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Opinion: Kogi State ‘Hailing Hailers’ and The Hypocrisy of Gov Bello Praise-singers
By adminJul 31, 2016, 00:00 am
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“These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy…walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think, ‘Business as usual.’ But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story. Their faces go red, their chests heave mightily, they sputter angry words. The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening.”
― Yann Martel, Life of Pi
Come to think of it, do praise-singers help leaders fare better? No. Only critics do. Critics get leaders to work. Critics wake them up from their slumbers.
Critics save nations from the tyrannical tendencies of their leaders. Opposition is a basic ingredient of democracy. It is allowed everywhere if democracy must thrive.
We praise them to high heavens even when there are flaws to scream about. We hail them on simply because they are related to us either politically or regionally.
Praise-singers on the other hand are people whose ‘eyes’ are blinded with tiny bakes of cake or scenting porridge.
They are the band-wagoners who follow the vessel whether drowning or harbouring. They are like the tunas that only swim in the direction of the tide. Today in Kogi, consciousness is fast fizzling away like bubbles in the wind. Party consciousness is stronger than national consciousness.
Praise-singers are mostly those that like to call a spade a spoon either because of sentiments of tribe, political affiliation or religious ideologies in the case of Nigeria.
They see nothing wrong even when everything is going wrong. They are blinded to the truth. They do not see things from balanced perspective.
Today, even the voices of the so-called sages who we hitherto held in high respect are turning frivolous. The hitherto critics are fast compromising on the basis of strong personal sentiment. They scream to high heavens when their preferred candidates or friends are touched.
They close one eye against the misdeeds of their friends and open all eyes as broad as they could to search out all the wrongs of their foes. They blend their criticism with sap of hatred and division. They are more of their pocket champions than state champions. They see the fault of their enemies and condone the wrongs of their friends.
These actions unfortunately continue to fan the ember of divisiveness, hatred, wars and restiveness. Kogi has long lost its fabric of unity, security and happiness and unless urgent steps are taken to strengthen the silken thread once more, this state soon will be like a rudderless ship heading for the deeps.
It is laughable, I must confess this is absurdity, that any body will take to the media to eulogise and praise the Governor of Kogi state that is unable to Account for the 20Billion Naira bailout fund. Oh! Come to think of it, how do one defend BIG mistake when one has to justify the failures of the present Government on the ‘BIG’ achievement of ‘kicking’ out Ghost workers from the state payroll when in reality the thousand of workers were sacked in the name of ghost workers ?
Strangely, in Kogi state, people are now praising government for sacking workers, in the face of lingering poverty, unemployment and insecurity. By this action, the state government has increased the rate of insecurity in the state because the idle mind still remain the devil’s workshop .
Not up to a week, a well known family in Kogi east paid the sum of 10Million Naira to Kidnappers before their mum was released. I mean a mother of one of the serving commissioners and the same state government instead of announcing the arrest of the bandit jumped into the social media misinforming the citizens that the kidnappers are on the “RUN” and am asking, Running to where? It is also not very responsible when citizens who pay tax and deserve good governance are living in fear and “Sleep With One Eye Open”. Kogi state is currently a state without government, calling it a failed state may not be wrong! But, the situation still redeemable if only Lugard House Lord will listen.
Motives for criticism should never be an issue as every citizen, irrespective of political leanings can call out the Government of the day.
– Usman Okai Austin
Abuja, Nigeria
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