By Patrick Ediagbonya, from Benin-City.
Mr. Victor Uwadiale (not real name) retired from the civil service recently as a director, after clocking the mandatory 35 years in service. All through the years he spent working for the government, he had his integrity intact, and lived purely on his salary as stipulated by the law. He had hoped that his good name would stand him out in later years. On retirement, the first shock he got was the meagre 1,2 million naira he was paid as gratuity; and then, the second shocker was that he received a paltry 47,000 naira (roughly $68) as monthly salary! He was warned that he would receive that amount for the next 10 years and thereafter they would switch off when his savings of merely 6 million naira (approx. $12,000 for all of the 35 years he worked) would have been exhausted.
Under the circumstance, it is possible that he may have been deemed to have only 10 years left to live! It’s been two years now since he retired, and as you may well know, life to him has become as grinding and brutish. “I find myself choked day and night trying to make ends meet”, said Uwadiale, while narrating his sad ordeal. Unfortunately, Mr. Uwadiale, who has no talent to depend on has also discovered another cruel circle of fate, that a friend without money is like a fish out of water—no friend, no brother, only enemies! “Friends no longer pick my calls, because they think am coming to harass them for money”, he recalls regretfully. In sharp contrast, his political appointee’s counterparts are luckier, they are spared the ugly tide of life because they probably judged the future rightly—not because they are smart.
They understand what life stands to give in an unfriendly clime like Nigeria. This is why the news coming out from the national network that the APC administration has packaged a planned hefty N62 billion pay-off as severance package for themselves nationwide may not sound as strange to them. That’s the game they play so well. Don’t forget that many of them have been recycled several times, some being former senators, governors, ministers and heads of government. “These politicians are crazy, they think the rest of Nigerians are fools”, explained Albert Ugoyota, a businessman based in Benin. “If that plan sails through, they would be receiving double having worked the same thing in previous run in government”, revealed Albert, adding that, that doesn’t prevent them from returning in the next administration. “Only God knows the type of human beings who parade themselves as leaders in Nigeria”, said Ugoyota as he decried their insensitive and crooked nature.
In another development a certain Mr. Fred Ogbebor said he was short of words to describe the intent of the sinister approvals hinting that the time may be ripe to check the mental stability of our so called leaders. “Oh Nigeria, my beloved country, this rape is too much”, he cried out. Mr. Ogbebor, also based in Benin described the situation both as criminal and insane. “How can any reasonable government allow such a thing to happen”, he stated vowing to resist the move if given the opportunity. “But you know they will surely resist and try to justify the move by all means possible and at the end stick to their guns”, he said. Unfortunately for him, this APC government are less concerned about their reputation that is already in ruins. Mr. Ogbebor then lampooned the perpetrators for being inordinately greedy and extortionist.
He said Nigerians were sold a dummy when the current leadership were dressed in borrowed robe and portrayed as messiahs only for them to unfold their true colors once established in office. Instead of improving standard of living, Nigerians were dealt a hard blow by the sudden predatory stance of the leadership. “It is not only absurd but atrocious” Ogbebor blotted out stressing that it is inhuman for whatever the reason to descend to such low. “I understand that there are standards in governance anywhere in the world; but this APC administration has made no pretense that it is anti-people”, he declared, insisting that it is dangerous for government to lose credibility before her subjects. “Up to now, no one knows what the APC people are campaigning for”, he says, calling them lame duck and pretenders.
