| LG Funds: The Limits of Propaganda |
|
 |
| Thursday, 04 August 2005 | |||||||||||||
|
by Taslim Anibaba (FCA) Introduction Whenever most of our modern day politicians talk on national or other issues, one cannot but wonder if the country can make progress if these are the set of people charged with the responsibilities of: 1: Formation of state policies: 2: Judicious application of huge resources at their disposal. Personally, I am always left with the feeling that they often believe (not assume) that they are talking to a gullible, unlettered and unintelligent populace. This feeling may not be unjustified because during electioneering campaigns, the politicians relate more with artisans, market women, danfo (bus) drivers, area boys etc. They hardly seek the support of the educated working class: the elite too hardly show any interest in politics. Thus when the elections are won, the politicians hardly remember that amongst the populace are intelligent and lettered people. Most of the men of power today brandish such credentials as questionable academic qualifications (Toronto, Chicago, etc), uncouth language, threats and brigandage. They usually operate the theory that "if one person own no spoil another person own no go better". They are visionless. Matters Arising It is true that at the state level 57 (20 and 37) local governments were duly created by Lagos State government but the issue of local government creation is not exclusive to any state in totality. Why is this so? Local governments once created must be funded by the Federal government. In other words, it is the responsibility of the Federal government to fund local governments. Secondly, local governments represent the third tier of governance and so are integral parts of the entity called the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This perhaps partly explains the constitutional requirement that the National Assembly must make consequential provisions in such matters as the creation of new local governments as any unplanned creation will not only cause administrative chaos but funding and budgetary allocations may become serious issues. The Zango-Kataf and similar riots have their deep roots in local government crises. Added to this was the Supreme Court judgment which described the local governments as inchoate. Immediately after the judgment, a massive propaganda machinery was unleashed on the nation by Lagos State government. The State Government chose the portion barring the Federal Government from withholding the funds as the focal point of her propaganda and pretended as if the word “inchoate” needed no attention. No effort was made to respond positively to this anomaly but the government chose to apply the principle that "A lie told several times gradually takes the form of the truth". The propaganda machine started with local government staff (teachers et. al.) carrying placards calling Mr. President all manner of unprintable names. The Governor and his Commissioner for Information (the first of this kind in the history of Lagos state) openly used uncouth and gutter language in public. Sentiments were released in such a proportion as to make Lagosians stone Mr. President. They even resorted to curses at some points. The media, especially one newspaper with her representative in the cabinet of Lagos state ensured that the fire of this mammoth propaganda was kept alive. They did not stop there. The fight was taken to the National Assembly (where, of course, PDP has a majority) and the issue was listed as one of impeachable offences levied against Mr. President. That move is now history. I honestly wonder how much has been wasted on this local government propaganda (perhaps billions of Naira). Maybe one of our media houses will ask the asiwaju the amount that has been spent on this needless propaganda in the course of time. Interestingly, this matter was the main issue during the State’s June 12 rally at Yaba during which all manner of dirty language, curses and remarks were made and rained, some of them even wished death to Mr. President. Unfortunately, the rally was televised on cable TV for the whole world to see. The most ridiculous event during the rally was when the deputy governor led the chorus in a song that went like this “Kilo mu garri won Obasanjo lo mu garri won” translated "who is responsible for the high cost of garri?" (a staple food). It did not occur to the Lagos State officials that AGRICULTURE is the constitutional responsibility of the state and local governments. Advisedly, the state government should stop the indiscriminate selling and private acquisition of lands that were earmarked for agriculture by Alhaji Lateef Jakande when he was governor. Then Lagos, which is an agrarian and aquatic state, will produce enough not only for internal consumption but also for export. I feel like crying when elected officers do not know their responsibilities and goad the public through falsehood and deception into blaming others for their own failures, ignorance and greed. You may want to ask: What good can come from a visionless, plan less, mischievous, greedy political class? According to a Yoruba proverb “imado iba se bi elede aba ilu je, eru iba joba enia ko ni ku kan” - when the head of a household dies and an invalid takes over, sorrow begets sorrow. Interlude Now the government has continued in the macabre dance of deception. The purported reversal looks like child’s play. A resolution was passed, it was not assented by governor, the 57 structures are still in place yet Lagos State rushed to the media to announce a reversal. Haba! Lagos state you can do better than to treat us as fools. Political Parties Connection During the PDP rally in Lagos and the council fund issue one noticed a watertight collaboration between the President, governors and the party. However, the same cannot be said of AD (Alliance for Democracy) and the Lagos state government. Could it be that AD has abandoned the State Government or that the State Government has “massacred” AD to make way for other groups such as the Justice Forum under the leadership of the asiwaju as is being rumored? If the latter is true, then the government is on her own and the lesson is that one should not remove the ladder that took him/her up because one may need same ladder in times of turbulence to ensure stability. Conclusion The most important reason for my writing this piece is to bring to the fore the fact that our society is gradually being governed by men and women who have little or no respect for values. Such values as honesty, integrity, purposefulness, vision etc. mean nothing to them. Intellectualism is also not in their dictionary, but ideas rule the world! If we are to entrust these people with our future and resources, shouldn’t we pause and think again? Shouldn’t the elite, including academics, enter the political turf? Do we have any good reason to complain when we permit a man who admitted giving false information to INEC (ala Chicago) to parade himself as the next Governor of Lagos state? I am not a politician or a sponsored agent. I am just a citizen of the state who moans about what has become the remains of my State of Origin after the desecration by people whose values are diametrically opposed to our values in Lagos, which is "Bibire san ju oye lo". We cherish our names and our heritage but we are under invasion. Lastly, should we entrust our future to a set of people who lack value and integrity? Shouldn’t we raise the standards for the betterment of all and the sanitization of society? Thank you Taslim Anibaba (FCA) 3rd August 2005 Comments are welcome and can be forwarded to tanibaba@nigeriavillagesquare.com
|
|||||||||||||
| Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 April 2008 ) | |||||||||||||
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Services : E-mail news | 
RSS Feeds | Podcasts
Links: About the NVS | Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies | Advertise With Us
All Rights Reserved. NigeriaVillageSquare.com
Posted by Robot| 09.11.2005 09:41