OPINION: Must People Read Political Meaning To Anything A Politician Does? By Mashood Mustapha

Date: 2016-07-11

The kind of politics played in Nigeria discourages politicians with large hearts and altruistic characters most times. The basis of this piece is that some politicians do not have iota of concern for the downtrodden masses but always hide under the pretext of being the peoples' servants while addressing the masses but never reflected in their doings. Some remember the masses only at the wee hours to elections or while seeking for one political appointment or the other, but truncate all the channels via which people could reach them the moment they are given mandate. I call such people incommunicado politicians.

These politicians or people, when they see any of their colleagues spreading the tentacles of his/her God's given wealth to ameliorate the living conditions of the masses, they come all to discredit the gesture, blackmail the Giver or employ people to paint the gesture and the Giver black by all available and unavailable means. This is the case of the usual feedback I get from some baseless politicians each time i provide food, jobs, cloths, money and other supports to the needy in my house that my gestures have political undertone. An aggressive stomach infrastructure is what I consider a timely cushioning effect to the economic hardship with which our country is being confronted. Come to think of it, what favour could anybody expect from a person like me who is not in a position where I can award contract than providing succour like these to the needy? It's no longer a story that I was able to facilitate almost 60 juicy Federal jobs for my constituents while I was representing Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency at the Green Chamber of National Assembly, Abuja. I also had many scholarship students home and abroad. Many of them like Mohammed Obalowu Olatunji from Ilorin West graduated with MEng. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Coventry University UK and Yahya Abayomi Mashood from Asa LG, the son of Alhaja Saraat Omowumi Otte, a prominent member of G20 Kwara, also returned to Nigeria from UK with BEng. in Sub-Sea Engineering. I am proud to say amongst of them is Taofeek Olawale from Asa LG who recently returned to Nigeria from the University of Perpetual Help System, Philippines where he graduated as a Marine Engineer. There are many of them that are beneficiaries of my personal scholarship scheme in higher institutions across the globe.

Needless to say, but for the sake of undiscerning people these politicians tend to misinform about me, I am bold to say the largesse have been reflecting in the lives of common people for almost two decades (twenty years). My efforts to comfort the masses were more intensified in the just concluded Ramadan as cash and food items given to people were more than usual, due to the economic condition of the country which has unleashed suffering on Nigerian people. It was borne out of my generous heart but not an eye service. One would expect these people to cite this good gesture as a basis for others, especially the elected officers to emulate, instead of this immature castigation. However, those who know me very well would definitely attest to the fact that I do not hoodwink as against what the politicians without base feed the public about me.

What breaks one's heart the most is that the same set of people come to my house to break fast with me and also seek financial assistance which I never ceased to render them. These people have many bags of rice at home, including the ones taken from me, but they would never share for the starving members of their family, let alone their suffering neighbors. As a student of Saraki's political school of thought, this is one of the lessons I learnt from the late Dr. Olusola Saraki. There is no gainsaying the fact that stomach infrastructure and other human services are what won the late Saraki more into people's hearts and stabilized Saraki's dynasty above all others in the country till today. It's also unarguably glaring that my leader and boss, His Excellency, Distinguished Senate President Bukola Saraki has kept the emblem flying in a more efficacious manner. His human capacity development strides for people are compared to none in Nigeria. Without an overstatement, between June 9 2015 when my principal became the Nation's topmost parliamentarian, we have been able to provide permanent jobs for several Kwarans.

However, it is saddening to hear that despite all what i did during the just concluded Ramadan, some people could still open their dirty mouths and hurl onslaught of abuse and derogatory statements on my person. The people behind this satanic deed thought they wanted to soil my reputation without knowing that masses have understood who their enemies are. There is no doubt that doors are always open and laughter must supplant the face of anybody who enters into my house with tears. I also visit my mother in the family house regularly and meet people with one request or the other there without any media buzz. My frequent visit to Ilorin, despite my work in Abuja, is indeed a point on which some bootless politicians are jealous because they are known to be running away from their family, friends, political associates and so on. Although philanthropic gestures by politicians have gotten to a level that if not covered for the world to see, they assume you aren't responsible and responsive. These are the same people who were engaged by political desperados to vilify me while I was holding an elected office but I thank God for today, the rest is history. A good history for that matter. Why should i be discouraged from such humanitarian services with unnecessary criticisms?

Almighty Allah (SWT) Himself mentioned in the glorious Qur'an in various chapters that he detests any stingy person. So, anyone who understands this very well should not denigrate the efforts of any philanthropic person for political reasons because this act could make the giver start nursing the fear that his philanthropic efforts could be turned to a move with political undertone by the people whose minds are beclouded with political desperation. Surprisingly, these same people go on Hajj (main or lesser pilgrimage) and see how different alms are being shared to the needy.

On a final note, let me make it crystal clear to those who are crying wolf where none exists that their begrudging and backbiting can never deter me from helping the needy. This is owing to the fact that it has become part of me long before I even joined politics. I have never for once been part of anybody's destruction in my life and can never be, rather, i face my life and several personal businesses. If they feel they can corner to their side what Almighty Allah (SWT) didn't give them, then they should ride on in the competitive session with their Creator but leave my name out of their pot of mud. I hereby warn them and their agents to refrain from this shameful act of blackmail. It is God that crowns and dethrones not by men's efforts. I want to advise these jobless politicians that if they have other better ideas of reaching out to the needy, they should come up with them and i would definitely consider them instead of this shameful acts. I remain resolute as ever that I will always be on the side of the needy anytime they seek for help.

 


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