AHAA!, : Life after power

By Angela Ajetumobi October 24 , 2010 12 :18 AM print

We spend over 60 % of our earnings on funding government, leaving barely 40 % for capital projects. What is even worse is the realisation that no political office holder [of any party] finds this abnormal. Representatives in the House reportedly rake in: budgetary allocations for maintaining their offices, an annual basic salary, for their oversight functions, medical treatment, travel, and other allowances calculated in percentages of their annual basic salary. We are talking another 200 % for accommodation, 75 % for vehicle maintenance, 30 % for entertainment, 30 % for utility, 25 %for personal assistants, 25 %for clothing, 75 % domestic staff, 10 % for recess, 15 % for newspapers, 250 % constituency allowance, 300 % gratuity. Top all this with a one-off 300 % furniture allowance and a vehicle loan of 400 % payable in six years. Remember Ghali Na’Abba, former Speaker of the House of Representatives? Well, his interview recently about life after power [see the Nation newspaper’s page 16, Saturday October 16, 2010] refers. The former Speaker was asked, “what has been your experience outside power?” Please chew on his reply: “You see, it is a VERY BAD experience. Although I knew that, of course, once in power, my tenure would end someday and I would be back to a situation whereby I would no longer be in power. But the four years have marked a transition for me from one particular way of life to another, I found myself in a situation where I joined the league of leaders in this country. What is bothering me is that there were so many expectations from the people, mostly material, because they are mostly material, a lot of us find life difficult. I am speaking about all of us who left as leaders, I believe that the state should be taking care of us. Once you leave that kind of office, there is an image problem; the image of the national assembly and the image of the country itself. there are certain thin

Once you leave that kind of office, there is an image problem; the image of the national assembly and the image of the country itself. there are certain things we must not do. there are certain places we must not be seen to be going. we are supposed to be helped to put ourselves together and be statesmen, and secluded from the ordinary day-to-day things of life so that we can concentrate on helping the country, we must not suffer any distraction. But today, most of us are distracted because we have to make a living, we have dependants and our expenses since we left office have not gone down, too enormous to contend with. it is very demeaning for us to be seen in the ministries or in the office of local government chairmen looking for contracts or even asking state governors to come to our assistance. it has been very tedious, !” These words have not been rebutted so we’ll take them to be true. I am truly stuck for words! The belief that the State should take care of them is heartfelt, genuine and real! It is naive to expect anyone who has tasted power to adjust to ‘normal’ life. A man chooses to continue dishing out favours when he clearly cannot afford to, but, is wishing and hoping to prolong his political relevance, not at his own inconvenience by actually working to make money to do so, but at our expense. The real fear though, is that every member of the political class probably thinks this way. What things must a former office-holder stop doing? Wasn’t he doing something before he won election? Should normal work be demeaning after being a Speaker? Or is it just that it is sweeter to spend ‘ government money’ than that which you laboured for? All of a sudden earning a living by seeking government contracts is beneath his dignity just because he served his country? Why should former office holders expect to be ‘‘secluded from the ordinary day-to-day things of life’’? Many Nigerians are “distracted” because they have to make a living! Welcome, Mr. Na’Abba, to the REAL world. Who i

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That is why they need to cling on to power and never let go.