Music, movies and theft on elevated seats

THE fastest growing export that Nigeria has is certainly Nollywoodmovies and our eclectic music that is relentlessly dominatingbars and club houses from Arusha to Zagreb. The sometime poor paraphrases in our movies and the outlandish lingoes in our music nonetheless, the Nigerian movie and music industries are racing to establish a leading benchmark in the world’s largest consumer markets. Our music and movies are saving us from the outcries generated by the noxious act of our compatriots in Dubai, United States, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Where the activities of Hushpuppies and their gangs, or the frenzy larceny of our politicians have bumped our reputation, the music of Burna Boy, Davido, Whizkid, Yemi Alade, Timaya, Femi Kuti and the rest have provoked a followership of millions all over the world and created a distinctive game changer in social circles globally.

But movies, music and thieving politicians are not all that Nigeria and Nigerians are known for globally. We have academic excellence in the Osidero Okpewhos of State University of New York, the Ekwere Peters of Alberta University in Canada, the Godwin Chukwus of the University of Alaska, the Ilesanmi Adesidas of the University of Illinois at Urbana – just to mention a few, and the professional brilliance of the Akinwunmi Adeshinas of AfDB, business acumen of the Dangotes and Otedolas, enigmatic Israel Adesanya of UFC and the scintillating Anthony Joshua in boxing.

But there is nothing that catches the attention of visitors to our country more than the brutal wastefulness of our leaders and their ostentatious display of money, powerand unkindness. Forget about Funke Akindele breaking the Covid-19 protocol or the intractable Naira Marley beating the corrupt airline executive in his own game, our politicians and public office holders are still our greatest albatross.

The bevy of siren-blaring exotic cars with tinted windowsshielded by gun-wielding uniformed men reminds us of our unnerving military past, and points to the dishonesty of our politicians when condemning military rule. They make fortunes from our misfortunes as they turn our misery, pains and shame to their monetary gains when they are put in places like NDDC (Niger Delta Development Commission) or either given the seemingly ordinary task of providing succour to Internally Displaced Refugees in IDP camps or panacea to the poor that are unfairly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To them, it is not a call to serve the nation but another opportunity to loot and share our collective resources.They are men and women without honour.

Ourleaders and public office holders drive us crazy not only because they steal money with so much brazenness and without consequences, but also because of the condescending routine of their explanation. They derive arguments and justify their parliamentary compensations by comparisons to the U.S, U.K and European parliamentarians forgetting that there are rules and regulations governing the spending of each parliamentarian or public office holders in those countries.

Shehu Sani, the estranged member of the National Assembly once blew the whistle on his compatriots and said that the salary of Senators is N750,000 per month plus allowances of N13.5 million, for a total package of N14.25 million  per month. How do you justify such criminality when in states like Ogun state, the minimum wage is still 18,000 naira per month? It is injustice and cruelty to Nigerians.

From state governors to the local authority leaderships, undocumented expenses are protected by spurious laws such as ‘security votes’, ‘constituency projects’, constituency votes, ‘out of pocket expenses’ and other bookkeeping griefs. Governors spend money without the due process of going through their legislative arm. But who is that assembly man or woman that will go against a sitting governor? They have hands in the election or selection of every assembly member in their respective states. The local authority chairpersons are even worse. With the abandonment of simple municipal functionality such as refuse disposal, funding primary education, primary health care and parks where available, one wonders if there is any need for creation of local councils in the country as the state governments have taken over their roles.

It is no longer secret that some governors grab lands and properties belonging to their states and covetously convert them to their personal assets,thus creating an impasse of decision for their successors when they leave office. They also do not only aspire to end up at the Senate when they leave office, but use their position to plant stooges in the government houses. The purpose may not be unconnected to either continuing with their unwholesome legacies or to prevent any attempt to dig into their sloppy past. The build-up to achieving such ambitionsis never devoid of party splitting antics and destructive open and secret campaigns. For most of them, it is either a do-or-die game as they jostle to take control of everything in their states. It is always a battle they are unwilling to lose kindly and will rather destroy their states than allowing their opponents to come into power.

But when did Nigeria as a country become a global symbol of corruption and moral bankruptcy? We all condemned the action of the mega fraudsterRamoni Igbalode a.k.a Hushpuppy, but the superciliousness of Dino Melaiye on social media has brought us down as a nation to the same gutter level as Hushpuppy and his gang of fraudsters. This unrepentant politician whose known legit jobs are only serving a term each at both national assemblies, will display everything in a Hushpuppy-like manner from glamorous cars to watches, shoes, houses in Dubai or London and even his designer boxers.It is sheer meanness and reprehensible for a leader who was elected to represent his constituency for necessary development but will taunt the same people with an audacious display of wealth acquired while pretending to represent them.

Dino Melaiye is not alone. We are watching.

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