When the broom is tied together
When someone dies amongst them, Christians would normally console themselves by saying: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken.” Now, what would they say if the Lord resurrected one of their own from the dead? They might say: “The Lord took, the Lord has restored.”
This illustration exactly fits into the current news making waves in the media. President Buhari has offered to take only 50% of his salary as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. That is N7 million per annum, as against his entitlement of N14 million. So has his Vice, Professor Osinbajo. Nigerians are excited. They are very excited. They see the gesture as a symbol of the coming years of serious accountability on the part of government.
When I ruminate over the circumstances that brought Nigeria to its knees and made it a paradox, a country where a majority of the citizens continues to suffer deprivation despite the enormous wealth the country is endowed with; when I think about how educated Nigerians continue to run away from their country in their drones because they are unable to stand the heat of indiscipline that has become the hallmark of the nation’s culture; when I remember how all the good things of life, the steadily running taps, the roads which were mended as soon as they showed signs of weakness, the electricity that never failed by day or by night, the hospitals that never lacked drugs and the schools where dedicated teachers ensured that the education of children entrusted into the care was their main priority, I shudder to see the “progress” Nigerian political leaders claim to have made since their country acquired self-rule in 1960.
I reflect that had the military not made their exploitative incursion into the democratic evolution of Nigeria, obviously the country would have been far more formidably built than the fragile democracy they now boast of. It was the military that introduced the rogue politicians who have continued since 1966 to dominate the helm of affairs in Nigeria. It was the military that ushered in the rogue businessmen and women who have continued to parade the corridors of power in the country till today. It was the military that turned the country inside out and outside in.
In actual fact, in those days, it was the never-do-wells who were initially sent to the Army by their people to “go and die there!” Some of those rascals had been terrors to the community. Some of them were armed robbers. They were the bad boys. But then, a few of them who were educated were recruited to give the Army a semblance of sanity. And because a leopard can never change the colour of its skin, what did they do? They seized the least opportunity when it presented itself to sack the government and take over the running of the national economy. Like all those who make blood money, their interest was not the nation. Their main interest was how to make money, and more money and more money.
They had the gun. That was important. They easily made friends among those who shared their “sympathy” – who later metamorphosed into the rogue business class Nigerians have in their country today. That is why all through these nearly 50 years the military interrupted the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria, the same foot soldiers have continued to dominate the economy of the country with their families and cronies. That is why a governor will stay in office for 8 years and is not satisfied with whatever development he claims to have bestowed on his land and people. He moves from the office of governor after 8 years into the Senate, not because he has the people in mind, but because he has money in mind. It is all about money. The people’s welfare could come after that.
The military created a rogue situation which made government a lucrative business for those who could stand the heat, those who could do or die in the process. For those whose philosophy of life was ‘live and let live’ belonging to Nigeria was like having a bad dream.
But we may begin to thank God. The Lord took, and the Lord (it appears) has begun to restore.”
That God will use a military General to restore the rights of Nigerian citizens to decent wages; to restore sanity and accountability in public office and to give Nigerians back their dignity within the international community – things Satan stole from them through his agents, the rogue politicians and rogue businessmen and women – is to my simple mind, very significant. It is not only a glimpse into the will of God, it is a symbol of things to come. The God who began this work in President Buhari will accomplish it in him. That is the prayer of all Nigerians.
President Buhari has taken the first bold step forward. But we must not forget. There is no coordinated effort yet. Even the governors have different opinions on the issue. One thing is obvious, though, and that is that in all this, there is a yawning need to curb the salaries and allowances of Nigerian politicians now that the exercise has begun from the Presidency. Nigerian legislators are the highest paid in the whole world. Nigerians have continued to ask why that should be so. What are they doing better than the legislators in the UK, the USA, Japan, Canada, China and elsewhere? Many Nigerians have continued to register their disgust with the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) which has always been claimed is responsible for fixing the wages and allowances of Nigerian legislators and public office holders.
If President Buhari must succeed in this campaign, the Executive Arm of government must initiate a Bill which will drastically slash the remuneration of Nigerian public office holders at every level so that it will no longer be attractive to rogue politicians. The Buhari Administration should get information on how much legislators earn in America, the UK, Japan, Korea, Canada and China. Then the administration should take the average and deliver that to Nigerians as the wage of a Nigerian legislator.
Nigerians need to move their democracy forward now that they have a man they can trust is not the greedy type. This executive bill must be well packaged and presented in such a way that if they refuse it, the whole world will know that Nigerian legislators are not willing to serve their nation and that they are more interested in serving their private pockets.
From now on, the Buhari Administration must continue to strive to make its mark in the history of Africa by making governance unattractive to rogue politicians. Anyone coming to serve the people and is qualified to serve and is trusted by the people should be welcome. It is the duty of every well meaning Nigerian to help make this vision work. Nigerians must work together for their own collective success by challenging their legislators to imitate what other advanced countries are doing. The broom can only sweep clean when it is tied together.