The Give and Take Nature of Corruption in Nigeria: elected Officials and the People
Corruption in Nigeria is a product of the relationship between the elected officials and the people.
Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye is a State House of Assembly Member. He won his election in 2019 after spending a total of 50 million Naira.
In his first year in office, he got two hundred million Naira as constituency project fund. This is his constitutional right.
He decided to donate desks to some schools, sink four boreholes, give out three cars, renovate some class rooms and donate sewing machines to twenty women in his LGA. He gives few scholarships. In total, he spends 60 million Naira for the constituency project. He pockets 140 million Naira. The beneficiaries are excited. They call him a good politician.
To double up the hustle and maximize the earning potentials Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye is also a contractor, he gets most of the state govt projects coming to his LGA. In this same first year, his LGA got 2 billion Naira worth of projects in the state budget. This is not part of his constituency project.
Most of the projects are awarded through him. He makes about 160 million Naira from the projects through inflation and cutting corners. The projects are completed and the people are happy. They want him to bring more development project to the LGA. They call Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye a good politician.
Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye has made 300 million Naira in his first year; 140 million from constituency projects and 160 million Naira as a contractor. Not every lawmaker is smart like Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye to make money from contracts. Others only get the constituency funds.
In his second year, Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye repeats the same thing. Third year, same thing. Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye makes 300 million Naira annually. This is outside his salary and allowances. Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye has the ambition of a second tenure in office.
This is the reason why he is even giving his people 60 million of the constituency fund. If he had no ambition of a second tenure, he would give them just 5 and pocket 95. He has nothing to lose. The state governor is aware of what Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye is doing.
They both belong to the same party so there is a bond. The governor also has his own ambition of a second tenure and must therefore need Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye to help deliver him in his LGA. So he keeps quiet.
The fourth year is the year preceding the next election. Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye makes another 300 million. He is happy, his people are happy. In total, Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye has made 1.2 billion Naira in four years. His people are happy. They are not aware of what he is doing.
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In the election year Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye becomes even more generous. He gives his LGA party executives 20 million Naira. He gives all the traditional Ruler Councils 1 million Naira each. He doubles his annual constituency spending from 60 to 120 million. The people are so excited that they endorse him for a second tenure even without him asking them to. The game don set.
On election day, Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye gives INEC & security officials 20 million Naira and spends another 40 million Naira to buy votes from those stubborn voters. Even if he does not give these set of people money, majority of his people will still vote him in. He has empowered them after all and they like him.
Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye wins his second tenure. Out of the 1.2 billion he made in his first tenure, he has spent about 400 million just to win a second tenure.
In his first year in office, Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye slashes down his spending on the people from 60 to 30 million Naira. His people are still happy. He tells them there is recession. He continues like this to the end of his second tenure. Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye is aspiring to go to the Senate!
There are 774 Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye in Nigeria that makes up the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria. Makes sense now?
Few people who knows what Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye is doing calls him a corrupt politician. They are warming up to replace him. Nobody is asking why the system allows Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye to play around with their funds. Nobody has realized that Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye cannot patronize a corrupt system and not end up being a corrupt person. Many young people want to be like Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye. They think he has a good heart. One of the beneficiaries of Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye undergraduate scholarship is always praying for him.
Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye is his hero. Sopuruchukwu B Ehidonye is the reason why he will soon become a graduate.
No country have ever progressed when all of the above applied. It is impossible to grow any country with the above explained unitary feeding bottle prebendal arrangements. LET US CONTINUE TO PRETEND and wait for our turn to loot.
