On-the-dumping-of-corrupt-politicians-in-dustbins-by-ukrainians-a-food-for-thought-for-nigerian-politicians
September 7, 2020 | News
ON THE DUMPING OF CORRUPT POLITICIANS IN DUSTBINS BY UKRAINIANS – A FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR NIGERIAN POLITICIANS
With the videos currently being circulated on social media, of alleged corrupt politicians in Ukraine who were physically carried and dumped in dustbins by Ukrainians, whenever they are seen in the public and outside their Parliament, we believe this should be a food for thought, a warning of some sort and a wakeup call to corrupt Nigerian Politicians who have been misgoverning and mismanaging public funds meant to alleviate the sufferings, poverty and hardship daily faced by the Nigerian masses. The irresponsible Nigerian Politicians, that have been unaccountable in their stewardship in public service, should be reminded by the example in Ukraine that one day, the Nigerian people will revolt against them, and not only throw them in public dustbins, but also have them forcefully disgraced out of the public offices they have been abusing across all levels of government.
Since early September 2018, it has been reported across international media networks like the BBC, CNN, that up to a dozen Ukrainian MPs, City Councilors and other public officials accused of wrong doings, have been hauled from their offices by angry Ukrainians in what has become known as the “Trash Bucket Challenge.” The perpetrators - often members of the radical right-wing group Right Sector - say the public humiliations are to punish the corruption and criminality that characterized the previous regime in Ukraine. And critics warn the attacks are just one step away from “mob justice” and “public lynching”. It was an Ukrainian group in Odessa, Ukraine, that came up with the idea some weeks back, when they dumped Oleg Rudenko, a City Insurance Official accused of taking a £28,000 bribe, in a trash can. Other Ukrainians have taken up the “trash bucket challenge” a step further. To the point where they forcefully frog-marched a municipal official in Kirovograd into a wheelie bin for “lying.”
The Nigerian Politicians should be reminded by the said Ukraine example, that one day the majority of the Nigerians people will wake up, wise up and have these corrupt Nigerian Politicians who have turned themselves to ‘public masters’ – shamed and disgraced out of office. That faithful day, Nigerians will no longer protect and claim ownership of these ‘public thieves’ – most of whom are presently celebrated as ‘disguised corrupt politicians’ who have gotten the various aspirant tickets of their political parties for the 2019 general elections.
While we cannot vouch for the authenticity of the said online circulated video of corrupt Ukraine Politicians being thrown into dustbins, but the message conveyed in the video is very clear and worth it. It is a message to all Nigerian Politicians – that majority of the Nigerian people who have been ‘enduring years’ of all the ‘rubbish’ being dished out to them by our so-called Politicians, in the name of governance across all levels of government – will come to a climax as the masses will rise up and chase them, and have them thrown inside dustbins, or even treated worse. Agreed that some Nigerians are still in that euphoria of excitement and refusal to ‘shame’ most of these obviously corrupt Nigerian Politicians, in the name of “he/she is our kingsman and tribe person” so they will not be exposed and shamed, however, we believe that ‘faithful day of reckoning’ is coming, when majority of Nigerians will match words with action, just like we have seen in the Ukraine example. The excuse even given by some highly educated Nigerians, who are also suffering the untold hardship inflicted on them by some Nigerian politicians, that since other tribe’s politicians stole public funds, why can’t their own tribesmen steal too? Is foolishness of the highest order, or what else can we call it? This is the same thing as claiming ownership of thieves as usual. But one faithful day, when majority of Nigerians will wise -up and fed up with these corrupt Nigerian politicians, it will not matter whose tribesmen they are.
This situation just reminds us of some online videos that recently went viral on different social media platforms, of particularly is that of the Niger State Governor, being prevented from leaving an event, and nearly mobbed by his constituents’ - as they shouted “Barawo, Barawo…” (Meaning Thief, Thief… in Hausa).
For us, we believe that was just a tip of the iceberg of things to come, if our Nigerian politicians at all levels continue with their bad-governance, misappropriation and mismanagement of our collective national wealth meant to improve the standard of living of all and sundry in the country. Specifically, we would like to admonish the Governors in the Niger-Delta region to learn from these recent happenings, and perhaps change their misguided ways and strive to prevent it from happening to them. They might think that this will never happen to them, but they should not be deluded or deceived to think that Nigerians in their various States of the region, are not fed-up with their lies, failed promises, gross corruption and insensitivity to the plight and sufferings of the masses. When a man or a people are pushed to the wall, especially after ‘enduring’ years of maltreatment, it is just a matter of time for them to ‘react’ aggressively against those shortchanging their future in the corridors of political power.
Former American President, Abraham Lincoln, in one of his famous quotes, once said: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Legendary musicians like Peter Tosh and Bob Marley also repeated these lines in some of their songs. Reminding our Nigerian Politicians that, a day will come, when even those praising/celebrating and running after Politicians who have stolen their collective wealth meant to provide a better future for their children, will turn against them and publicly shame and disgrace them, just like the Political leaders in Ukraine were dumped in dustbins. Let us be reminded that Ukraine is amongst the developed countries in the world, yet they are still complaining of the wrong doings of their Political leaders, to warrant them being disgraced in public. Nigerian Politicians, who have committed more atrocities over the past decades, should then imagine what majority of the Nigerian masses will do to them when the day of reckoning is upon them.
Nigerian Politicians across all levels of Government should simply repent from their self-centered and evil ways of governance and start doing the right things in the sight of God. They should stop misappropriating, mismanaging and channeling public money to their private pockets. Rather, they should daily strive to eradicate the enormous poverty in the land. Truth is, if Nigerian Politicians were doing what was expected of them in the area of governance, especially from 1999 till date, the nation would be like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of Africa. If the enormous wealth and resources accrued to the nation all these years, were genuinely used for the purpose they were meant for, we are certain the nation won’t be where it is today.
