Uchendu’s Prescription On Insecurity

Senator (Chief) Andrew Uchendu (APC, Rivers) was reported recently as advising that he and his fellow senators should sell three of the vehicles used by each of them as a means to help reduce crimes in Nigeria. A long time ago, Senator Ben Murray Bruce (PDP, Bayelsa) had made a similar suggestion about senators reducing their huge fringe benefits in the interest of the poor masses. It is likely that some political office holders feel the pulse of the masses and would want to make some sacrifices for their sake. Ben Bruce was advised by his colleagues to start the sacrifice with his own remunerations, since he loved the masses so much.
With regards to the sale of some official vehicles as a part of the means of reducing crimes, the probability is that each senator has about five vehicles. It is also probable that each of the official cars is fueled and maintained from tax payers’ money. In fact, there was public outrage when the total remunerations and benefits of senators became known to the public. It is probable that what is known by the public is still far from the whole truth.
For a long time there have been grumblings in the land over the nation’s reward system and the unjustifiable remunerations of political office holders. It is even a surprise to hear how much ordinary Nigerians in the streets know about the “lavish life-style” of the governments and their officials. For a female cleaner to know and say it in public that the “Oga” whom she served had eleven official cars in his large compound, all fueled by the government, is an example of the gossips about lavish spendings. If we add similar lavish spendings on medical tours abroad by high government officials, it would not be too hard to know what accounts for increases in the rate of crimes and insecurity in the country.
Recession, job losses, high unemployment rate and increases in crimes and insecurity do not come by accidents. Rather, they result from mismanagement of the economy, which can include merciless spending of public finances. Unmerciful spending of public finances includes one political office holder having as many as five to 11 expensive official cars, as well as spending huge sums of money on refreshment and entertainment at official meetings and conferences. Were we not told, a little while ago, that the Federal Government spends N3.5 million monthly to feed detained el-Zakzaky? Was that not a scandal?
Are ordinary Nigerians not aware that there is a culture of “budget padding” by those who make and approve national budgets, or of inflation of the actual costs of contracts, ten folds? If the helpless masses remain silent over controversies concerning lavish and corrupt spending of public funds, it is not because they do not know much of these malfeasance. Rather, they are helpless, afraid, embittered and feel betrayed by their leaders. Some Nigerians vent their anger against the system by turning to crimes or creating grounds for social insecurity. Patriotism can hardly grow where interests of the masses are not the concern of those who rule them.
Like former President Goodluck Jonathan would say: “A person can indeed be corrupt without stealing a dime”. Therefore, the issue of corruption goes beyond stealing of public funds but includes mismanagement and lavish spending of resources, such that the masses feel betrayed and enraged. Definitely Nigerian masses feel that way currently. The situation is made worse by the careless utterances of some politicians who say that Nigerians are lazy, unproductive and stupid. An ex-governor actually said that Nigerians are cowards.
Under the prevailing conditions, the call of Senator Uchendu that senators should sell off three of their official vehicles to support the fight against crimes and insecurity, makes sense. The problem with such prescription is that it would be a hallow attempt to redress the ills in Nigeria’s political economy.
Uchendu, who is an economist and a politician, knows too well that there are fundamental structural imbalances which the sale of cars cannot address. It would be pertinent to ask why senators are given such lavish remunerations. The answer is simple: senators serve as safety-values, to protest some interests! Chief Uchendu should read a copy of Why Nations Fail.
Dr. Amirize is a retired lecturer at the Rivers State University, PH.

Bright Amirize