By Marcus Ekure
I once spoke to a politician on the need to empower his constituents! You want to know his response?
"Marcus leave them the way they are! If everyone is empowered, then who would be loyal? If you empower these youths and women, you would lose their loyalty. As much as you keep buying them drinks whenever you come around, they would hail you and remain loyal to you''.
Wow! I heaved a sigh of bewilderment! Surprisingly, not quite a minute after he dropped that bomb, one of the community youths came hailing him, ''my leader, your boy loyaoooo''. And his response to him was, '' are you sure? Ok go tell Maddam xxx to give you beer''.
My plan was actually to discuss an empowerment initiative with him that would benefit his people but my spirit was killed by the experience. Taking a lead from book he claimed to have read, he said '' do not empower your followers to stand lest they may not need you anymore and if they don't need you anymore, you have lost the ability to control their power of decision".
This is part of the reason most politicians do not see any sense in genuine initiatives targeted at making lasting impact in their constituent's lives. No matter how cheap the proposal, they would turn deaf ears to it!
Hmmm! I sighed again and again! And I imagined, no wonder the most common empowerment majority of our politicians give to their followers, especially when elections dates are close are: Okada and Keke (which has killed many beneficiaries), will barrow, car gifts to those who have no means of livelihood, cash gifts that wouldn't enable them do any meaningful thing other than to buy beer, taskforce, ticketing, motor pack chairmanship just to mention few.
Oh, I recall what my master, Dr Apoki told me some time ago, "the chains most politicians use in binding their victims(the electorates) is HOPE CAPITAL". He said if you want to chain a man and make him your slave for ever, dangle crumbs at him daily but create a fictitious and unattainable hope for him.
Whenever you perceive the hope is waning and he is losing patience, all you need do is to renew the hope with a make belief scenario! To many, these revelations may be strange but deep inside, you know you are not sincere to yourself as you are feeling being used! Far from it, it is because you are mentally poor and suffering from common sense deficiency syndrome. There is really nothing wrong in serving a master but a master who has no genuine interest of his followers at heart is a mirage!
OK let's break it down a little, you've been working with him for the past ten to fifteen years. He is prospering yet, all you get, is don't worry I have plans for you! The day you take a business idea to him for funding, he tells you the timing is wrong and that something good is coming. Yes something good might really come but what if it doesn't come? Do you have a plan to cushion the effects?
Many youths who have been in one political party or other with one political Oga or the other since year 2000 (that is 28 years gone), they are even worse off than they where as there is nothing to show for their followership. Yet they are still chanting the same old song, ''MY LEADER, MY LEADER YOUR BOY LOYAOOO". Your leader was a member of house of assembly for 2 tenures, you were loyal yet nothing happened in your life. He did 2 tenures again as house of reps member, the story remained the same! Now he is out of office seeking reelection. With white beareds now grown all over your head, you are still chanting songs of loyalty! Nor be course, maybe that is your destiny!
When the enthusiasm and spirit of loyalty is waning, do something to rejuvenate it and its refreshed! It is a barbaric, satanic and devilish rule from the pit of hell!
Because he needs you again now, he calls and starts explaining how bad government has been financially. He tells you different fictitious things he had in mind which circumstances and time has not permitted, but as he is seeking reelection, the moment he gets to the house, you would be his first priority! Na so! Story. What is even the assurance that he would win?
The truth of the matter is a good leader is a good leader while a bad leader is bad. No man can give what he doesn't have. Most of our leaders do not want the youths to prosper so they can keep their freedom bound in chains! They are even afraid that you may wield so much financial muzzle to contend their interest if you are commensurately empowered! Every time, they complain economy is bad, yet they pay their children's exorbitant fees oversees.
The highest thing most of our politicians can do for their followers is to send them ten to fifty thousand naira when their wives deliver or during child dedication, marriage and funeral ceremonies. A leader who buys a car for a follower who has no sustainable means of livelihood has done more harm than good! Just like a politician who gives the wrongs skills to his constituents has not achieved anything. Or giving cash gifts without adequate paradigm shift.
Some times, you can't even blame the leader. Many of the youths following them for years now do not have anything of value other than nuisance value. I heard a story of how a politician attracted some technical job opportunities but could not find any of his followers worthy because they do not have the requisite qualification. Although this should not be an excuse for any leader at all because every man has a be fitting empowerment.
THE NOT TOO YOUNG TO LEAD MANTRA
The libration and political freedom of today youths is tied to economic empowerment. Our youths are poor materially and morally. Their sense of judgement has been diminished by quest for stomach infrastructure. This constitute one of the biggest challenges facing the NOT TOO YOUNG TO LEAD MANTRA.
The leaders do not believe in the youths because they see Nigeria as their personal project which they must guide from the clouts of youths which they see as restive and suffering from infantile narcicism. Even the youths do not believe in the youths because, youths to them, no longer represent a reflection of what they now understand as future (money or wealth).
Today youths have lost it completely. It is only those youths whose hands have found something worthwhile doing, who have conquered stomach politics and who have enormous passion for true change we can rely upon as the true NOT TOO YOUNG TO LEAD ambassadors! We know them by their fruits, not by undue praise singing or psalms on social media. They are the only fellows we can rely upon for truth because, the truthfulness of a man today has become a function of his pocket. Poverty and quest to hammer has taken away truth, fairness and justice from our today youths!
My name is Marcus Ekure.
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