By Oladipo Oluwole
In any thriving democracy, political parties are the main institutions/means of leadership recruitment process. Any other way, therefore...based on emotion, ethno-religious sentiment...will definitely have dire consequences- same apply to our personal choices of husbands, wives, friends, and relationships, in whatever form, and at any point of our lives...that are based on emotion, sentiment, and illusion.
I said this severally in most of my write ups, towards the 2023 political parties National primaries, and subsequent general elections...characterized by "emi lokan, eyin eleyi, (changed to) awa lokan, omo eni ko sedi bebere...daddy this is a religious war o", in a nation on the edge of a precipice?
Having set up the pedestal of illusions, thereafter, both the federal government and labour unions...in their own subterranean cocoon, and subterfuge operational enclave, subsequently became very much unserious about workers wellbeing/welfare...#600,000 versus #60,000, minimum wage debacle, and dilly-dally, for a whole year, in the face of 'subsidy is gone', extraneous taxes, and their inflationary consequences...imagine what individual Nigerian worker/family has gone through?...many lower and upper classes of people have died, and are still dying of shock, arising from sudden change in their respective sociopolitical, and economic status- a people determined, and got, the type of government they so decided/deserved, indeed!
Sometime in November, 1999, I saw a fleet of fine, and exotic cars, on a field, while passing through a village, before Odeda, along Abeokuta. I enquired whether they were selling cars in that small village, but was told that it was a primary school field, and the cars were owned by the teachers- that was when a political party/government that knew her onions was in power...between May 29, 1999, and that very November,1999, (five months of being in government), workers salaries were increased...without prompting...no pressure...no endless meetings for weeks, months or a year.
Neither the alibi of we met an empty treasury, nor the flimsy/clumsy excuses that Abacha's military junta had looted the nation's treasury, or the then politico-economic international sanctions against Nigeria, etc.
Sincerely, that was the hallmark of commitment to citizens welfare- reality against illusion- every government is supposed to create her own wealth to spend on people's security and general welfare.
An insight into the future, judging by the present...another illusion will soon rear its ugly head, in the buildup to the one week...stopgap...tripartite resolution meeting, and the implementation of whatever wages, both the government and labour leaders may arrive at, which will eventually be dragged down to various governments predetermined periods for implementation!
I fervently hope we are learning, and shall eventually learn better as an individual, and a people...deliberately, intentionally, and passionately desirous of good living, and good things of life, for ourselves, children, and the future generations- "kama maa ru eru eleru sori, ka wa fa eru tiwa lowo"- arojinle kankan ko si fun Eniyan to nso ori olori, towa jeki eye awodi gbe ori ti e lo!- ignorantly being supportive of internal oppressors wellbeing/interests, at our own peril, by being hoodwinked in, and susceptible to religious sentiment and ethnocentric generalization issues/attitudes, for others personal National political self-interests, ego and relevance, rather than our own collective interests, and total wellbeing- One is free to decide/choose, but one can't be free from the consequences!
TRUTH IS BITTER, BUT VERY CONSTANT, INDEED!
OLADIPO Oluwole
Public affairs analyst, and social commentator.
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