The atmosphere is turbo charged. The political space is getting hot and hotter every passing day and politicians are at their best, trying to throw their dices where they feel they can hit the jackpot.
Suffice to say that the socio-political space is opening up daily with different kinds of interests, alignment, cross-carpeting and marriage of convenience. The literary people call it the romance of strange bed fellows across party lines especially among prospective candidates.
Promises are flying left, right and centre even as some smooth talkers say they will make Nigeria a paradise on earth in the new dispensation. Some want to turn Nigeria to the United Arab Emirates in Africa. Yet other groups want to build castles in the air where they will accommodate Nigerians after the election. Some don’t even squint an eye telling Nigerians or the electorate that year 2023 is the year of Eldorado. Lori iro!
Fake promises, I may say. But nevertheless, the space is becoming entertaining with different kinds of dramatis personae, dramatic monologue these characters spew out of the blue.
Some of these strange fellows are home grown while others are offshore breed. Home grown politicians are here with us and probably connected with the electorate. They are often referred to as grassroots politicians. In most cases and for a number of reasons, possibility of asserting their grassroots influences into electoral fortunes has been truncated in the past due to god-fatherism and offshore politicians’ political maneuvering.
The offshore politicians are those with little deep pockets, courtesy of exchange rate differential but without social and cultural networks with their place of birth but are desirous of coming home to become Chairmen of Local Government Councils, Houses of Assembly members, House of Representatives, Senator and sometimes Governor of their States respectively.
These are people that were probably born abroad and have no social connection with their place of birth or people that were born here but left the country 15 or 20 years ago. My worry is how these people will know the social, political, cultural and economic problems of their people who they have disconnected from for several years. This is certainly a poser for them.
Are we really socially and politically well informed enough? Or how can we explain our social and political naivety during elections? We always allow offshore politicians to take over our social and political space when in the first place these crops of people are disconnected from the needs of the society they claimed to be representing. It is more painful when they come around and spread the crumbs which may ultimately lead to giving them undeserved electoral victory.
These set of politicians stay in Abuja ,Akure, UK, US or South Africa. They don’t come near their community again until when another election is around the corner.
This is certainly provocative and unacceptable in civilized setting. Why can’t they queue and learn over time like others that have been waiting over the years? We must decimate their social gimmick this time if really we are serious and desirous of viable political breakthrough in Nigeria.
A word is enough for the wise!
. Otunba Sola Olatunji, a business mogul and Chairman, Ikale Heritage Development Association writes from Lagos