Zik Gbemre.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes as if Those Were Our Causes
With the videos currently being circulated on social media, of alleged corrupt politicians in Ukraine who were physically carried and dumped in dustbins by Ukrainians, whenever they are seen in the public and outside their Parliament, we believe this should be a food for thought, a warning of some sort and a wakeup call to corrupt Nigerian Politicians who have been misgoverning and mismanaging public funds meant to alleviate the sufferings, poverty and hardship daily faced by the Nigerian masses. The irresponsible Nigerian Politicians, that have been unaccountable in their stewardship in public service, should be reminded by the example in Ukraine that one day, the Nigerian people will revolt against them, and not only throw them in public dustbins, but also have them forcefully disgraced out of the public offices they have been abusing across all levels of government.
Since early September 2018, it has been reported across international media networks like the BBC, CNN, that up to a dozen Ukrainian MPs, City Councilors and other public officials accused of wrong doings, have been hauled from their offices by angry Ukrainians in what has become known as the “Trash Bucket Challenge.” The perpetrators - often members of the radical right-wing group Right Sector - say the public humiliations are to punish the corruption and criminality that characterized the previous regime in Ukraine. And critics warn the attacks are just one step away from “mob justice” and “public lynching”. It was an Ukrainian group in Odessa, Ukraine, that came up with the idea some weeks back, when they dumped Oleg Rudenko, a City Insurance Official accused of taking a £28,000 bribe, in a trash can. Other Ukrainians have taken up the “trash bucket challenge” a step further. To the point where they forcefully frog-marched a municipal official in Kirovograd into a wheelie bin for “lying.”
The Nigerian Politicians should be reminded by the said Ukraine example, that one day the majority of the Nigerians people will wake up, wise up and have these corrupt Nigerian Politicians who have turned themselves to ‘public masters’ – shamed and disgraced out of office. That faithful day, Nigerians will no longer protect and claim ownership of these ‘public thieves’ – most of whom are presently celebrated as ‘disguised corrupt politicians’ who have gotten the various aspirant tickets of their political parties for the 2019 general elections.
While we cannot vouch for the authenticity of the said online circulated video of corrupt Ukraine Politicians being thrown into dustbins, but the message conveyed in the video is very clear and worth it. It is a message to all Nigerian Politicians – that majority of the Nigerian people who have been ‘enduring years’ of all the ‘rubbish’ being dished out to them by our so-called Politicians, in the name of governance across all levels of government – will come to a climax as the masses will rise up and chase them, and have them thrown inside dustbins, or even treated worse. Agreed that some Nigerians are still in that euphoria of excitement and refusal to ‘shame’ most of these obviously corrupt Nigerian Politicians, in the name of “he/she is our kingsman and tribe person” so they will not be exposed and shamed, however, we believe that ‘faithful day of reckoning’ is coming, when majority of Nigerians will match words with action, just like we have seen in the Ukraine example. The excuse even given by some highly educated Nigerians, who are also suffering the untold hardship inflicted on them by some Nigerian politicians, that since other tribe’s politicians stole public funds, why can’t their own tribesmen steal too? Is foolishness of the highest order, or what else can we call it? This is the same thing as claiming ownership of thieves as usual. But one faithful day, when majority of Nigerians will wise -up and fed up with these corrupt Nigerian politicians, it will not matter whose tribesmen they are.
This situation just reminds us of some online videos that recently went viral on different social media platforms, of particularly is that of the Niger State Governor, being prevented from leaving an event, and nearly mobbed by his constituents’ - as they shouted “Barawo, Barawo…” (Meaning Thief, Thief… in Hausa).
For us, we believe that was just a tip of the iceberg of things to come, if our Nigerian politicians at all levels continue with their bad-governance, misappropriation and mismanagement of our collective national wealth meant to improve the standard of living of all and sundry in the country. Specifically, we would like to admonish the Governors in the Niger-Delta region to learn from these recent happenings, and perhaps change their misguided ways and strive to prevent it from happening to them. They might think that this will never happen to them, but they should not be deluded or deceived to think that Nigerians in their various States of the region, are not fed-up with their lies, failed promises, gross corruption and insensitivity to the plight and sufferings of the masses. When a man or a people are pushed to the wall, especially after ‘enduring’ years of maltreatment, it is just a matter of time for them to ‘react’ aggressively against those shortchanging their future in the corridors of political power.
Former American President, Abraham Lincoln, in one of his famous quotes, once said: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Legendary musicians like Peter Tosh and Bob Marley also repeated these lines in some of their songs. Reminding our Nigerian Politicians that, a day will come, when even those praising/celebrating and running after Politicians who have stolen their collective wealth meant to provide a better future for their children, will turn against them and publicly shame and disgrace them, just like the Political leaders in Ukraine were dumped in dustbins. Let us be reminded that Ukraine is amongst the developed countries in the world, yet they are still complaining of the wrong doings of their Political leaders, to warrant them being disgraced in public. Nigerian Politicians, who have committed more atrocities over the past decades, should then imagine what majority of the Nigerian masses will do to them when the day of reckoning is upon them.
Nigerian Politicians across all levels of Government should simply repent from their self-centered and evil ways of governance and start doing the right things in the sight of God. They should stop misappropriating, mismanaging and channeling public money to their private pockets. Rather, they should daily strive to eradicate the enormous poverty in the land. Truth is, if Nigerian Politicians were doing what was expected of them in the area of governance, especially from 1999 till date, the nation would be like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of Africa. If the enormous wealth and resources accrued to the nation all these years, were genuinely used for the purpose they were meant for, we are certain the nation won’t be where it is today.
Zik Gbemre.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes as if Those Were Our Causes