Weak Political Structure: Bane of Bayelsa Problems



Photo: Ijaw Egbesu Dance Troupe www.opinionnigeria.com

"Aaaaah Izon! Izon keme emigha? Emi oooo!" The greatness of the Ijaw people is represented in this powerful eulogy, a call to order and unity. Whenever I hear this call, I duff my hat for the Ijaw race. It reminds me of hour great our people are.

We exhibited that greatness in the battlefield, and we have never lost a battle. We are great even in wrestling, dance and cultural festivals. The Ijaws never go begging, we are great hunters and fishermen. We farm to feed our families and you will never see an Ijaw man on the street that have no food to eat.

That is what we are and will continue to be. The Ijaw Nation has not fared very well in the area of politics. We appear not to understand the rules of the game of politics. Politics is about governance and how much development you can bring to your people from the federation. I repeat YOUR PEOPLE, not yourself.

Whether you like it or you do not accept it, the truth remains, the sections of the nation with the strongest political structures get the bigger share of the federal pie. What that tells us, is that we are pitched against those sections of the nation with great strength, and how much development we attract to our State depends tremendously on how politically united and organized we are.

Are the Ijaws demonstrating that natural greatness that we are known for? No we are not, not in the area of politics at least. This is easy to analyze. Draw up a list of the ten best performing States developmentally in the federation. Will Bayelsa be on that list? Of course not. Again, draw another list of States with the highest federal government allocation. On this new list, Bayelsa is the third highest earner.

What does that tell us? It tells us that we achieve very little progress in the area of development, despite the huge revenue earnings. Let us ask ourselves why? You know the answer, do you? Well, I will tell you. It is because we have a weak political structure and we do not understand the rules of the game of politics.

In politics, just like in wrestling, you select amongst your strongest wrestlers to represent your people, so too are we expected in politics to pick the sharpest and most qualified candidates to represent us at the State and federal level. Politics is also like the court, if you allow an inexperienced lawyer to handle your case, it is certain what the outcome of the case will be, because he will perform woefully.

What then is the significance of the saying, "Aaaaah Izon! Izon keme emi gha? Emi oooo!" When the present crop of politicians are not truly the great fighters 'olotus' that can represent the people well and make them proud. What we have now, are they really the best that can come out of Ijaw land?

Like Chess, politics is a game for the intellectuals. It is for responsible leaders with requisite qualities. We have allowed lazy wrestlers to hijack the Bayelsa political wrestling match, and the results are clear.

Bayelsans are no longer just fishermen and hunters. We now have some of the very best in the professions scattered all around the country and in the diaspora. They are well educated and trained employees of Banks, oil and Gas, foreign missions and multinational organizations, who are in managerial positions in these and other organizations. Many of which are intellectuals in their own rights and can fill the gaps and provide the much needed good leadership that is presently lacking in our politicians.

Community by community, if we produce our very best and put them through a screening process, we will surely find one very good person to represent us in the constituency, State and federal levels. We can create Regional Development Councils (RDCs) in each Local Government Area (LGA) to manage the selection process. Representatives of communities in the LGAs will constitute the RDCs.

These nominees are the once we will present to the parties for the primaries. At this level, every individual in the race is highly qualified and owes allegiance to the RDC that nominated them. That way the grassroots will have firm control of the political structure.

Let us take a second look at it. Bayelsans no longer just fish or hunt. We now have some of the very best in the professions scattered everywhere in the country and in the diaspora. They are well educated and trained employees of Banks, oil and Gas, foreign missions and multinational organizations, who are in managerial positions in these and other organizations. Many of which are intellectuals in their own rights and can fill the gaps and provide the much needed good leadership that is presently lacking in our politicians.

Community by community, if we produce our very best and put them through a screening process, we will surely find one very good person to represent us in the constituency, State and federal levels. We can create Regional Development Councils (RDCs) in each Local Government Area (LGA) to manage the selection process. Representatives of communities in the LGAs will constitute the RDCs.

These nominees are the once we will present to the parties for the primaries. At this level, every individual in the race is highly qualified and owes allegiance to the RDC that nominated them. That way the grassroots will have firm control of the political structure.

Bayelsa: The most mismanaged State in Nigeria

It is unimaginable why Bayelsa which is the smallest and one of the richest States in the federation, yet could not cater for its people, allowing them to starve and die in hunger and penury. Bayelsa only covers an area of 9,415.8 square kilometers, with a population of 1,704,515, a meager 1.2% of Nigeria’s total population.

Why such a tiny State will have a wage bill of N4.5 billion bugles my mind. Ebonyi State has a population of 2.3 million and a wage bill of N4 billion. With just a paltry 2.16bm federal allocation which the State receives, salaries are paid up to date and the State is embarking on massive rural development.

Bayelsa State July allocation alone was a whooping grand total of N19,197 billion, with N7.97billion from the 13 per cent derivation account and another N10billion from excess crude account. Additional N538million was also credited to its accounts for its councils and N597.7 million from the excess crude account for the local councils in the State.

I rank Bayelsa as the most mismanaged State in the whole of Nigeria. As for corruption, State has a legacy that speaks for itself. All this while when civil servants were being owed several months salaries, the Legislators and government functionaries of the State were regularly paid their salaries. This is to ensure that the executive is not under any form of impeachment treat or sacked by the House.

If Bayelsans don’t know why they are suffering, now they should know that the cause of their pains are from both the State House Assembly and the Government House, a tag team of evil collaborators fleecing the State of its resources and lying to the poor indigenes that they are conducting civil service head-count and biometrics verification.

Where are all the moneys the governor claimed he was saving for the rainy day during his first tenure in office? Now that the rains are here, let him produce the money, no, instead he is telling us that the State is broke.

We are all aware of the precarious financial situation the country finds itself. The drops in oil price, dwindling oil production, low exchange rate and high inflation have affected the economy very negatively. Not that I really care or sympathetic with the government, no because it was evident this would happen, judging by the very poor and reckless manner the government was being managed.

The Federal Government has disappointed the Niger Delta people, we agree, but the State government have disappointed its people even more. That is why I wonder why the struggles by the Niger Delta people are only focused on the Federal Government and not also to the States.

The federal government has always lied to us. They deceived us by creating the NDDC and the Niger Delta Ministry to make believe that something is being done, meanwhile these agencies are conduit for challenging money back the same government officials. If you carry out a survey of the amount so far disbursed to these bodies, and compare it with the extent of work done in the Niger Delta, I can bet it won’t be up to 5 percent that has gone into projects in the region.

What really pains me the most is when I hear statements like the Niger Delta area have very bad terrain, and development poses great challenge to the government, it make me sad, because, when they enter the swamps and creeks, and dive our waters to drill oil, they never know the terrain is bad. The issue of the federal government is a discussion for another day.

Let us get it right in Bayelsa first, and that is my immediate concern. Clearly, the government of the State is sitting on its oars because all the persons and groups that are capable of bring pressure to bear on the government have been settled one way or the other and the poor people of the State are left to suffer with no support coming from civil society.

The Bayelsa people need to exert pressure on the government, which includes the State House of Assembly members, to make them pay greater attention to the poor and deprived children, mothers, elderly and unemployed youths of the State.