It’s interesting that Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi decided to use his 60th birthday to launch a political movement instead of thanking God for the so many mercies and grace upon his life. That in any case is his prerogative. I welcome him to the sixth floor.
The colloquium organised by his ardent followers had the theme of weaponisation of hunger, and it was targeted at the current government in power, even as it’s his own party that is in power.
I however differ with his thesis as those who have studied sociology well would know that in Nigeria the issues of poverty and hunger are not issues that the current or past APC government has used as a political tool to ascend to power.
What they have consistently done is the strategic use of social stratification to divide, conquer and rule the populace. Amaechi’s thesis of hunger can only be explained and anchored if understood in the context of increasing social stratification and the effects this has on those who are at the lower rungs, while aspiring to get to the upper rungs and once there the issue of poverty and hunger are no longer important.
My surprise is that other speakers at the event did not see through this thinking and realise that poverty is a result of inequalities built into a social stratification system more so when there is no productive activity to back it up.
The strategy is to ensure that there is enough money to pursue the next elections and ensure they remain on top of the ladder and amass additional wealth to the detriment of the people at the lower levels. They must remain at the top and what those at the lower levels think or feel is irrelevant. The President’s son has made that clear enough.
It’s a system that doesn’t take into consideration those at the lower rungs and offers them palliatives and handouts to enable them to continue to see those on top as benevolent, and who God or the gods have blessed and put in this position. Any act is seen as grace since it is God that gives power.
The mere acts of fulfilling constitutional responsibilities are seen as a privilege to the community and no longer a constitutional and developmental right.
The imperatives of stratification is based on wealth, crass wealth and some of those who are in the Coalition no longer have access to the wealth that would be required to maintain their position on the rung.
They perhaps are asking themselves what went wrong, and how did they not see this coming? It’s in this context the Governor Diri’s admonishing should be re-echoed ‘shine your eyes’ because those who have galvanised themselves at the top level of the strata are not going to give up easily, and those who wish to be there are falling all over themselves endorsing a single candidate for 2027.
Back to the issue of weaponisation of hunger, the only hunger the current APC government has weaponised is the hunger to join their ranks and enjoy the largesse that some of the erstwhile former governors were said to have misappropriated.
Like Oshiomole said, join the APC and your sins will be forgiven. The hunger not to be prosecuted and possibly jailed seems to be the hunger driving this new constitutional aberration, while the judiciary is now an onlooker and taking advantage to get a share of the cake for their children, spouses and relations.
Are people hungry? Yes of course, but that is not the concern of those on top in a social stratification society. Hunger is because as Orji Uzo Kalu put it, people are not working hard enough.
The hunger is to capture and maintain power in 2027. Every other thing is secondary to this.
Onyekachi Omenuko, wrote from Port Harcourt.
