IT IS SHAMEFUL TO SEE WHAT NIGERIAN POLITICIANS DO WITH THE HUGE SALARIES/ALLOWANCES THEY AWARD THEMSELVES, WHEN COMPARED TO WHAT THEIR COUNTERPARTS DO IN DEVELOPED SOCIETIES
September 14, 2020 | News
I was intrigued when I recently saw a picture of Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel with her husband, coming from a shopping, and was more stunned after I read the short lines that followed.
IT IS SHAMEFUL TO SEE WHAT NIGERIAN POLITICIANS DO WITH THE HUGE SALARIES/ALLOWANCES THEY AWARD THEMSELVES, WHEN COMPARED TO WHAT THEIR COUNTERPARTS DO IN DEVELOPED SOCIETIES
I was intrigued when I recently saw a picture of Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel with her husband, coming from a shopping, and was more stunned after I read the short lines that followed. Regarded as the world’s strongest woman, Mrs. Merkel, who has been the Chancellor of the German Government since 2005, was seen in the said picture “coming back from the market with her husband. She is the head of the German Government, that exports 1550 billion Dollars a year. Yet, Merkel receives no free State service, no housing, no electricity, no gas, no water, no free phone from Germany’s Budget, and this woman has the same rights and duties as a private German citizen. She does he shopping, pays for her groceries, and if she makes a ticket, she pays out of her own pocket. A Press Reporter for Angela Merkel said: Remember I took a picture of you in the same dress ten years ago. She said to him: I have a mission to SERVE the German people, not to be a model!” We can see how the Chancellor (President) of Germany buying everything with her personal money, and not wasting Government resources on herself, family and friends, like we see our political leaders in Nigeria do daily.
How many of the Nigerian Politicians can we truly say have demonstrated to have been in Government to selflessly SERVE the Nigerian masses without bias, prejudice and sentiments? We all know the answer to that question. The truth is, 95% of Nigerian Politicians found their way into Government not to serve the people, but to enrich themselves and families and to live affluently. In fact, there is no plausible reason to defend the sort of severance packages approved by Nigerian federal and State legislators for themselves and the Executive Government players. Nigeria is one of the few countries in the entire world where the legislators and Executives prescribe, approve and pay to themselves extraordinary and ridiculous amount of monies as salaries and allowances. The allowances range from the insane to the profane. But what is sadder in the fact that, they do all of this to the detriment of people and the nation’s economy. That is why Nigeria has remained a country that is so rich and wealthy on all sides, yet, only the few in the Government space get to enjoy this wealth, while the rest of the masses are left to wallow in abject poverty and penury.
While the said picture of Angela Merkel was making the rounds online, another video of former Senator Dino Melaye was also trending online, showing the luxurious life style and mindless waste of resources being showered in his mansion in Abuja. The said video showed the inside corruption-fueled extravagant lifestyle of the former Senator, with a room full of very expensive chains of wristwatches, shoes and other accessories. Let us also recall that some few months ago, a similar video went viral on social media showing Muhammed Kazaure Gudaji of the House of Representatives in the Eight Assembly, who practically left dazed and speechless after visiting the same Dino Melaye’s mansion to count all his luxurious cars - from Mercedes Benz G-Wagon (N45.4m), Mercedes E-Class (N8.6m), Mazda CX3 (N8.6m), Range Rover Sport (N62.7m), Single-rear-wheel Polaris Slingshot (N7.3m), Classical Rolls Royce Phantom (N49.8m), Porsche Carrera 911 (N34.6), Harley Davidson power bike (N9.4m), Bentley Continental (N71m), Rolls Royce Phantom (N163.3m), Lamborghini Huracan (N86.7m), Mercedes Benz G63 (N51.8m), Rolls Royce Ghost (N105.7m), etc., all in one man’s garage who is supposedly a former Public Legislator. This is aside his gold-plated furniture, multi-billion-dollar mansion in Abuja and only God knows where else. He uses a N2m and N1.1m Patek Wrist Watches, N3m Rolex Watch for men, amongst other things that make one wonder how much does a Nigerian Senator really earn? This is just ONE former SENATOR, we can imagine what the rest present 109 Senators (not counting the former Senators), combined are worth, in a country where the minimum wage has been N18,000 for about a decade, and only moved to N30,000, which many State Governors have been complaining that they will not be able to pay.
