Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, the first African-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
Agbedo is a Professor of Linguistics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and contributing analyst to USAfrica
As reported 2 weeks ago here on USAfricaonline.com the Nigeria Labour Congress (after one day of suspended its “nationwide protest against hardship, moves ultimatum to March 13” https://usafricaonline.com/2024/02/27/nigeria-labour-congress-suspends-nationwide-protest-against-hardship-moves-ultimatum-to-march-13/
It reported that the NLC was “protesting the increasing financial difficulties and economic problems that Nigerians have been facing — especially since the Tinubu presidency removed the ‘petrol subsidy’ in May 2023.”
Meanwhile, echoes of dissent and disenchantment continue to reverberate across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
The Joe Ajero-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), civil rights activists, and other Nigerians are likely to take to the streets of Abuja, Lagos and other many other cities and urban centres on March 13, 2024 to protest current economic hardships plaguing the populace. The angst of ‘hangry’ Nigerians boiled over and spilled into the streets against a backdrop of economic turmoil, where rising inflation, unemployment, and a lack of social welfare support have left many Nigerians grappling with hardship. In such challenging times, the right to protest becomes a vital avenue for citizens to ventilate their frustrations and demand accountability from their elected representatives. At the National Assembly, in February 2024, when the NLC initiated a strike, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity, Diket Plang and his House of Representatives counterpart, Adefarati Adeboyega, were on hand to receive the NLC-led protesting Nigerians. In their respective responses on behalf of the leadership of the National Assembly after listening to the charter of demand with rapt attention and overt interest, the duo of Senator Plang and Hon Adeboyega struck a rhetorical note, which forms the thrust of this piece.
Senator Plang looked straight into the eyes of the protesting hangry Nigerians and said, “I assure you that all of us, the press, general public, everybody is feeling it…We are all on the same page.” Thereafter, Hon Adeboyega picked up the choric refrain of the weird legislative empathy: “We are facing the same challenges. The economic challenges and hardship faced by Nigeria is borne by everybody…” In the labyrinth of Nigerian politics, where reality often seems stranger than fiction, the responses of some public officers sometimes leave citizens bewildered and incredulous. From perplexing statements to baffling actions, this set of officials seems to inhabit a world unto themselves, and safely insulated and divorced from the everyday struggles and concerns of ordinary Nigerians.
As Nigerians grapple with the weird, curious, ludicrous, and paradoxical nature of these responses, one cannot help but wonder about the nature of their mindset, what motivates these public officers, and how their statements and actions are light years away from the realities of our times.
At the core of this troubling phenomenon lies a profound disconnect between public officers and the people they serve. In the ongoing saga of Nigerian politics, where the words and actions of some public officials often defy logic and reason, the slew of off-the-cuff responses from our elected representatives in the National Assembly has left many citizens scratching their heads in bewilderment.
Such interactional behaviour where rhetoric often masks reality as evident in the lawmakers’ shallow empathy raises poignant questions about the root causes of this disconnect with the struggles of ordinary Nigerians. Could this peculiar linguistic behaviour derive from a lack of communicative competence in the English language, or is it symptomatic of an outright disconnect with the harsh realities of economic hardships confronting the people they claim to represent? The first possibility speaks to the intricacies of language and communication in Nigerian politics. In a country with over 350 languages, English serves as the lingua franca of governance, yet the nuances and subtleties of communication can often be lost in translation. Lawmakers, like many politicians, may rely on scripted statements and rehearsed rhetoric, lacking the authentic empathy and emotional intelligence required to connect with the struggles of ordinary Nigerians. In this scenario, shallow empathy may be a byproduct of linguistic limitations rather than a deliberate attempt to deceive or mislead. Such off-the-cuff responses to serious situations tend to share semantic affiliation with some security agencies’ mechanical assurances – ‘we’re on top of the situation’ – each time agents of darkness unleashed terror on helpless Nigerians. It doesn’t matter if the defence information officer assuring their listeners of being ‘on top of the situation’ is regimentally primed like a coil ready to spring out at the slightest nudge and scurry into safety once gun cackle of the rampaging aggressors roared from their pit of hell. The grandstanding (initial gra-gra) narrative suddenly changes to blame-shoving when they get dislodged from the ’top of the situation’ by the superior firepower of the so-called ‘rag-tag’ bandits. It is either ‘bad terrain’ is glibly tendered as a reason or the devil is conscripted to explain why ‘over thirty distress calls’ conspired to frustrate the kinetic intervention of officers and men of Operation Safe Heaven that would have nipped the Christmas eve human carnage on the plateau in the bud!
