are daily languishing in the hot-hell of hunger.

Let me leave the issue of the senator for a while and talk about the president. Since the president came into power, he has only had one media chat with the citizenry. This clearly shows that he does not respect those who voted him into power. Also, the Federal Executive meeting has been cancelled twice. He spent 100 days beyond the shores of Nigeria without his employers knowing what was actually happening to their employee, the president of Nigeria. How do we hold the senators accountable for how much they are pocketing when the president has not deemed it fit to tell those who voted him into power how much was spent on him in the United Kingdom? Who exactly calls the shots in Nigeria? The politicians or the citizens? Immediately our politicians are voted into power, they become larger than life and bigger the constitution of our beloved country. While seeking for votes, they can eat popcorns, plantain chips and drink sachet of pure water, but immediately they access political power, sons of nobody that they sat with yesterday would not be able to sit with them anymore today.

I challenge Sagay to beam the same searchlight that is being put on the legislature on the executive. I believe very strongly in the principle of fairness. Can we demand for how much every component of the Executive is running home with every month? It is only in Nigeria that people do not care how the nation is being governed. The truth is; how many of us would have companies and not bulge about how much employees are taking to their varied homes? How many of us will look the other way and not hold them accountable?

In saner climes, the office of citizens is higher than the highest political office in Nigeria. The citizens are supposed to be calling the shots, not those who are voted into power. As a citizen, you are superior to any politician you vote for into power. You are the employer while he or she is the employee. And it is your alienable right to know how you are being daily governed. It is your constitutional right to know how much those who are elected to serve you are being paid. Politicians are not doing you any favor for constructing fairly-good roads, supplying water twice in monthly, giving four hours of electric power supply. The truth is, you deserve more than you are being given!
On the condition that you will not demand for what is constitutionally yours, it will not be given to you. It is high time you started to demand for what you voted those who are currently in power to do. You deserve to be respected by every elected public servant. You are supposed to be calling the shots, not them.