Idiots As Political Appointees: Matters Arising as

By Joseph Esivwenughwu

I recall several years ago in the city of Lagos, Lewis Street in Obalende precisely during the Babangida mad military days in government as President and Commander In Chief of the Nigeria army, how a truck pusher was performing his morning duty rolling his asset from one street to the other looking for the survival bullets in order to be able to satisfy his family when a car with some military boys stopped abruptly and started beating the innocent man. Just from nowhere, the late Chief Gani Fawhinmi, the world renowned legal luminary whose car was just behind the military car alighted and started shouting on top of his voice. ‘’Please stop that nonsense. This road is a public road and does not belong to the military barracks’’. Before they could pull themselves together to deal with the man who is interrupting and insulting them, Chief Gani pulled his diplomatic identification card, flashed it and immediately they realized that it was the legal luminary they started telling the truck pusher to remove his truck so they can drive on but it was too late. A crowd of people especially youths have taken over the scene shouting, ‘’Gani—Gani —‘’ and so on. It was then it dawned on the military boys that they have committed blunder. Sweating profusely, the youths who are now angry with the boys for daring to accost their hero at all wanted to beat the hell out of them, but Gani will not take any of that. He was able to calm the boys and the military men were allowed to go having been humiliated by the crowd for having the belief that the country belongs to them since they are in that position at that time, forgetting that one day, they will become ordinary persons while others including the truck pusher will be in government.

As I arrived Effurun last week on my way to Ughelli to keep an appointment, there was a mini traffic gridlock and everyone wondering what the matter was. Since I could not bear it any longer, I alighted from the car and went straight to the scene. Behold, a small jeep car had a minor collusion with keke and everybody was pleading with the car driver to allow the poor keke man to go since the scratch was too minor to be noticed. This almighty man will not budge. He insisted that the poor man must take his car to the panel beater and paint the very spot. When I got to the spot and greeted the man politely even though I did not know any of them, he kept mute. With my shaved hair and nice suit to match, I asked who he is since he had rebuffed all appeals even from elders to let go. Looking at me with his two eagle eyes, he looked at the direction of the poor keke man and said, ‘’if I deal with you this afternoon your family will not know you’’, he said as if the life of the keke man is in his hand. I drew his attention to my question but he ignored me. After few seconds, he thundered, I am a former aide to a Chairman of a Local Government, a former aid to the Secretary of a Local Government and now a political aid to one of the top politicians in the state. Since his car plate indicated Delta State, I enquired from him who is that politician that he is working for and this further provoked him. It now appeared that I am the one who rode that keke but I did not bother. Knowing how rude and stupid political appointees behave in the country and since I have also tasted their extremely bad and uncultured behavior, I brought my phone from my suit and started what appears to be a conversation with the receiver at the other end.
-Good morning the Law
-Good morning Sir (At this point I have set the phone on speaker)
-The law, please send some of the boys from the Chamber to handle the case of a victim that got his tricycle damaged by a political appointee to a nefarious big man in the society.
– Ok sir the boys are on the way and here is their numbers so you can direct them to the spot.
– The Law, I want the matter to go to court today by first reporting it at the police station and filling the necessary papers which include payment of ten-million-naira compensation to the tricycle man because the man is very poor hence the political aide threatened his life. We cut off the call while I was waiting for no one in particular. On hearing what looks like a genuine conversation the man jumped into his car and about to drive off when the crowd surrounded him. You are not going anywhere was the reaction of the crowd who started raining insults and abuses on the man. The almighty political appointee started apologizing to the keke man but no one was ready for his apology again since his ego have been broken by a man he did not know but wanted to make peace. Sensing that he will be beaten up, I ordered him with a loud voice like a military commander to get into his car and leave before the lawyers get there and he did while the people booed him. This is the pride of political appointees, and this is not the last of such films.

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Few months ago, an encounter with any of the aides of the Deputy Senate President will remind you of the Abacha days in government. On the social media, any zdiscussion on the senator even if it is an advice will attract hard knocks from the boys in the name of protecting the big politicians. Some of us decided to avoid attending parties in the state for fear of being harassed by these self-crowned lords.
Since we could not continue like this, I suggested in a write up sometime ago that the political aides to the deputy senate president should be sent to Lagos Hotel Ikeja for a three days training. The training should be designed in such a way that academicians and professionals are involved in turning them to good use. I also suggested taking them away from their duty post for days to meet with people they have not seen before and the hotel environment will likely change their mental orientations when they are through with such training. For the past six months, I have watched with keen interest the change in behavior relating to these bunch of political aides by the deputy senate president. Arrogancy and rudeness appears to have disappeared from their sunset for life. In a meeting with some of them recently in ceremonies, the chatting and story telling was friendly. When one mentioned the name of the deputy senate president, rather than be batched like before, he is improving by the day became the response of appointed aides. This is an indication that the deputy senate president, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege may have yielded to my earlier advise to send his boys to training and this is commendable. I hope that other politicians will do the same by organizing series of training for their appointees and by doing that they are also protecting their image.
Penultimate week, the news broke out that the Delta State House of Assembly is planning a training workshop for political appointees of Honorable Members of the house, my heart leaped for joy. At last, the message is sinking very fast and extreme. One of the newspapers wrote, ‘’A 2-Day Training Workshop for Political Support Staff of Honorable Members of the Delta State HOUSE OF Assembly has opened in Asaba with a call on participants to effectively compliment the effort of the House in its drive for peace, good governance and development of the state. The speaker, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori while flagging off the training programme, with the theme: ‘Principles, Practices and Procedure In A Modern Legislature’ said the role of political aides in the Assembly is crucial and fundamental to the success of their principals in carrying out their legislative business. Flanked by the Deputy Speaker and some other Principal Officers of the House, explained that there was the need to enhance participants understanding of legislative practice, procedure and Standing Orders of the House. The speaker who promised government’s sustained commitment to capacity building of the workforce, said that the Delta State House of Assembly recognizes the importance of political support staff who are not career civil servants in the Assembly, saying that they contribute immensely to the effective performance of their principals. He emphasized that legislative staff should have the skills to function well in the Legislature to deliver in the job they were employed to do’’.
This training is a welcome development if only the beneficiaries will adhere to principles and practice of behaviour because no matter how a fish is trained to be an animal the result may likely not materialize. It is time political aides develop themselves and imbibe the principles of private sector organization where rules and procedures work effectively. Those of us who are not political appointees just have to learn to tolerate the nuisance of these appointees. Today, the society ills currently bedeviling the nation have not always been there as there exist fundamental values, morals and norms that shape the country’s existence, though such essential attributes are fast disappearing due to bad leadership and bad followership. It is therefore a fact that with the ills ploughing the society, the political aides are not from the moon rather they are also part and parcel of the rotten society called Nigeria. The citizenry at present lack truth and integrity, hardwork, patience, equity and fairness, unity, justice, patriotism and hope all because of failed leadership. The political appointees should know that they are those who work day and night during the political campaigns and rallies but have no godfather to link them to get an appointment and the earlier they realized that the position they are holding today is extremely temporary and not permanent the better for them. Few months ago, someone posted a message to me on what happened the first day of the Peoples Democratic Party in eagle square Abuja. I saw several men and women of repute adorning all manners of attires and shoes but today a look at the names, you will find out that many are no more, having gone to meet with their creator. The best advice I always have for my friends is that any day you are accosted by a political appointee, it is because you rated him or her so high which is self-defeat.