“Nixon is the kind of politician who would cut the redwood ,then mount the stump to give a speech on conservation “
– Adlai Stevenson, American diplomat and politician.
The American diplomat and politician in speaking of the hypocrisy of Richard Nixon ,the 37th president of United States, who’s administration was enmeshed in the 1974 watergate scandal ,was not alone in condemning such a vice in humans ,as Jesus Christ in the holy Bible more than 2000 years ago had done the same .
As was recorded in the book of Mark 7:6 in the bible ,a situation arose that the pharisees and teachers of the law confronted Jesus Christ with these words “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?
Jesus Christ knowing the reason for their inquiry replied thus :
” Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites, as it is written “These people honour me with their lips ,but their hearts are far from me “
On another occasion as recorded in the book of Matthew 23 :23-36 ,Jesus Christ in addressing the teachers of law and the pharisees said thus :
“Woe to you teachers of the law and pharisees, you hypocrites!You give a tenth of of your spice -mint ,dill and cummin .But you have neglected the mere important matters of the law -justice ,mercy and faithfulness . You should have practiced the latter ,without neglecting the former “. He admonished the hypocrites.
The hypocrisy that Jesus Christ condemned more than two thousand years ago and the one Adlai Stevenson the American politician and diplomat deplored more than 50 years ago now flourishes like the cedars of Lebanon in our country, Nigeria.
Looking for evidence of political hypocrisy, one could cite the establishment of the 2017 Nasir EL -Rufai true federalism committee report that was not given any attention by the ruling party. Even when the party ,All progressive Congress, won the election of 2015 ,based on the manifesto of the party that panders to federalism, political promises to them was not enforceable and could be jettisoned no mater whose ox is gored.
Not even when the Newspaper proprietors Association of Nigerian (NPAN)the Nigeria Guide of Editors (NGE) and the Nigerian Union of journalists (NUJ) after their joint meeting in 2021 ,requested the implementation of the recommendations of Nasir EL -Rufai committee, could make the political actors to jettison their hypocritical stance .
Governor Uba Sani ,the governor of Kaduna State was in the news not too long ago, when he said in a town hall meeting that his government inherited $587million and 85 billion naira debt from the past government of Mallam Nasir El -Rufai, and according to him the state was finding it difficult to pay salaries ,as a result of the debt which was being removed from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) .
For one to understand the havoc of political hypocrisy in our body polity ,a flashback of the statement of Senator Uba Sani as one time chairman of senate Committee on banking and insurance and other financial institutions comes to mind.
As boldly reported in Vanguard Newspaper of March 10,2020 captioned “”World Bank loan :hold me responsible if el-Rufai fails Kaduna State ,Senator Uba Sani”,why then is someone that asked to be held responsible for World Bank loan secured by his predecessor, singing a discordant tune today?
In that publication he went on to say in his own words ” I even insist that I, Senator Uba Sani be held liable if the governor fails or disappoints. But of course I know Mallam Nasir el -Rufair will never fail the people of Kaduna State . I am extremely happy and proud of the role some of us played in securing the loan for Kaduna State” . If he was extremely happy with the role “Some of them” played in securing the loan ,how come he is now extremely sad ,that the loans are affecting smooth running of his government? Does this not bother on political hypocrisy that has eaten deep into our body polity?
Equally, when former president Goodluck Jonathan was on the saddle he was bashed by Mallam Nasir el-Rufai for incurring foreign loans . This can be gleaned from the story published in Daily
Nigeria ,April 2,2024 captioned ” The Internet never forgets “X User share El-Rufais old tweets condemning Jonathan’s foreign loans”.
The former governor in the publication was said to have shared the famous quote of the second president of the United States of America, John Adams ,who stated that the two ways to conquer and enslave a nation was by sword and debt .
In the second tweet ,Mallam EL Rufai, was quoted to have said in his tweet that while the US and European governments were running to reduce debt and fiscal cliff ,the Jonathan administration was rushing to “borrow away the future of our nation ” .
Can one reconcile the statement of one enamoured by the immortal quote of John Adams of conquering and enslaving a nation by “Sword and debt ” turning around when as governor of Kaduna State to have taken loans that seems to look like “borrowing away the future of Kaduna State ” judging from the outburst of Senator Uba Sani ,the governor of Kaduna State ? Political hypocrisy is actually rampart in our clime .
Under the presidency of Mohammed Buhari, he had the oratorical minister of Agriculture, in the person of Audu Ogbeh ,who went to a budget defence session at the National Assembly and lamented that the country was importing everything, including commodities that can be produced in Nigeria ,putting the nations development in jeopardy .