The big question is, where did Dino Melaye make all that money to afford such mind blowing luxury? Especially since Dino Melaye has not worked for several decades, nor do any noticeable business that could have afforded him the money to purchase all these ephemeral things that are nothing but vanity upon vanity. How can there be honesty, integrity and hard work in Nigeria when the supposed role model of the Nigerian youths in Government of today, are looking up to the likes of Dino Melaye? This is the same Dino Melaye that makes the most noise while in the Senate House, all in pretense of a supposed working Senator that is concerned about the welfare of the poor. It is that same mouthy Dino that is always showing off his ill-gotten wealth (to poor Nigerians), which are without evidence of being worked hard for. The only known business of Dino, is that he was a Nigerian lawmaker to have become a billionaire. And some elites still praise him and encourage this because they are in the same political party with him.
Evidently, the best investment today in Nigeria is to forcefully find oneself into Government, which is the best sure ticket to becoming a billionaire overnight without genuine source of income. How will Nigeria develop in this light? If the politicians collect everything, then what will be left for infrastructural and human capital development. If Dino Melaye was seen over the years to have grown his own private business(es) and investments, which would have given him the capacity to easily afford his present extravagant lifestyle even after leaving Government, then there would be no problem. But where this is not the case, then something is wrong. As noted by former Anambra State Governor and an established businessman, Mr. Peter Obi, he said: “I will not encourage anyone to join politics as a Career. The reason we have many problems in Nigeria is that we have many who have never managed people or created wealth, now managing national resources. It makes people desperate because they have no Career to back to.” That practically sums up the major problem in Nigeria in one sentence. The present crop of Nigerian politicians of both the APC and PDP, have remained the obstacles of development in Nigeria.
There is no country other than Nigeria in this 21st century where the likes of Dino Melaye will be nominated, appointed and elected in public office. Truth be told, the likes of Dino Melaye are supposed to be stoned and shamed when sighted in the public. The majority of Nigerian politicians are nothing but public nuisance that are without human conscience and empathy. That is why they can harass and oppress the Nigerian masses with their retinue of motorcade/escort entourage on our roads. They have become “Public Emperors” instead of being ‘Public officials’. The constituency in Kogi State, Dino Melaye had represented at the National Assembly, are living in abject poverty and lack, while he is trumpeting his ill-gotten wealth through illegal allowances and salaries and unseen constituency projects. What a shame!
Zik Gbemre.
September 14, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
I was intrigued when I recently saw a picture of Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel with her husband, coming from a shopping, and was more stunned after I read the short lines that followed. Regarded as the world’s strongest woman, Mrs. Merkel, who has been the Chancellor of the German Government since 2005, was seen in the said picture “coming back from the market with her husband. She is the head of the German Government, that exports 1550 billion Dollars a year. Yet, Merkel receives no free State service, no housing, no electricity, no gas, no water, no free phone from Germany’s Budget, and this woman has the same rights and duties as a private German citizen. She does he shopping, pays for her groceries, and if she makes a ticket, she pays out of her own pocket. A Press Reporter for Angela Merkel said: Remember I took a picture of you in the same dress ten years ago. She said to him: I have a mission to SERVE the German people, not to be a model!” We can see how the Chancellor (President) of Germany buying everything with her personal money, and not wasting Government resources on herself, family and friends, like we see our political leaders in Nigeria do daily.
How many of the Nigerian Politicians can we truly say have demonstrated to have been in Government to selflessly SERVE the Nigerian masses without bias, prejudice and sentiments? We all know the answer to that question. The truth is, 95% of Nigerian Politicians found their way into Government not to serve the people, but to enrich themselves and families and to live affluently. In fact, there is no plausible reason to defend the sort of severance packages approved by Nigerian federal and State legislators for themselves and the Executive Government players. Nigeria is one of the few countries in the entire world where the legislators and Executives prescribe, approve and pay to themselves extraordinary and ridiculous amount of monies as salaries and allowances. The allowances range from the insane to the profane. But what is sadder in the fact that, they do all of this to the detriment of people and the nation’s economy. That is why Nigeria has remained a country that is so rich and wealthy on all sides, yet, only the few in the Government space get to enjoy this wealth, while the rest of the masses are left to wallow in abject poverty and penury.