However, the second possibility suggests a deeper and more troubling reality: an outright disconnect with the lived experiences of the people they pretend to represent. Unfortunately, empirical evidence tends to lend more credence to the latter than the former possibility as it would be clear and obvious in the course of our discussion shortly that while our elected representatives may claim to understand the needs and aspirations of ordinary Nigerians, their responses often betray a lack of empathy and understanding. Instead of offering pragmatic solutions to address pressing issues in terms words and actions, some public officers sometimes resort to empty rhetoric and meaningless platitudes, further alienating themselves from the concerns of the populace. Moreover, the sheer absurdity of such responses defies comprehension, leaving citizens questioning the competence and integrity of such leaders, who are presumed custodians of the cherished ideals and modest aspiration of their people. From outlandish promises to illogical justifications, such leaders seem to operate in a realm divorced from reality, where accountability and transparency are mere shibboleths of fleeting afterthoughts. From claims of empathy to declarations of solidarity, these statements seem to exist in a realm of their own, detached from the harsh realities faced by ordinary Nigerians. As the populace struggles to make sense of these perplexing pronouncements, it becomes a challenge trying to wrap one’s head around the semantic import of such statements and possibly locate their true allegiances.
The foregoing speaks to the fundamental disconnect between the federal lawmakers and the masses they claim to represent, which lies at the heart of the roiling confusion. The declarations from lawmakers claiming to “face the same challenges” or be “on the same page” with ordinary Nigerians raise critical questions about the sincerity of their rhetoric. Are these statements borne out of genuine empathy and understanding, or are they mere platitudes designed to mock the struggles of the Nigerian poor masses?
While lawmakers may purport to understand the struggles of ordinary Nigerians, their actions – or lack thereof – often tell a different story. Perhaps, a little peep into the outrageous extravagance that has become the trademark of this 10th Assembly’s members and the frightening fiscal realities of contemporary Nigeria would provide the dialectical reasonableness and rhetorical effectiveness leverage to tease out fine details that would help to unpack this line of thought and hopefully achieve the critical aim of van Eemeren and van Haaften’s pragma-dialectical approach to argumentation theory.
The 469 members of the 10th National Assembly inaugurated in the first week of June 2023 made headline news perhaps for the first time for wrong reasons – the controversial allocation of N70 billion to the National Assembly in the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act in July 2023. The allocation was stoutly defended by two House of Reps members – Peter Akpanke (Obanliku/Obudu/Bekwara Federal Constituency, Cross River State) and Dennis Agbo (Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, Enugu State) – as funds meant to ‘cover renovations in the new chambers.’ On his own part, the Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, claimed that none of the N70 billion intended to “support their working conditions” will be distributed to members of the national parliament, adding that the amount will be used to purchase furnishings and carry out repairs in lawmakers’ offices. In spite of those defences, it was clearly obvious to most discerning Nigerians that the traditional skein of sleaze and the pursuit of selfish interests, headlined by obscene and undeclared self-granted allowances and emoluments were still firmly entrenched in the DNA of Nigeria’s legislature. Little wonder that this controversial fund-for-repairs allocation was followed in quick succession by a proposal to purchase 2023 model of the Toyota Land cruiser for members at the contract price of about N160 million each!
