STEALING IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE


STILL ON THE CONSTITUENCY PROJECT CHALLENGE

“When followers fail
To exercise the POWER
They POSSESS over their Leaders,
ESPECIALLY ELECTORATE POWER,
The Leaders most OFTEN assume
That they have the Legitimacy to
ENGAGE IN POLITICAL CRIMINALITY
AND IRREGULARITIES”
~ Scranton and Chadwick (emphasis mine)

Not a day passes without someone complaining about the Government, we criticize them, we call them names, we analyze, we argue and we even fight, but the situation remains the same. The attitude of many is that of Apathy or Despondency. Like Socrates said “By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher”  A man who marries a wife he is not happy with do all he can to effect change in his home or he takes the seemingly easy but in reality wrong option of divorce. Either way Change is affected.

Majority of Nigerians are Philosophers. We hope that one day there will be a Change, but we are not doing anything to ensure that Change Happens. A wise man defines madness as “Doing the same thing over and over again but expecting to get a different result” is majority of Nigerians mad? It was Alice Walker who said “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.”

Do we truly have the power to effect a change? As we approach another election year, we need to ask our representatives questions, the Freedom of Information Act empowers us to ask them to render stewardship of their years in office before they get our votes again. For all those seeking re – election our slogan is; “Don't tell us what you are going to do, show us what you have done before”

A Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria earns N498, 630.13 a day, which a University Professor does not make in a month; N20, 776.28 per hour; and N346.27 per minute. A member of the House of Representatives earns N347, 945.00 per day, N14, 497.00 per hour and N241.00 per minute. In other words, a Senator's daily pay is two times more than the annual pay of the least paid Nigerian worker (those in Government employment that are entitled to minimum wage, many in private employment earn far less and they toil more). In addition, Nigerian Senators and House of Representatives members are entitled to N500, 000.00 per night for their local trips. That we do not contest, but that which is allocated to be used for our collective good that is called CONSTITUENCY PROJECT is our concern.

In addition to their bogus Monthly income a Senator also receives on our behalf Yearly Two Hundred and Forty Million (N240, 000,000.00) Naira only and a Member of the House of Representatives pockets One Hundred and Sixty Million (N160, 000,000.00) Naira only yearly. This is the onus of our Challenge #wherearetheconstituencyprojects.


It was Abraham Lincoln who said “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” After almost 16 years of our democratic experiment, it’s time for us to take our stand for the collective good for all Nigerians. This is not a call on ethnic, religious or political line but a call for the very survival of our Democracy. Can you imagine what 240 Million judiciously invested in a constituency will do in a year? Multiply that by four years and you have an idea of how important this challenge is.

It was the same Abraham Lincoln who said “We the people are the rightful masters of both congress and the courts, not to overthrow the constitution but overthrow the men who pervert the constitution.”


We keep complaining about the monster called corruption, it is time to do something about it. It’s only through our probing and unrelenting questioning of the status quo that can help tame this ugly monster. We the people have demonstrated in the past that our collective will and determination cannot be trampled under feet. We have compelled a reluctant National Assembly to swear in then Vice President GEJ as Acting President, our collective voice in the mass media compelled the Government to halt the proposed printing of the N5,000.00 Naira Note and the reversal of the sacking of Coach Stephen Keshi after the Nations Cup in South Africa, at least the President and Commander In chief admitted that much. It’s time to utilize that power again; Take the Challenge #wherearetheconstituencyprojects?

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