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A Polluted Political Climate ByBonkoo, Tombari Tobbywww.Ogonipolitics.blogspot.com
As may be known to many, the state of our state (Rivers state) in the past seven years has been like a locust that turns the vast and richly blessed vegetation into a wasteland of despondency and nuisance. Violence, lax, insecurity, avarice and human adoration permeate every facets of our society to the point where the standard of living has continued to cascade with torrential rapidity, with pitiless harmful effects for the common man on the street. The state house of assembly was and still filled with men of mendacity and questionable character; conducts that depicts the depth of their total neglect of their legislative duties. They filled the airspace with greed, barefaced incompetence and lackadaisically sucking away the dignity and integrity of the honored hallowed chamber of the assembly.
The custodians of the state have turned the chambers into a trading post where the drift of farce and fun-foolery men gathered daily to showcase their smooth-tongued support for the “golden governor.” Assembly members manifest their motor park senses by being governor’s lackeys and failed to perform the necessary oversight functions on state and council funds. They tension-soaked their peaceful communities with thugs and cults groups in the hope of fighting for supremacy and recognition. The peaceful communities are turned into bloodbath, and the gory state of life in the area brings to the fore the tragedy of a state in which officials neglect becomes a spring board for the mushrooming of notorious gangs that seek to make the impoverished people sleepless, when their master gusto about.
Our chivalrous patriots are mocked and hounded out of the state by gluttonous groups whose selfishness demystified their lucre-minded tactic of prolonging despair and abject poverty in the state. Voices of reasoning are no longer allowed to breed the consciousness of our people. More disturbing is the fact that the selfish interests of these men are at cross-purpose with the yearnings and demands of the teeming masses of the state.
Even the most revered pastoral platforms are turned into an arena of fanning greed, corruption and hocus-pocus for the beneficiaries of today’s military apologists. “Men of God” as they are commonly called, stained their white garments with unhealthy blood through their secret and public romance with men and women who have stoked the embers of violence, corruption and mendacity. One would have thought that the paramount role of a pastor is to preach the truth and provide a good stewardship to their followers, who are desperately longing for deliverance, hope and salvation as God’s kingdom approaches.
Today, politicians in the state suffered a psychosomatic trauma from these “men of God” who religiously flocked their doors with adulterated messages of prosperity, God’s divine blessing and prophetic lies ranging from imminent danger to their lives or households. They turn themselves into spiritual armies to these men, hobnobbing desperately with the powers-that-be for a role beyond their original function as ambassadors of the gospel of truth. Without any modicum of respect for themselves, they publicly endorsed men who has much public opprobrium against them than Judas Iscariot: the man who betrayed our lord and savior-Jesus Christ. In the end, they have the audacity and delight in calling themselves disciples and servant of God.
Our royal fathers are not exceptional to this growing trend of undermining the telepathic of our people; they betrayed and danced away their honor in the quest to be relevant with the power of the day. They aid and abet organized crime and blatantly promote moral decadence in the society. They frustrate every genuine move towards state cohesion and responsible governance. They conduct themselves as commissioned agents who served as fronts to ignoramus politicians, by canvassing ethnic chauvinism, which in the end, it is geared towards the looting of River’s vast natural resources. Despite the radical and sweeping identification of the oppressive and nostalgic role of these so-called fathers of the state, who take enchantment in the organized pauperization of the popular masses of this state in the face of intimidating state wealth, there seem to be no attempt by the elites to address this practice that have caused more damage to the social fabric of the state than one can imagine.
The recent pronouncement by Chief Giniwa on why the candidature of Rotimi Amaechi should be retained, shows the catastrophically decay of the role-played by the Ogoni royal father. In his remark, he pointed out that the speaker in question is the best candidate that will continue with the developmental stride of the current governor in the state. What developmental stride? This was phony and uncalled for, from a man who claimed to be the custodians of the ogoni people. It is clearly known that since the inception of this administration, which the speaker is an integer part of, there has been no project or scholarship scheme apportioned to the territory, which he represents. Thus, what is the Ogoni interest? This pathetic script, stage-managed ploy to deprived the Ogonis of their place in the scheme of things in the state showcase the degrading level that our royal fathers would go for a pot of potage from the enforcer of greed in the state. The glaring illusions in Giniwa’s presumed defense, or his schmaltzy attempts at deodorizing the past, can’t wish away the facts, such transparent subterfuge to shift the focus of contention (the alleged gross looting of the state money by the speaker and the governor) is a puerile as it is fruitless.
The portrait here, you know, is a calculated attempt by the current administration in the state to coiled the Ogonis into the most egregious misdeeds of this government-thereby, blocking our involvement in the real democratic discipline of the next administration by the able leadership of Senator I.S Martyns-Yellowe. We want to inform the Rivers people to disregard the proclamation by the royal father, as such, does not represent the view of even one percent of the Ogonis- it deserves nothing but contemptuous dismissal. This disgraceful men is dragging the state through a time of critical decisions, and an already suspicious people, traumatized by a prolonged season of deceit and betrayal, may succumb readily to specious attributions to those who urge hard, as opposed to easy choices. For one, it is incontrovertible that these looters are immeasurably unpopular with the vast majority of the Rivers people especially those living in the rural areas who, more than anyone else, have been, and continue to be, at the receiving end of feudal oppression, greed and despair.
To redress this grief-stricken conducts by our politicians, revered religious and traditional custodians, it is paramount that the civil society demand moral standing from these men before they finally lead us astray. Their roles are well illuminated and they must choice to be either custodian of their people as required or make themselves more or less government parastatals, where individuals are stronger and are more powerful than the people is. We must call a town hall meeting to remind these groups of their function as role model for the society. They must choice between loyalty to their followers and loyalty to selfish politician whose aim is to paralyze moving the train of our state. It is impossible for them to sandwich between the perimeter of negative and immoral politicking and diligent representation of their followers.
In the end, tarnishing the image of their respective platforms by letting the administration’s proclivity for using stooges to rape the state’s dreams will not serve well with them and their followers, as such, will bring back the dark days of “vulture.” We must all come together at this critical moment, that there is urgent need to rebuild our lost garden city, turned into garden of corruption and insecurity in the past seven years. The task is colossal and we should identify ourselves by supporting an experience senator (Senator Martyn-Yellowe) who understands that leadership is service to the people, and a shared burden that must be attested to with humbleness. Let us rebuild….
I could be reached daily at www.Ogonipolitics.blogspot.com
Bonkoo Tombari Tobby www.Ogonipolitics.blogspot.com Secretary Rivers Democratic Youth Forum. |