Is a new party the solution?

The subject matter of this week’s article has been a no-brainer ever since President Buhari returned from China. Bearing in mind the nation’s lacklustre economy could there be a more relevant topic at present than the Naira/Yuan currency swap??

Of-course not!!

Or so I thought.  But as the days passed by, what started out as a fleeting and rather exaggerated thought rang louder and louder in my head as I began to realise that it may not be so absurd after-all.

The thought?

Simple – ‘Nigeria’s only hope is for a completely new party to emerge; free of financial hijackers, and free of polluted minds and selfish ambitions’.

I firmly believe both President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo are men of integrity who genuinely want the very best for Nigeria (I was going to say ‘who genuinely want to change Nigeria for the better, but such is the present mood of the nation that the further one stays away from that particular word the better all round). So ‘integrity’ it is.

We can safely say that our President and Vice President are sincere in their desire to steer our nation towards a more fruitful future.

Unfortunately it has become startlingly clear during the past few months that PMB and his most reliable Robin may be on their own in this sojourn. For not only did ministries/ministers initially buff up their budgets, leading to a reboot of the whole process, but we now have a situation where-in the National Assembly is refusing to ratify the budget because of a desire to milk funds where-ever possible.

Let’s ponder the present on-goings in the National Assembly for a few moments.

1. Senate President is under investigation for fraud and misrepresentation

2. SUVs being handed around like sweets

3. Some Senators attempting to change the constitution in order to protect the Senate President and, of-course, themselves from impunity

4. A cross section of Senators holding the entire nation to ransom because of their refusal to ratify a budget that doesn’t meet their desire to plunder and pillage   

The annual salary of a Nigerian Senator is US$2,183,685. Kindly allow me to repeat that figure; yes – US$2,183,685

The APC obviously forgot to send the ‘Change’ memo to the National Assembly.

In-case this absurdly high figure isn’t enough to make you gasp in wonder, a comparison with those of other nations will send you to those unenviable realms of shock, trepidation, and bewilderment. 

Can somebody please tell me why Nigerian senators get over ten times the salary of senators of the world’s biggest economy?

And yet we’re informed on a daily basis that the nation is broke; how we must adapt to present-day harsh economic realities. As usual it is ordinary hard working Nigerians that must bear the suffocating costs of what can only be termed ‘heartless excess’.

We’ve been kicked in the teeth by the blatant corruption of previous administrations, pulverised over and over again by the legislature’s insensitiveness to our painful plight; and yet continue to choose to mind our own business as the nation’s meagre financial resources are brazenly mismanaged.

A mere glance at the above figures accentuates the bitter reality that the majority of Nigeria’s Senators represent nobody’s interests but their own.

The result?

Not only an unnecessary and in truth unbearable pressure on an already struggling economy, but also a complete loss of the people’s confidence and trust. Not that that particular loss has led to much in the past. 

In 2009 the British parliament was awash with resignations of several members of parliament because of the ‘Parliamentary Expenses Scandal’. Quoting Wikipedia, ‘The disclosure of widespread misuse of allowances and expenses permitted to Members of Parliament aroused widespread anger among the UK public and resulted in a large number of resignations,  sackings, de-selections and retirement announcements together with public apologies and the repayment of expenses.’

Some MPs resigned for as little as £10!

In some cases their conscience got the better of them. But the majority were forced to resign as a result of public outcry. And there-in lies one of the biggest factors that determines whether or not a nation succeeds – The attitude of the people.

In successful nations the people recognise and embrace the reality that nobody remains in public office unless he or she is allowed to – by them. In several instances (regarding the Parliamentary Expenses Scandal) the people demanded the resignations.

For so long as we the people continue to stick our heads in the sand so as to mind our own business, Senators and House of Reps Members will continue to spend and behave as they please.

Not all Senators and House of Reps members are bad eggs though. There are a few with the people’s interests at heart.

As my friend Tolu said to me a few days ago, next time we vote in a general election, let’s ensure we pay just as much attention to the National Assembly candidates as we do the gubernatorial and presidential candidates, for these are the people that determine the pace and direction in which the nation moves.

The question is; can we ever expect anything different from today’s politicians? Is it too late for most of them to ‘change’? Can we ever truly trust APC and PDP politicians again?

It is quite possible that the only way forward for Nigeria is via a completely new party. A new party bereft of financial hijackers and individuals with hidden agendas that are far more in tune with the nation’s best interests; a party harnessed by a new breed of leaders whose focus and determination to build a far better Nigeria leaves no room for any form of compromise.      

Where are these new leaders? It could be you.

Olusegun Akande