While the said picture of Angela Merkel was making the rounds online, another video of former Senator Dino Melaye was also trending online, showing the luxurious life style and mindless waste of resources being showered in his mansion in Abuja. The said video showed the inside corruption-fueled extravagant lifestyle of the former Senator, with a room full of very expensive chains of wristwatches, shoes and other accessories. Let us also recall that some few months ago, a similar video went viral on social media showing Muhammed Kazaure Gudaji of the House of Representatives in the Eight Assembly, who practically left dazed and speechless after visiting the same Dino Melaye’s mansion to count all his luxurious cars - from Mercedes Benz G-Wagon (N45.4m), Mercedes E-Class (N8.6m), Mazda CX3 (N8.6m), Range Rover Sport (N62.7m), Single-rear-wheel Polaris Slingshot (N7.3m), Classical Rolls Royce Phantom (N49.8m), Porsche Carrera 911 (N34.6), Harley Davidson power bike (N9.4m), Bentley Continental (N71m), Rolls Royce Phantom (N163.3m), Lamborghini Huracan (N86.7m), Mercedes Benz G63 (N51.8m), Rolls Royce Ghost (N105.7m), etc., all in one man’s garage who is supposedly a former Public Legislator. This is aside his gold-plated furniture, multi-billion-dollar mansion in Abuja and only God knows where else. He uses a N2m and N1.1m Patek Wrist Watches, N3m Rolex Watch for men, amongst other things that make one wonder how much does a Nigerian Senator really earn? This is just ONE former SENATOR, we can imagine what the rest present 109 Senators (not counting the former Senators), combined are worth, in a country where the minimum wage has been N18,000 for about a decade, and only moved to N30,000, which many State Governors have been complaining that they will not be able to pay.
The big question is, where did Dino Melaye make all that money to afford such mind blowing luxury? Especially since Dino Melaye has not worked for several decades, nor do any noticeable business that could have afforded him the money to purchase all these ephemeral things that are nothing but vanity upon vanity. How can there be honesty, integrity and hard work in Nigeria when the supposed role model of the Nigerian youths in Government of today, are looking up to the likes of Dino Melaye? This is the same Dino Melaye that makes the most noise while in the Senate House, all in pretense of a supposed working Senator that is concerned about the welfare of the poor. It is that same mouthy Dino that is always showing off his ill-gotten wealth (to poor Nigerians), which are without evidence of being worked hard for. The only known business of Dino, is that he was a Nigerian lawmaker to have become a billionaire. And some elites still praise him and encourage this because they are in the same political party with him.
Evidently, the best investment today in Nigeria is to forcefully find oneself into Government, which is the best sure ticket to becoming a billionaire overnight without genuine source of income. How will Nigeria develop in this light? If the politicians collect everything, then what will be left for infrastructural and human capital development. If Dino Melaye was seen over the years to have grown his own private business(es) and investments, which would have given him the capacity to easily afford his present extravagant lifestyle even after leaving Government, then there would be no problem. But where this is not the case, then something is wrong. As noted by former Anambra State Governor and an established businessman, Mr. Peter Obi, he said: “I will not encourage anyone to join politics as a Career. The reason we have many problems in Nigeria is that we have many who have never managed people or created wealth, now managing national resources. It makes people desperate because they have no Career to back to.” That practically sums up the major problem in Nigeria in one sentence. The present crop of Nigerian politicians of both the APC and PDP, have remained the obstacles of development in Nigeria.
There is no country other than Nigeria in this 21st century where the likes of Dino Melaye will be nominated, appointed and elected in public office. Truth be told, the likes of Dino Melaye are supposed to be stoned and shamed when sighted in the public. The majority of Nigerian politicians are nothing but public nuisance that are without human conscience and empathy. That is why they can harass and oppress the Nigerian masses with their retinue of motorcade/escort entourage on our roads. They have become “Public Emperors” instead of being ‘Public officials’. The constituency in Kogi State, Dino Melaye had represented at the National Assembly, are living in abject poverty and lack, while he is trumpeting his ill-gotten wealth through illegal allowances and salaries and unseen constituency projects. What a shame!
Zik Gbemre.
September 14, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes