By Zik Gbemre

With the established fact that Emperors, are usually sovereign powerful rulers of vast Empires and territories. They not only have and command unlimited powers, they are also not accountable to anybody. They have total control of a country or region, and their words are laws. While they rule the kingdoms within their Empires, as well as the kings that rule the kingdoms, these subjects are all answerable to the said Emperors no matter who that person is. The Nigerian Politicians of our time, including those currently in power at all levels of Government, are best described like the Emperors of the ancient Empires.

Just like Emperors, Nigerian Politicians are not answerable or accountable to anybody. They do not even see the need to do so because in Nigeria, Politicians, particularly those at the Executive levels of Government, are like supermen, imperial Emperors. Like Emperors of old, Nigerian Politicians wield enormous power and control huge resources. They are answerable to no one. They practically have the world in their pockets and the rest of us at their feet. Men and women fell over each other to seek their attention. For instance, to have a Governor’s phone number is a mark of honour and rear privilege, as noted by Martins Oloja. To have the said Governor call you or reply your text message, makes your day.

However, it is a sad tale, one that we are pained about in our hearts, that Nigerian Politicians in power across all levels of Government, have become ancient Emperors, rather than being actual Public Officers. They have become “SUPER MASTERS” who can do whatever they please, while the people they are meant to ‘Serve’, have been subjected to being ‘slaves’ that should ‘swallow’ whatever rubbish and anomalies that are being dished out to them practically every day.

The Nigerian Politicians in power at all levels of Government, have become 21st Century Emperors who are above the law, and must be ‘begged’, constantly appealed to and watered with enormous praise-singing – just to construct a half-kilometer road, or do anything that would benefit the general masses. And if they eventually construct such a road, or carry out any other project for that matter meant for the people, they have done you a huge favour. If they pay government workers’ salaries arrears, and Pensioners, they are applauded and commended. In fact, for every single thing these Nigerian Politicians in power do/carry out, they are commended and praised for performing their statutory legitimate duties, for which they were elected to do in the first place. Most of them even go to the extent of shouting their praises in national tabloids, often with photos of what they have done, just to smooth their annoying egos that they are working.

These Nigerian Emperors of our time, must be praised and commended for ‘doing nothing’, or only doing whatever please their fancy, which often times, are never in the interest of their immediate subjects/people, and the general masses. And when Zik Gbemre dares to speak his mind, exposing these Nigerian Politician-turned-Emperors for who and what they are, I am termed and regarded as a supposed ‘trouble maker’. Talk about giving a dog a bad name to hang him! You must praise these Nigerian Emperors of this age for doing nothing, to be in their good books. Otherwise, they will continue to see you as their supposed ‘enemy’, and are ready to even use paid writers and blackmailers to carry out a smear campaign against anyone that does not sing their praises, or not in support of their bad governance.

Some persons have taken the occupation of accompanying these Nigerian Emperors wherever they go, and hailing them all kinds of names and titles. These persons, wake up every morning to balance in the sitting-rooms/parlours of their Emperors, waiting for them just to accompany their pay-masters to go out for the day. These hangers-on accompany them to even private visits and social gatherings. Yet, some people are still wondering why Nigeria has remained a backward and developing nation, despite being blessed with vast natural and human resources. It is simply because these visionless and self-centered Nigerian Emperors are the ones who decide what to do, and what not to do, as regards moving the nation forward or not. They have continued to use our ‘collective wealth’ as if it is their ‘personal wealth’ because they own the Empire (State/Nation) they control, as well as every resources within that Empire. And until we change this narrative; where so much executive power is concentrated in the hands of these Nigerian Politicians-turned-Emperors, and where Government has been made ‘so attractive’ in the country – we would continue to have one Emperor after another in Nigerian Government spaces, and not actual Public Officers.

Zik Gbemre.

October 28, 2019

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