He was quoted as saying “let nobody take it lightly, these guys have siezed the country’s economy taken us hostage and they have no intentions of giving up .Because this is a huge and very sweet market and they have taken control “. Ogbeh was not done in his lamentation of unbridled importation as he went on to say :
” Everytime you bring a ship load of rice ,you also bring in a ship load of unemployment, because you are transferring your wealth to sustain other economies, somehow ,Nigerians don’t notice it,so we became a nation of importers ” . Chief Ogbehs brilliant submission at the budget defence session, was later to go viral ,with many social media platforms sharing the video .
Happening like the Damascus conversion of Saul the persecutor of the followers of Christ ,the unrepentant critic of uncontrolled imports was later to be a convert for importation when he advised the government to import grasses from Brazil for its grazing project. The writer could not stand such a hypocrisy, leading to the putting out of a poem in time in question, titled “You Cannot “which trended in many literary platforms .
On the build up to the presidential election that ushered in the administration of president Ahmed Bola Tinubu ,a group of Southern governors met in Asaba with the declaration that it was the turn of the South to have a bite of the cherry ,but before one could say “Jack ” the then governor of Delta State ,where the decision was made ,Dr Ifeanyi Okowa ,had already secured ticket to run with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a Northerner . For a Nyenso Nwike ,the then governor of Rivers state ,the non -compliance of the “Asaba declaration” by Dr Okowa was nothing short of political hypocrisy.
When Jesus Christ was to be arrested by the security operatives of the government of his time ,his dependable discipline ,Peter had to draw his sword to cut off the ear of one that held his master . That level of loyalty was recreated by a one time minister of Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubbebe ,who on seeing that the results being announced by the chairman of independent National Electoral commission, INEC ,Professor Attahiru Jega was not going the way of then president Goodluck Jonathan, approached the table were INEC chair was making the results, and threatened fire and brimstone on a live television. There was pandemonium on the hall ,as such a thing was a rararity in our clime.
A few years down the lane ,the man who stood like the rock of Gibraltar for President Goodluck Jonathan and the peoples Democratic party, PDP had to jump ship to become the campaign Director of Governorship Candidate of All progressive Congress ,APC in Delta State ,Senator Ovie Omo -Agege . If this is not political hypocrisy, tell me what is it .
“Let the poor breathe ” is a quote ascribed to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu,the one person who declared the disappearance of subsidy on petroleum on his inaugural speech. How can one reconcile the high price of fuel as of today with that statement?Is it not the poor that have been turned to beast of burden ,as a result of the increase in pump price of fuel ? The government that wants the poor to breathe, is it not suppose to put cushioning measures ,after the removal of fuel subsidy? Under the president that wants the “poor to breathe ” electricity tariffs have been increased twice to the bewilderment of the poor . Prices of goods and services since the president that wants the “poor to breathe ” have climbed the roof top and have continued to negate Issac Newtons law of motion that states ” that everything that goes up ,must come down”
For people who are familiar with reverse rhetorics “let the poor breathe ” phrase was actually a foreboding of more difficult times for the have-nots ,as our political leaders usually meant the opposite when they make certain pronouncements . Assuming the comment of “let the poor breathe ” was made by a personage like Don Herda Camara, a North Brazilian Catholic Bishop, noted for revolutionary Theology and defending the rights of the poor ,and who was quoted as having said in the past “When I give food to the poor ,they call me a saint ,when I ask why they poor have no food they call me ,a communist “,a good number of us would applauded the statement of the president.
On the other hand, if the statement had emanated from the Catholic Nun ,Mother Theresa of Calcutta ,who went on caring for the poor in Calcutta and around India ,that the Swedish academy took note of that ,and gave her the Nobel peace prize during her sojourn on earth ,it would have elicited excitement around the country. With the political class elevating hypocrisy to the highest pedestal, it made the “let the poor breathe ” phrase to be consigned to the bins of history.
As the virus of “political hypocrisy ” dominates the political culture of Nigeria ,the writer strongly believes it has a cure . The cure lies in refusing to belong to the population of people that “suffers from collective amnesia ” (Apologies to Professor Wole Soyinka) who when the politicians come for re-validation by way of elections ,are reminded of their unfilled promises ,and comments that were diametrically opposed to their actions . With unsatisfactory answers ,the electorate are expected to speak loud and clear at the polls ,to serve as a deterrent to others planning to take the people for a ride.
Dr Uche Akunebu is the Head of poets of the world (poets Del Mundo) Nigerian chapter, and the Editor of African book series of the international human rights arts Festival based in New York.
