– By Zik Gbemr

Aside the undeniable fact that, because of the way the Nigerian political system and culture has been structured over the last two decades, which has not allowed the emergence and evolution of political leaders with visions and courage to transform the economic fortunes of Nigerians, however some States like Delta State, are worse off in this regard. What we have had in Delta State, is a political structure that is so skewed, so corrupted, so biased on all angles, all of which absolutely disenfranchises the people from having their desired political leaders in sensitive Government positions, but it also negates every democratic principles and ideals that ought to be.

In other words, what the Delta State Elites and politicians refers to as “political structures in the State”, which they claim to have been used/responsible for winning past elections in Delta State, are not really what any right-thinking person that stands for the truth, should be referring to as political structures. The claim that, “politicians’ popularity”, and them having “loyal supporters on ground at the urban and grassroots levels” – are the reasons why these Delta State Politicians won past elections, is absolutely false and untrue.

The only so-called ‘political structure’ in Delta State, which has been what these Politicians have been using to win elections in the past 20 years, is the capability of the politicians to hire armed hoodlums to snatch ballot materials and bribe INEC officials to manipulate the electoral process in their favour and write/declare election results that have been doctored. In other words, the popular and wrong views of what Delta State Elites/Politicians and even some Nigerians in Delta State, term as “political structures” that will enable a Politician to win election in Delta State, is to have hitmen on ground in all the wards to snatch ballot boxes and stuff them with thumb printed voting materials; to have armed political thugs to shoot and scare genuine voters from voting, especially when they know they will not be voted for in that particular voting Unit or Ward; or for the political hitmen and the politician’s loyalists to collaborate with INEC officials to write results and announce fake victories.

A political structure in Delta State, as well as most parts of Nigeria, is not by having men on ground to legally campaign and work for political candidates to win elections by “popular voting” and having loyal supporters, but it is to have violent armed political thugs, and the connections/capacity to collaborate with INEC officials and deny the people from voting for any candidate of their choice. It is a shame that a politician who calls himself/herself an educated person with chains of degrees and diplomas, to arm political thugs to wreak havoc on electorates, or enticing poor voters with physical cash and gifts of all kinds to buy their votes. A politician with real political structures on ground should be a politician that has genuine followers and loyalists in all the Wards, and most importantly he is loved by the people, due to the good manifestos of his party and visions he/she has that will bring genuine sustainable all-round development. But in Nigeria, when they say a politician has a political structure, it means that politician has few violent men on ground that are armed to harass voters on the election day. This is the kind of Political structures that is practiced very well in Delta State since 1999 till date. So, if the educated/certificated people do not understand what it means to have a genuine political structure, it means Delta State, and the country are in danger.

For two decades now, we have lacked leadership with vision, conviction and courage to implement what are necessary in a fair and just manner within Delta State. Worse, we cannot even see how our current political system and the so-called political structures in the State can allow the emergence and evolution of such political leaders and followers. For twenty years, we have had State Governors in Delta State who have no institutional checks and balances, rather they have been nothing but de facto Emperors in the State. We cannot say that Delta State has a 5- or a 10-year Development Plan that is resourced and funded, with quality control on delivery.

I have decided to focus my attention on Delta State alone because of a lot of reasons. One of which is the fact that Delta State is amongst the top three States in the Niger Delta region that receive the highest gross revenue from the oil wealth of this nation. When we put together the enormous amount of public funds that accrues to Delta State, which includes the 13% derivation, Federal Allocations/bailout funds, and of course the internally generated revenues from oil companies and others, we would be shocked to the bones and wonder where has all that monies gone to, especially when we consider the deplorable economic state of Delta State. And this is simply because of the skewed and corrupted so-called political structure and the election process, through which political leaders have found their way into the Government House and State Institutions in the last two decades. But if we had had the right political structure as required of a democratic setting in Delta State, we are certain that by now the issue of “good governance” in the State within the last two decades, would have been in place and would have brought about the real sustainable all-round development for the good of the common man.

We have had past political leaders, nationalists and Nigerian statesmen in this country like the late Obafemi Awolowo, who was able to use the cocoa revenues during his time to astonishingly develop the South West without the so-called Federal Allocations. Awolowo was able to establish the first Radio Station, the first Television Station, the popular Liberty Stadium, and also built the Cocoa high-rise building. It was because of Awolowo that Nigeria had a Television Station before most countries in the Asia and Africa. The enumerated sources of the enormous revenues that accrues to Delta State alone, are more than enough to develop the entire State to the status of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Every lack of development that we see all around us in Delta State, is simply due to pervading “bad governance” being practiced in Delta State since 1999 till date. And this is because “nobody really genuinely voted for them physically”. They got themselves elected by manipulating the electoral process in their favour.

The most annoying part of all of this is that Delta State Elites will never see anything wrong, or say anything against these anomalies prevalent in the State. Rather, all they keep talking about is the so-called PDP having political structures in Delta State, which is not really there. Other than only their “might and strength” to use public money to hire armed hoodlums for election violence, and to get fake election victories. This is quite unfortunate because if the Delta State Elites and highly-placed leaders should keep on shying away from resolving this Delta State deplorable political status, then who will do it for us as Deltans? If they keep supporting these politicians and the electoral atrocities they commit against the people, then the State and the common man are doomed. We really do not know why the Delta State Elites are not seeing all of the things that are being done wrongly by these Delta State politicians in Government.

In Delta State, the Governor is always creating empty portfolios without functions to buy power and retain power. All sorts of uncalled for portfolios are created. The money for the salaries and the logistics attached to all these “functionless portfolios” are enough to complete major infrastructural projects in Delta State.

These Delta State Elites cannot be talking about/making reference to other States and the good things happening there, without mentioning their own State and how to address the things that are going wrong. We have a whole lot to do in this regard as a people. And the Delta State Elites should focus their attention on our home State. Is it not sad that today, the once famous “Oil city Warri”, which used to be the economic and commercial hub of the Niger Delta region, is currently without a functional standard airport?

Seriously, the System of Government and Politics as it is practiced in Delta State and most parts of Nigeria, have never done us any good as a State and a developing nation. All we have seen is a widening great divide between the Government and the governed; the poor and the rich; the haves and the have not. The enrichment of the few in Government circles have made going into politics to seek for elective positions as a career; the surest and quickest way to instant wealth. Hence, the issue of ‘service’ does not come to mind by our ‘professional politicians’ in Delta State. They are too busy filling their pockets and satisfying the interests of those that put them in power.

Zik Gbemre.

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