As the gap between politicians and masses gets wider.

Politics in Nigeria is a serious business a do or die affair as it is the shortest route to riches. With the amount of money given to politicians legally as salaries and allowances excluding the spoils of the office , the politicians have been placed in the legion of millionaires .There is no politician , from councillorship upward , that is not a millionaire!



As for the Nigerian masses , they are getting poorer and poorer by the day. Inflation , unemployment , job insecurity, underpayment and delay in payment of salaries have bugged down the poor masses and denied them the living they are supposed to enjoy in a nation blessed with abundant natural resources.



The gap between politicians and masses is getting wider by the day , even as teachers embark on a national strike to demand for increase of salaries and allowances which the government has refused to implement under flimsy excuses, politicians on the otherhand have cause to smile to their banks as their salaries and allowances have increased in millions.



Even as children of the masses roam the streets as hawkers , petty labourers and beggars as all public schools are closed due to teacher's strike, the children of politicians from Mr. President to Honourable Councillor are in their classrooms in expensive private schools. And if not, between Mr. President, his vice and ministers , leadership and members of the National Assembly , state governors and their commissioners who among them do his children attend public schools and is affected by the present teachers strike? If there is anyone among those listed above, i will willingly surrender myself for ten strokes of cane!



If the Nigerian politicians would have five increases in their salaries and allowances from 1999 to date, how many increases in salaries and allowances have the Nigerian workers got from 1999 to date?(with apology to those not fortunate to be working). Don't they also need increase in their salaries and allowances to curb the menace of inflation? How much is minium wage ? What was the price of bag of rice in 1999 and what is it today? Is miniunum wage enough to buy a bag of rice today? Excluding amount spent on other household items, rent, transport , medical bills, school fees , utility bills e.t.c ?



We are a nation of hypocrisy and deceit as we all know what is being paid to Nigerian workers as salaries and allowances cannot fulfill their basic neccessities of life. Are the politicians more Nigerians than the masses? Are the politicians our first class citizens? In the course of nation building are some more important than others?



If not of selfishness and greediness that have characterised the way of life of Nigerian politicians , why would'nt they use their offices to alleviate the sufferings of their people and live by setting examples. Benefits of the offices they occupied are numerous from free accomodation, transport, medicals, food ,utility and free of whatever you can think of to make life comfortable and easy. But due to their greed the very little the masses demand to assist in keeping them moving is being denied them. It is only masses' demands that meet shortage of funds and deficits. And if they insist on their rights they are threatened with retrechentment and downsizing.



Nigerian masses are philosophical and as such take life easy and simple. As far as the masses are concerned, if they can eat to their satisfaction , pay their house rents, have an atmosphere that is condusive to conduct their legitimate daily activities, being able to solve their family educational and medical needs, e.t.c, the politicians can go and do whatever they want with the nation's resources. But why are the politicians wicked and inhuman? Why should a single person steal billions he cannot use and dump them in foreign banks? The Nigerian politicians should know that tyranny and deceit will not last forever as the dumbfounded and oppressed will one day realise the difference between his left hand from the right.



Disenchantment, mistrust, loss of confidence and hatred are growing all over the country against politicians. Masses cannot comprehend what is being done with billions of dollars the country is earning due to daily increase in international oil price. When some countries among those benefitting from the oil windfall embarked on building five new cities and some using theirs to advance nuclear technology to produce energy , we , the masses here are still living in hunger and lack of basic necessities of life. Politicians should as a matter of urgency act to start implementation of policies that the masses can testify tht yes they have a caring , accomodative and listening goverment.



Politicians at the helm of affairs from Federal,State and Local goverments have all performed below expectation with huge amounts of monies being shared among them. No good roads , drinking water,education, medical facilities,electric ity e.t.c.. And they also cannot solve the issue of unemployment which has turned strong,energetic and it is turning able young men and women into beggars ,criminals,fraudter s,prostitutes and frustrated people. The issue of unemployment has even taken a new dimension as monies are being extorted from applicants and they can easily lose their lives in the course of seeking for employment.



Other Nigerians , like politicians need equal oppurtunities and actions in place of rhetorics , sincerity in place of deceit ,good governance and a free and fair election. It is quite unfortunate for our politicians to be unable or delibrately refuse to fulfill the promises they make to the electorate when seeking for political office. Present politicians have no excuse for not performing as the resources are there and more than enough to bring about changes in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.



For any nation to develop , it has to invest heavily in the educational sector . With this , I am appealing to President Umaru Musa Yar'adua if he is sincere in achieving his seven-point Agenda, among which education is prominient to , as a matter of urgency , live by example in removing his children from private schools and take them to public schools and order all his officials and party to do the same and satisfy teachers demands. Let's see if quality of education will not change immediately.



The earlier Nigerian politicians realise that the masses are watching them enjoying their lives of comfort, while they allow them to continue to live in darkness , insecurity and fear of uncertain future the better. They too ( masses) like politicians , want their dividends of democracy through good living atleast one percent out of ten of how politicians live.







Shehu Mustapha Chaji

shehuchaji@yahoo. com