While Nigerians starve, their governors clap at jets, by Stephanie Shaakaa

There was a clip erstwhile the word governor carried value and governors carried themselves with dignity.

The men elected successful 1999, for each their faults, would ne'er wantonness their states conscionable to enactment up astatine an airdrome and question astatine a departing president. The men of the First and Second Republics, who genuinely won elections without leaning connected statesmanlike whims oregon the “magic” of electoral bodies, would person considered it beneath them. They commanded existent followership, drew their legitimacy from the ballot, and would person laughed astatine the thought of waving astatine a president’s pitchy similar secondary schoolhouse prefects.

They owed their loyalty to the people, not to 1 man’s ego. That pridefulness is gone.

Today’s governors? They person reduced themselves to cheerleaders successful agbada. Nigeria bleeds, hospitals deficiency equipment, bandits overrun communities, hunger walks the streets but our leaders find dignity successful playing airdrome ushers. They enactment up to question erstwhile the president leaves, enactment up again erstwhile helium returns, and immoderate adjacent sneak into beforehand teams overseas conscionable to clap twice. Men entrusted with full states, reduced to extras successful a atrocious Nollywood movie.

The constitution calls them heads of federating units, yet they enactment similar palace attendants successful a monarchy. Federalism cannot thrive erstwhile governors behave similar tenants waiting for the landlord’s approval. Instead of lasting gangly for their people, they polish their agbadas, cleanable their smiles, and vie for camera angles astatine the tarmac.

Ruben Abati was right, if they person nary enactment to do, they should instrumentality to their states.

Could you ideate Awolowo abandoning the Western Region to question astatine a departing president? Could you imagine  Jakande, Mbakwe, oregon adjacent the 1999 acceptable of governors polishing their agbadas for a send-off astatine the tarmac? Impossible. They built schools, opened universities, revived industries. They measured loyalty by work to their people, not by however galore times they clapped for a statesmanlike jet.

Today’s governors deficiency that pridefulness due to the fact that their thrones were built connected fragile mandates, immoderate by electoral “magic” alternatively than genuine legitimacy. That is wherefore they kneel truthful quickly. That is wherefore they mistake sycophancy for survival. The calamity is that portion they clap successful Abuja, their states collapse, schools without teachers, hospitals without drugs, farms abandoned to insecurity.

Nigeria cannot emergence with leaders who godforsaken their radical for photo-ops. Leaders who mistake waving for working. Officials who grin astatine the runway portion their citizens starve.

Over 20 cardinal Nigerian children are retired of school, according to UNICEF, yet governors find clip to polish agbadas and rehearse applause astatine the tarmac.

This is sycophancy dressed successful decorator fabric.

We person entered an epoch wherever loyalty is measured not by work but by beingness – who shows up to wave, who claps the loudest. Governors who should beryllium the pillars of federalism person reduced themselves to statesmanlike errand boys. Even successful their ain positions, they are bootlickers.

Standards person collapsed truthful wholly that we dainty this absurdity arsenic normal. But retrieve Jakande. Remember Mbakwe. Remember Abubakar Rimi,  Remember the aboriginal governors of 1999. They had their ain mandate, their ain legitimacy, their ain pride. They knew enactment was measured successful schools built, roads constructed, industries revived not successful applause astatine the airport.

And truthful the haunting question remains. Can Nigeria emergence with leaders similar this? Leaders who godforsaken their radical to service 1 man’s ego? Leaders who clap portion the state burns?

Until Nigerians request better, this federation volition stay trapped successful a tragic theatre of sycophancy wherever the radical burn, and their governors grin astatine the smoke.

Vanguard News

The station While Nigerians starve, their governors clap astatine jets, by Stephanie Shaakaa appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.