Governor-elect of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, das decried the state of politics in Nigeria; saying that drug barons and internet scammers have permeated the circle to avoid being nabbed.
Speaking over the weekend at the first graduation of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance Pioneer in Abuja, founded by former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Soludo said that Africa needs a new liberation movement from rentier politics and politicians.
The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, who spoke on the topic ‘The Purpose and Price of Disruptive Change’, said: “Indeed, Africa needs a new liberation movement. The first struggle was liberation from the colonial masters. The second will be liberation from rentier politics and politicians. For me, there is almost a sense of nostalgia, recalling the mission and accomplishments of our founding fathers, especially as we contemplate the world without oil in Nigeria.
“Much of the existing social order is founded on competition for, and distribution of, rents. Oil and the easy money that came with it destroyed the social fabric and the elite created new institutions and political structures to maximize their gains.
“As the noose tightened globally on other rentier/criminal enterprises such as drug trafficking or internet scamming, many of the barons flocked into politics as the next easy alternative.
“Politics has become big business. Appointment or election into public office is seen largely as an opportunity to ‘eat’ rather than a call to selfless service. There is an army of rich (big men) who have never worked or done any productive work in their life and believe that it is their right to expect something for nothing.
“The tiny less than one per cent elite have a stranglehold on the public purse, sprinkling occasional crumbs to the citizens as ‘dividends of democracy’. The citizens themselves either out of helplessness or acquiescence join the party, expecting the politicians to dole out pittance out of public treasury as charity.”
Soludo described Nigeria as being at a fiscal cliff with a crunching solvency challenge.
He added: “Youth unemployment, insecurity, poverty, inflation, etc, threaten the social fabric. Migrating to a post-oil world of 4th Industrial revolution and sustainable prosperity will require massive disruptive transformations and restoration of a productive social contract.
“Such disruptions will come at great costs, and could indeed be dangerous.”
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