A misconstrued status of health and the dicey affairs of political society

AP photo

By

Ogunniyi Abayomi

‘Skeptical’, ‘prune’ and ‘glossy’ are terms illustrating the theatrical displays among our political actor cum leaders whose misidentified responsibilities are altered at the expense of shady benefits and services while the enlightened masses are deceived.

‘He is hale and hearty’ was the communiqué of the federal government and ministry of information while he was draining indoors and had absconded the federal executive council meeting thrice, likewise failing to meet appointments among other trivial issues that should be sorted out within and by the President.

The political actors upstage their delusive act on his health claiming he was hale and hearty with the expectation to swerve the attention of the masses, rather the President’s trip to the UK for medical attention exposed his health status clearly to Nigerians. Meanwhile his handing over of duties to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, raised controversy between the realm of our political circle.

The upsurge of terror by the Boko Haram sect persists in spite of the prisoner swap negotiation that led to the recent release of 82 Chibok girls, a negotiation the Swiss government attested to be involved in along with the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the humanitarian cause to be fulfilled; we are happy but have we recovered from that which befalls our country daily?

The 2017 budget has not been passed into law by legislative chambers, rather our political actors are involved in the controversial script of greed here by the inhumane acts not subjected to proper investigation and prosecution due to the bereft and poor standard of our law enforcement agency which punishes the poor and innocent and pardons the wealthy and crooked individuals to meet with their own standards.

It is an argument that has not drawn a positive conclusion to the process of our administrative affairs. From there we endure the pain their decision has aggravated, to the soul, mind and body of the masses that live within its territory.

In the midst of these controversies, many of our political actors are clamouring for another political script in the 2019 General Election, the villains roaming to feature in the political movie of rigging to obtain power while we run at a loss with an overnight illusion of operating in a democratic system of government hereby the masses watch with no role allotted to them to play in the societal development, yet we are persuaded to purchase the movie along with an entertaining deceit.

We jump, scream, shout and wail for our candidate yet we bite our fingers over the below par performance our political actor upstaged our minds with, therefore we fail to oblige with its reality pondering on the realm of fancy. The question of the essence of a democratic sense arises when policies do not correspond with the need and agenda of the masses. Our youths are recruited for illegal activities and evil pogroms in place of meaningful and gainful employment.

They feed the media with stories of their arrest yet the challenges are not tamed and we claim that we are not sick but rather the President is, while his protagonist and antagonist believe he is hale and hearty.

Where are our visionary leaders? After representing a constituency very brilliantly, they are buried by central government failing to live up to the expectation at the national level.

It is sad our political actors erupt a drama of controversy in the executive, legislative and judiciary aspect of governance. Our mouths are opened globally, who will cleanse and cover us from the mess and farce within this stage?

Ogunniyi Abayomi

Ogunniyi Abayomi was born July 11, 1991 in the city of Lagos, where he resides. A poet and essayist whose works have been published in various journals.