Article from benue.info
By Ayodele Adio
The alarming rate at which elected officials are outsourcing their
statutory responsibility to God is fast reaching a frightening
crescendo. In Benue state, what seemed like a revival or crusade was
held to lift up the burdens and economic hardship of the land to God
with expectations of the miraculous. This occasion had in attendance the
Governor and his entire cabinet, a former governor of the state and now
senator (George Akume) and a former chairman board of trustees of the
people’s Democratic Party and also senator (Barnabas Gemade) amongst
other high profile individuals. The sight of these statesmen,
technocrats and politicians helplessly throwing their hands in the air
and shedding crocodile tears, believed to arouse public sympathy ended
up having a soporific effect on some of us.
To think that these individuals have decades of experience in
governance, top notch training and enviable global exposure but will
result to such shocking display of powerlessness means they are either
cold-hearted or are intellectually bankrupt. It is worthy to note, that
anytime an elected leader employs the usual narrative, “God will help
us” or suggests that we lift our eyes to the heavens be sure that a
colossal mistake had be made in electing them and the society will feel
the pangs in their bellies.
Since politicians are quick to depend on religious mysteries to solve
economic and socio-political setbacks, it would only be right that i
expose their feet of clay. There was a certain Joseph in the bible, who
rose from the prison to become prime minister in Egypt and midwife them
through a period of economic turbulence. Not once did Joseph call for a
national day of prayer to save Egypt from Famine, he had already
instituted clever policies, that emphasised savings in times of surplus,
and certain austerities in times of famine. There was food in Egypt
throughout the seven years of famine because a 30 year old prime
minister was visionary, strategic and had an impeccable management
skill.
After the genocide had ended in 1994, over a million Rwandans had
lost their lives. There economy was a total mess, life expectancy was a
sorry state and children were dying at an alarming rate. Paul Kagame
became president and the rest is history. Rwanda grew their GDP at an
average of 8% for over a decade, life expectancy doubled and the rate of
children dying under the age of 5 was reduced from 230 per 1000 to less
than 55 per thousand. Avigdor Liberman, a former foreign secretary of
Israel made the following proclamations “No one believed, neither in
Rwanda nor outside it that this small, divided Central African country
would recover and rise from the ruins”. If Mr Paul Kagame could do it,
why can’t Governor Ortom (pictured)? Or may be Kagame is favoured of God
and Ortom isn’t and hence the need to seek the face of the Almighty.
For Goodness sake, Benue state is supposed to be the food basket of
the nation, blessed with a magnificent soil and hardworking farmers, to
leave those people to faith will be nothing short of irresponsibility by
the executive. This carefully managed theatrics by clever politicians,
using religion to manipulate the masses have proven a master stroke each
time it is deployed but someday the wind will blow so hard and the
buttocks of the proverbial hen will been seen in the open. When that
time comes, the oppressor will then become the very victim of a social
structure turned volcanic.
Rather than gaze into the cloud in search for what will never appear,
the governor of Benue is better off rolling up his sleeves and
harnessing the tremendous potential of this gifted state. It is ok if
the governor does not have all of the capabilities to galvanize his
state forward, no one does, but what smart leaders do is to get the best
brains together in a small room, hand them a bold and compelling vision
and task them to create a road map and not waste their time in a
crusade.
“God cannot be mocked, whatever a man sows that he shall also reap”.
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