Empowerment Or Political Greek Gift? Behind Nigerian Politicians Empowerment Programmes
Nigerian politicians, especially the lawmakers (Senators, House of Representatives members, and House of Assembly members), are fond of embarking on one form of empowerment program or another for their constituents.
The politicians see empowerment as a means of helping the people who voted them in or otherwise a way to be in the good book of the citizens for those seeking political office.
However, while some people acknowledge the impact the empowerment programmes have on its beneficiaries, others believe it is just a Greek gift by politicians with no meaningful intention for the people.
According to some political analysts, most of the empowerment programmes had no meaningful impact on the people, with the empowerment programmes solving the immediate problems of the beneficiaries without looking at the long-term benefits.
The analyst who spoke with Osun Defender said the politicians need to change their approach and come up with sustainable ways of impacting their communities.
They were also of the opinion that most of the empowerment programmes by the politicians are for a small section of the society, with mostly members of the politician’s political parties being the beneficiaries.
They argued that programmes and projects that would benefit the masses irrespective of their political affiliation should be at the top of the politicians’ priorities.
Speaking with the medium, one of the analysts, Oyetunde Oladimeji, noted that most politicians engage in empowerment programmes just to boost their ratings among the people.
He said they do not have the interest of the masses at heart, adding that the majority of the empowerment programs solve only the immediate problems of their beneficiaries.
“The kind of empowerment programmes our politicians do here are mere Greek gifts. They do not look at providing a long-term solution to the problems of their constituents.
“All they care about is how to boost their egos and make people shout their names. They knew the right thing to do, but they would rather not in order to keep their poor constituents in their palms.
“How would sharing foodstuffs, giving N20,000, and sharing grinding machines and motorcycles assist the beneficiaries in the future?
“I don’t know how those will affect those who went to school without a proper job, those without a community hospital, and those who want to go to school or learn a skill to become something in life.”
Another political analyst, Olayinka Omole, noted that even though he has no problem with the kind of empowerment programmes provided by the politicians to their constituents, there is a need to look for long-term solutions to people’s problems.
He said politicians should empower their constituents to be financially independent and provide programs that would benefit the entire community at large, both in the immediate and future.
He said, “I would commend the politicians for what they are doing to assist their constituents, but I think they need to do more.
“We should have grown in the country beyond sharing rice and giving petty money to constituents as a form of empowerment. This can only solve the immediate problem.
“Programmes and projects that will benefit the entire community in the immediate and future should be implemented. We should think outside the box and come up with exciting projects for the people.”