Expectedly, the move generated scathing criticisms, with some Nigerians dragging the federal lawmakers for being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians amid high cost of living. The Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) condemned the proposal as provocative at a time ‘most families can barely feed their members three square meals per day’. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) upped the ante by asking the Federal High Court in Lagos to stop the National Assembly from procuring and taking delivery of the exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials pending the hearing and determination of the applications for injunction filed by the organization’. As usual, the Red Chamber defended the purchase of the SUVs, saying lawmakers needed the vehicles for their operations. The chairman, Committee on Senate services, Sunday Karimi added ‘bad roads’ as another of such brainless reasons for wasting multi-billions of Naira on SUVs for the 469 10th National Assembly members when he appeared Channels TV ‘Politics Today,’ a live show anchored by Seun Okinbaloye. “These vehicles that you see; go to Nigerian roads today. If I go home once, my senatorial district, I come back spending a lot on my vehicles because our roads are bad.”
All through the programme, the senator struggled breathlessly to parry Seun’s torrential bombardments all in a futile attempt to rehash the tasteless narrative of humbuggery. Eventually at last, Nigerians had their say; the federal lawmakers had their way. They took delivery of the exotic cars costing the hapless Nigerian taxpayers hefty multi-billions of Naira.
Yet, in an ironic twist of event, the same chip of the old block, who cited ‘bad roads’ amongst others as reasons for opting for a N160 million worth of SUVs (in a country of over 200 million people out of which over 130 million live under multidimensional poverty), suddenly turn around with a cock and bull yarn about ‘being on the same page with the poor hangry Nigerians! Really? Even in the face of troubling macroeconomic indices, the unbridled legislative bazaar must go on while the poverty-stricken majority of the Nigerian populace remains tethered to the fringes of existence.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) disclosed that 767 manufacturers shut down operations while 335 became distressed in 2023 as a result of exchange rate volatility, rising inflation and other economic challenges that have worsened the investment climate. The fate of thousands of workers of those industries that have closed shop is any body’s guess. Every other day, Nigerians wake up from sleepless slumber to heart-rending headlines: ‘Nestle posts N104bn loss over naira depreciation’; ‘Cadbury, Guinness, others lost N472bn to Naira depreciation’; ‘Hardship: Woman drops 3 children at Enugu police station, jumps under moving vehicle’; ‘Outrage as bandits kidnap 280 pupils from Kaduna school’. The list ranging from economic meltdown, rising hardships to insecurity is endless.
Since former President Buhari’s eight years of “printing money without commensurate production,” Nigeria has been officially designated as the poverty capital of the whole universe.
Only recently in October 2023, Nigeria was officially certified as belonging to class of poor countries in the world by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun while attending World Bank/International Monetary Fund Annual meeting in Marrakech, Morocco. “The World Bank has free money through the International Development Association (IDA). It has this for poor countries, and right now, I think we [Nigeria] qualify as one of the countries…” The same Minister Edun said that only five percent of Nigerians have bank accounts that have more than half a million in them. “So, the majority was left out for eight years. They are on the sidelines while a small minority enjoyed,” the Minister noted. To underscore the nauseating point that Nigeria’s resources have been ‘going to a few,’ fact-check on Statisense by Vanguard’s Politics Editor, Clifford Ndujihe, indicates that “by the end of 2024, Nigeria would have spent the sum of N3.132 trillion on the National Assembly, which has 109 senators and 360 House of Representatives members, going by budgetary allocations since 1999.” The humungous sum represents 5.52% of the N176.470 trillion appropriated by the Federal Government since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999. The trillions of Naira coupled with the unilateral raising of 2024 budget from N27.5 trillion to N28.78 trillion as well as jerking up of the N197.93bn originally proposed by the Executive for the National Assembly to N344.85 billion informed the outrage of Nigerians as reported by Ndujihe. In this regard, SERAP and 20 concerned Nigerians filed a lawsuit against the NASS leadership “for unilaterally and arbitrarily increasing the allocation for lawmakers from N197bn to N344bn, their highest since the return of democracy in 1999.” Despite similar stout objections of a number of other major stakeholders in the polity, including the NLC, NECA, and Labour Party, LP to the jerking-up the 2024 budget by N1.2trillion, the National Assembly justified its action as being in line with the ‘people-centric policies’ of President Tinubu’s administration. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said they passed the budget to address the sufferings of Nigerians, adding that the citizens would in a short while start reaping the benefits of the budget.
