Chatham House tourism; neocolonialism in practice?

By O'star Eze

Eyebrows have been raised since it started trending. The need to validate oneself as a Nigerian politician by addressing Chatham House became a regular occurence as we drew closer to February 25 presidential election in Nigeria. People have been wondering why it was more dignified for the presidential candidates vying to take over reins of executive power from President Mohammad Buhari, to make appearances at Chatham House, London with reckless abandon and of course donating obscene amounts of money off records, while their crooners, mess up the whole social environ with polluted mudslinging, propaganda and counter propaganda targeted at opposition and justified as righteous wrath.

Chatham house is an institute of International Affairs, an equivalent of it in Nigeria being Nigeria Institute of International Affairs. If there was need for Nigeria politicians to make presentations of their manifesto to a school of intelligentsia and the people's representatives, the legislators for scrutiny, it should be those in Nigeria and our own homegrown institute. It is the people of Nigeria that need those obscene amounts of money as donations to provide air conditioners in our schools, better chairs, equipment and desks for studies and to improve our research and implementation in the country.

Before you would say that Mahatma Gandhi made an appearance there at some point, kindly note that no other country has her politicians spending fortunes to visit and address the Chatham House to prove political points during elections but Nigerian politicians. This is including those who make a campaign point out of a claim of holy frugality. This makes nonsense of the whole idea of emancipation from political and economic slavery the people anticipate from the incoming government. Which makes nonsense of the New Nigeria mantra being paraded by some, a mantra working a section of the country into a frenzy reeking of terrorism to say the least.

#ANN #mufasatundeednut #lindaikeji #newsupdates

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Definitely neocolonialism, because I can't see why Nigerian presidential candidates should be subjecting themselves to the UK for interview.