How long shall politicians continue to play politics of belly?

By Isaac Asabor

The reason why it is not advisable to be treating corrupt politicians with kid gloves cannot be farfetched as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in one of its publications stated that “No country is immune to corruption. The abuse of public office for private gain erodes people’s trust in government and institutions, makes public policies less effective and fair, and siphons taxpayers’ money away from schools, roads, and hospitals.

As gathered from a razor-sharp news report titled “Inside Nigeria’s Budget Of Fraud”, and published on the online platform of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), “Between 2012 and 2014, a total of N201.79 billion was appropriated for 5,145 capital projects in the South West. Sadly, only a few of these projects were found to exist. Even these ones are in bad shape despite whopping sums sunk into them”. In a similar vein, it was gathered that notwithstanding gulping billions of Naira sunk into the Abak- Ikot Abasi road, it has remained uncompleted, four years after the contract award.

Still, in a similar vein, the writer gathered from Dataphyte, an online data-driven online news platform reported that Nigeria‘s ambitious plans to deliver 40,000 MW electricity capacity from its Power Sector by 2020 have failed and that almost six years into the Buhari-led government, over ₦1.3 trillion has entered into the electricity sector. Budgetary provisions and supports”. As surmised by the platform, policy inconsistency, weak regulations, and lack of transparency have weakened the country’s electricity value chain.

At this juncture, it is expedient to say that the foregoing scenarios graphically captured in this context are collectively the tip of the iceberg when the subject of how corrupt Nigerian politicians are, particularly as not a few of them have not disappointed Nigerians that they are corrupt since 1999 when democratic system of government was adopted. To rephrase the foregoing, it is germane to say that thousands of policies and programmes across the country over the years have either been messed up, abandoned, or delayed due to looting and corruption.

Not only have policies and programmes across constituencies been messed up, abandoned, or delayed due to looting and corruption, they have been claiming the innocent lives of Nigerians. For instance, as you read this piece about six persons were reported to have died on Sunday, April 23, 2023, following an auto crash around the popular Kara Bridge along the LagosIbadan Expressway. As gathered, the incident happened in quick succession from the bus as it somersaulted, and burst into flames leading to the fatalities. It is germane to say that the accident was an addition to others that have been witnessed over the years due to bad roads.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to ask, “If public funds are not going towards the implementation of policies and executions of projects, then where is the money going? Without a doubt, suspicions and allegations have been rife that the money is filling the pockets of not a few politicians as their bohemian lifestyles and reckless spending buttress the allegations, and have continued to attract attention among not a few Nigerians who are invariably those who voted them into their various political positions. It will be recalled that ahead of the last general election that some politicians were arrested for carrying home a large amount of cash; even in foreign currencies. For so long, members of the public have been questioning some Nigerian politicians’ “overnight affluence”.

Again, it can also be asked, “Why do politicians steal money’? The foregoing question cannot be farfetched as not a few people have described politicians who ‘steal money’ to be abusing their positions of power by using public funds in order to satisfy their personal interests. According to Mr. Jones Kelubia, a political critic, stealing public funds is a process of accumulation, whereby the politician acts on the opportunity to exploit his or her private access to public resources in order to survive and secure favorable prospects for the future.

Symbolically speaking, politicians may ‘steal money’ to fulfill financial or career interests, facilitating favorable business transactions or advancing their prospects of reelection through vote bribery. Politicians who are ‘stealing money’ do so for personal gain by “fighting for their stomach” rather than “fighting for the common citizen’s plea.” Instead of going towards community development projects that would benefit the public at large, state resources are instead fueling politicians’ individual greed. Politicians who ‘steal money’ prioritize self-preservation, denying shared access to consumption of state goods, thus leaving voters hungry.

Having bemoaned the dangers that are inherent in the act of stealing money by politicians, it is expedient in this context to throw light on what “Politics of the belly” means. According to Wikipedia, Politics of the Belly is a translation of the French term politique du ventre which is a Cameroonian expression popularized by Jean-François Bayart in his 1989 book L’État en Afrique. The online encyclopedia added that La Politique du Ventre says, “It refers, in particular, to the relationship between patrimonialism, clientelism, corruption, and power.

According to Lynn M. Thomas of the University of Washington:” “The politics of the belly points to the propensity of politicians to hoard and greedily consume resources in things and people. In addition to highlighting the significance of idioms of eating and the belly to African conceptions of power, Bayart’s analysis insists on the importance of vertical relationships, those between social unequals such as patrons or clients, to understand African political history.”

Having shed light on what the politics of the belly is, and how debilitating it is, it is germane to ask, “How Long Shall Nigerian Politicians Continue To Play Politics Of The Belly?”, “Should Politicians Continue To Be Left Unchallenged By Anti-Corruption Agencies?” Personally speaking, politicians that literarily have itchy fingers should be arrested upon discovery of strong evidence and prosecuted, and punished accordingly.

The reason why it is not advisable to be treating corrupt politicians with kid gloves cannot be farfetched as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in one of its publications stated that “No country is immune to corruption. The abuse of public office for private gain erodes people’s trust in government and institutions, makes public policies less effective and fair, and siphons taxpayers’ money away from schools, roads, and hospitals.

“While the wasted money is important, the cost is about much more. Corruption corrodes the government’s ability to help grow the economy in a way that benefits all citizens.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to opine that the president in the next political dispensation, should be resilient and determined to demonstrate sincere and unbiased political to fight corruption. This can be done by building strong and transparent institutions as such a move can turn the tide against corruption. To my view, monitoring groups across the three tiers of government should not relent in shining light on fiscal institutions and policies, like tax administration or procurement practices as a way of fighting the soaring rate of corruption by politicians across all constituencies in the country.

Isaac Asabor is a Public Affairs Analyst.