On his own part, the speaker, Tajudeen Abbas said, ‘’I assure you that by the time the 2024 appropriation is signed into law, and we start implementing it, Nigerians will see the difference.”
Surely, the poor hangry Nigerians have been ‘seeing the difference’ as their sufferings are being affectionately addressed by a ’people-centric’ administration since January 2024 so much so that they now spend their leisure hours paying courtesy visits on warehouses and trucks and helping them to re-arrange the food stuffs and cartons of noodles! In Enugu, one vagabond of a husband dangling empty testicles couldn’t withstand the heat of crushing hardship anymore and took to his heels, abandoning his wife and three children. In the nadir of life, the woman took one last look at her little angels gradually dying of hunger, and reached a fatal decision to end that farce called life. On that fateful morning, she took the kids to a police station at Ogui Road Enugu, handed them over to the police on duty, turned and jumped into a moving vehicle! Fellow Nigerians, what else would better illustrate the extremity of the pains of the ordinary man in Nigeria today than this ugly and pathetic story of hardship-induced mental health challenge? The deceased woman belonged to that class of ordinary Nigerians sharing the same page with our beloved ‘peoples’ representative.’
Of course, there is no gainsaying the fact that the looting of a warehouse in Dei-Dei area of Abuja as well as attacks on trucks carrying food stuffs in Dogarawa Zaria, Kaduna State and Kaduna Road in the Suleja area of Niger State respectively represent a bad optics. To some analysts, the looting incidents were a symptom of a larger problem with in-built potential of sliding into anarchy if urgent action was not taken to stem the dangerous tide of prohibitive cost of daily survival tugging menacingly in the face of the majority of Nigerians. The unfolding scenario is a bad omen threatening to defy the optimist’s prayers that ‘we don’t get to a position where the poor will rise up to be eating the rich’. Former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani captured this vividly in his X Handle: “Masses looting foodstuffs from a government warehouse in our oil rich Nigeria is a dangerous symptom of an impending revolution that must be averted or contained.”
Recently, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja dismissed the muted calls for coups perhaps by those who may wish that some ambitious members of the armed forces ride the crest of festering economic hardships and attendant social unrest in the country to topple the current civilian regime. He gave his words that the personnel of his service had accepted the democratic system of government in place in the country and had no plan to truncate it. The COAS’ soothing assurances harked back to a similar assurance given by the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Christopher Musa that “the Armed Forces of Nigeria are here to protect democracy. We all want democracy and we do better under democracy. And so we will continue to support democracy…” Coming against the backdrop of ‘pressures,’ which the military had earlier revealed, were mounting from certain ‘unnamed quarters for a takeover of government following the lingering insecurity in the country,’ it only makes sense to commend the military hierarchy for taking such a principled stand in the prevailing circumstances. Perhaps, it remains for the political class to show true leadership and demonstrate clearly in words and actions that they are in government to articulate and implement policies and programmes that prioritize the welfare, needs and aspirations of the generality of Nigerians. This is hardly the time to weaponize poverty and take pleasure in fobbing off the poor hangry Nigerians with hollow rhetoric of empathy, all while enriching themselves at their expense. True empathy is not measured in words or gestures, but in actions that demonstrate a genuine commitment to the well-being of all Nigerians. Until the ‘peoples’ representatives’ can prove that they are willing to put the interests of the people above their own, their claims of empathy will continue to ring hollow, and the divide between the governed and their governors will only deepen.
