BY FEMI AWOJOBI
The current political atmosphere in Nigeria was sometimes ago filled with so much noise but very few or no logical ideology in terms of human feelings from the so-called Politicos.
Nigerian political system had recently turned to nothing but rather “a surface dressing construction site of a dysfunctional foundation with eminent catastrophic and monumental nearest future destruction” The larger-than-life percentage of the current Nigerian Politicians by their nature, action and performance are Flukes, Loafers and Maladroitness who look innocent at a glance but devilish and heinous inside.
Ekiti State might have not been so lucky in terms of getting juicy leadership roles in the National Assembly under any President unlike the present President Bola Ahmed Tinubu going by the roll call at both the Green and Red Chambers.
Undoubtedly, Ekiti State for the first time in Nigerian checkered history produces the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (MOB). Also, the State is proud to have produced the current Spokespersons for both the Green and Red Chambers at the same time, Hon. Akin Rotimi and Sen. Yemi Adaramodu respectively.
Summarily, nearly all the Representatives from Ekiti State at the National Assembly are currently holding chairmanship positions including a returning member who had been relegated from a juicy chairmanship Position to a “just figurehead committee” without a single Agency. Though, it is never an aberration after all, committee headship is a privilege not a right.
The question now is that, will Ekiti People get the dividends of the current opportunities of being placed at strategic positions of the National Assembly? Or will Ekiti People also continue to experience failure or abysmal performances from their Legislators like before especially from some of the last crop of Legislators from Ekiti State who were just full of themselves with propaganda or media staunch on facilitating fake Federal employments for Ekiti People or other mirage achievements without traceable of such on reality except unreasonable acquisition of properties at the detriment of the People?
Going by the last March 2024 appointment letters as Senior Legislative Aides in some local government Areas of Ekiti State by the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, one would have commended the generosity of the Benefactor, but the question is that, WHY IN MARCH?
Why? MOB as been fondly called in political circle have to wait for, nine good months as a Senate Leader before bringing his People in Ekiti State as SLAs when you are not a Governor or President who may need the clearance of the Legislators before such appointment, if he genuinely meant well to serve the People. Senator Opeyemi Bamidele had served as a member, House of Representatives for a single term of four years and the Lawyer turned Politician is serving a second term as a member of the Red Chamber, hence the need to know better or act as such except his “alleged intention is to continue to deceive People to win them to his side whenever he needs them for political journey as a machinery”.
I watched a Video clip of MOB speaking as a Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele after he was recognised by the Senate President Sen. Godswill Akpabio as a Senate Leader on the floor of the Senate, trying to whip up sentiments on the Senate Presidency between the Northern and the Southern parts of Nigeria, leaving aside the sensitive subject matter of 2024 Budget Padding which is still casting great aspersion on the 10th Senate under his Leadership. So, who is fooling who? MOB.
MOB had tried as much as he could, to be smart enough as if nothing was wrong with the 2024 fiscal budget as passed by the Legislators but Nigerians especially the reasonable ones knew many things were wrong with the conduct of the Senate at handling the issue of the Appropriation Bill for the Country.
Though, one may not blame the former Commissioner for Information, youths and Sports in Lagos State for whipping up sentiments and sway away the Public in order to defend his immediate Boss at the Senate, Akpabio, because traditionally, in the legislative arm of government in Nigeria, “a fall of one, is a fall of all in the same political Circle”. But, as a Senate Leader and an Ekiti Man who cherished sincerity, hardwork and honest, MOB ought to have come out like the former Chief whip of the Senate, Sen. Alli Ndume who had On March 13, 2024, said presiding and principal officers received more in constituency project allocation because “some animals are more equal than others”.
Also, Ned Nwoko, senator representing Delta North, says he was able to attract N1 billion worth of projects for his constituents in 2024.
In his axiomatic reaction, Jarigbe Jarigbe, senator representing Cross River North, claimed that some “senior” senators got N500 million for projects.
Jarigbe made the claim when the senate deliberated on the allegation by Abdul Ningi, Senator representing Bauchi Central, who had been recalled after serving a-3month-undeserved suspension Sen. Ningi had claimed that the 2024 budget was padded by over N3 trillion, the same issue that MOB was trying to politicise in an attempt to cover up an already exposed “Maggot- breeding-rotten- element” of the current Senate.
In the same budget that, MOB could not see anything wrong with has among other things a whopping sum of 212 billion Naira to erect about 1,150 Streetlights which mean, a unit will cost over 184 million Naira, (maybe the Streetlights are going to be Gold enshrined ones, Nigerians are yet to be informed) while 427 Boreholes are to gulp up 82.5Billion Naira which means a Unit of such “Millennium Boreholes” as passed by our Senators for themselves as parts of their Constituency projects will cost the Country over 193million Naira with 47.5Billion Naira allocation for rehabilitation of 50 Schools without locations and among others.
Our current Legislators must remember that the Senator represented Ekiti North Senatorial District between 2007- 2011, Senator Ayo Arise only served for one term and touched nearly all nooks and crannies of the five Local Government Areas in the District and crowned his Superlative Performance with a Federal University that all Ekiti People both at home and in the Diaspora are enjoying today.
As at today, no other Representatives from Ekiti State except the two youngest Lawmakers among them, Hon. Akinlayo Davidson Kolawole and Hon. Akin Rotimi who represent Ekiti North Federal Constituency II and Ekiti North Federal Constituency I respectively, could be seen to have lived above Board in the distribution of palliatives or empowerment packages and Constituency Projects for the benefits of their constituents apart from the fact that, some of them had been alleged to have diverted such gestures to other States or Countries on commercial purpose in order to rake in more monies into their Bank accounts at the detriment of the People they represent. But time will tell.
“It is disheartening, barbaric and uncouth to have seen some marred Federal government packaged bags of Rice meant to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal delivered as far back as February 2024 or earlier in Ekiti State to have been kept till December 2024 for distribution as xmas gifts for the People of Ekiti State by our Politicians or Representatives even the State Government was also guilty of the ugly development”.
In as much as we will continue to wish all Politicians especially MOB and other Legislators in Ekiti State and Nigeria as a whole a successful tenure, it is however high time we demanded a better service delivery to alleviate the sufferings of the People from our Leader as 2025 Appropriation Bills are about to take off across the Country.
Femi Awojobi can be reached at [email protected] (08037643696).
