By John Ikani
Frontline presidential aspirant and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi has decried the transactional nature of politics in Nigeria, stressing that there was need for swift paradigm shift.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, the presidential hopeful lamented that politicians in Nigeria have blighted the hopes and aspirations of the country through their needless monetization of politics.
The former Governor who is contesting for the presidential ticket of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stressed that “nowhere in the world has politics become more extravagant than it has been in Nigeria,” added that the situation has become worrisome and must not continue.
According to him: “In the course of my tour of states of the Federation to woo delegates and leaders ahead of the primaries, I discovered that a lot of things are wrong with our politics.
“It is no argument to understand that no country can survive in the way of Nigeria’s politics. Our politics remains merely transactional. Currency is the measure of faith and trust in the country. Our politicians abandon our currency and switch to dollars. Politicians without legitimate sources of income delight in spending money extravagantly. This can never happen in any rational country of the world.
“In Nigeria we are concerned about spending. Where we cannot pay gratuities, salaries and others. Our kids are out of schools. We don’t bother. Despite the fact that there are lots of crises in the country, politicians have money to share. The more I travelled to each of the states, the more worried I became. This cannot continue.”
What you should know
Concerned young Nigerians have long been at the frontlines of kicking against the entrenchment of money politics by Nigerian elites, a development which among many things, imposes setback for the younger generation in the country’s political sphere to wrestle power from old money bags whose ineptitude and consequent leadership deficit is one of the factors preventing Nigeria from achieving sustainable economic growth and development as well as attaining its full potential.
In October 2021 anti-corruption crusader and founder of Follow The Money, Hamzat Lawal observed that youths are thriving in every sector of human endeavour, except in Nigerian politics and highlighted the significance of money as a crucial fuel for the journey to their attainment of political aspirations.
According to him: “To run for State Assembly one needs about 70 million Naira.
“To become a Federal Lawmaker – that is House of Representatives – costs about 200 million Naira. To vie for the position of a Senator one need 5 billion on an average. Also, to run for the position of State Governor, you need to spend 10-15 on the billion.
Although some of the figures do not tally with Heritage Times findings on current political realities, especially on monies spent in the 2015 and 2019 elections, Lawal added that: “Ultimately, to become President requires expenditure of about 20-30 billion Naira”.
“You must spend a lot of money and this is the research Follow The Money has done,” he lamented.
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