Perhaps, it may be necessary to remind the lawmakers that the patience of the ordinary Nigerian is not interminably elastic. Behind the facade of resignation lies a simmering anger, born out of years of neglect, exploitation, and betrayal. While they may believe that they can placate the masses with empty promises and token gestures, they do so at their own peril. Trifling with the tiger’s tail is not a lousy pastime any wise person would engage in. History bears witness to the fact that when the patience of ordinary people reaches its breaking point, the consequences can be profound and far-reaching. The consequences would be better imagined than described if and when the patience of ordinary Nigerians snaps. It is therefore incumbent upon our lawmakers to heed this warning and take meaningful action to address the root causes of discontent. This means enacting laws that prioritize the needs of the people over the interests of the privileged few, pushing for policies that promote inclusive growth and development, and ensuring transparency and accountability in governance.
On a final note, it is important that the ‘distinguished’ and ‘honourable’ representatives of the Nigerian people take cognizance of the cryptic message implicit in Dame Patience Jonathan’s exhortation to ‘those sharing (shedding) blood’ to ‘continue’ but they should remember that ‘there is God o!’ For our NASS members, ‘continue’ to help yourselves to the commonwealth of Nigeria. After all, it is your turn. An Igbo adage says, ‘Ihe oge ya ruru abụghị ụsa’ (That, which time is due, is not an aberration). Tony Ubesie wrote a novel entitled, Ụkwa ruo oge ya, ọ daa, loosely translated as ‘Breadfruit falls when it ripens’. Mr. Ukpabi Asika, the war-time Administrator of old East Central State, was reputed to have fended off accusations of official malfeasance bordering on graft with a glib statement – ‘Onye ube ruru, ya rachaa’ (Whosoever it is his turn to be visited by mother luck with pear, let him gladly pick it and lick.).
However, as our ‘peoples’ representatives’ take their turns in the ‘pear-licking’ revelry, kindly permit me to double down on the former First lady’s timeless advice: ‘there is Karma o!’ Karma, that ubiquitous reaper knows everyone’s address. In a world where power becomes right, it is easy to lose faith in the possibility of true justice. But Karma serves as a beacon of hope, reminding us that no matter how powerful or influential someone may be, they are ultimately accountable for their actions. For every act of deceit or exploitation, there is a corresponding consequence waiting to be unleashed. In the intricate web of cause and effect that governs the universe, Karma stands as a steadfast sentinel, unfazed by the whims of human folly and immune to the temptations of compromise and corruption. It operates according to its own precise schedule, dispensing justice with impartiality and exactitude, regardless of the machinations of the powerful or the allure of ill-gotten gain. Unlike the laws enacted by man (such as ‘Ways and Means’ advances), which are subject to manipulation and distortion, Karma operates according to a higher order, one that is impervious to the vagaries of human greed and ambition. It is a force of nature, immutable and unyielding, that metes out its judgment with an impartial hand, ensuring that justice prevails even in the face of adversity. Indeed, the very essence of Karma lies in its resistance to manipulation and distortion. It is a force that cannot be bribed or coerced, for it operates according to the immutable laws of the universe. Those who attempt to subvert its course do so at their own peril, inviting upon themselves a reckoning that is as inevitable as it is inexorable.
Therefore, let those who would seek to evade the consequences of their actions take heed: Karma knows no bounds and recognizes no exceptions. It is a force that transcends time and space, weaving its cosmic patterns with precision and purpose. And when the day of reckoning arrives, as it inevitably must, there will be no escape from its relentless pursuit of justice.
In the end, it is not the wealth or power of individuals that determines their fate, but the righteousness of their actions and the integrity of their character. For sure, Karmic laws are cast in stone, unalterable and beyond the reach of compromise and the tainting tenterhooks of bribery. When its judgment is finally delivered, it will be as swift as it is sure, leaving no doubt in its wake about the immutable nature of justice.
For our National Assembly representatives, be it known that it is outrageous for them to insist on helping themselves to our commonwealth, perhaps as their legislative rights and sentencing the rest of us permanently to the sidelines, as alluded to by the Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun.
Offending our sensibilities with empty rhetoric and hollow empathy amounts to what the Englishman calls ‘double jeopardy’. It is not enough that the adult stole the child’s peppermint; the adult needed to top it up with a thunderous fart, perhaps to rub in the insult and deepen the child’s pain.
