by Raphael Esu
Nigeria, as we know it, is blessed with outstanding leaders. We are a fortunate nation in that regard and it does not get better than this. Our leaders are all men of the people doing everything in our interest and in good faith and conscience and it would be a shame not to give them the accolade that they truly deserve. It is impossible for this short piece to do justice in recognizing their selfless acts but it will make an attempt.
My all-time man of the people has not been regarded fairly by the Nigerian people. Despite all his efforts to lead this country, we keep on rejecting him. They say he has cross carpeted more times than he has said the truth. This man of the people stutters when asked of the source of his wealth despite being a civil servant before he came into government. However, the important thing is that he is a philanthropist and has established a state-of-the-art educational institution that only the elites can afford. This man of the people is resilient in his presidential ambition and has employed the most sophisticated media team and that is why we love him. However, there are certain mischievous persons telling him to visit the United States (alleging that he will be arrested for fraud) but this man of the people has an independent mind and his reason for not visiting is because the US is a boring place to be and he loves us, his people, so much.
This second man of the people is probably the most innovative in the history of Nigeria. Why build conventional infrastructure such as road, water supply, hospitals etc. and even pay salaries when you can fund “stomach infrastructure”? I mean, a full belly makes people forget that their man of the people is falling short of meeting his responsibilities and that is why he is smart – he likes his peace. People have said that he has “mouth diarrhoea” (he talks too much) but that is a lie and it is unfair. He has a health condition that requires him to make the headlines at least once a week. This man of the people is also a presidential aspirant. Best of luck sir!
This third man of the people is a true inspiration to all young people. He makes us understand that you must come out and be vocal against corruption and when it fights back against you, you do not only pack your bags and go, you get in bed with her. This man of the people not only represents us in the Senate but in his lifestyle. As a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he has at least two cars in his garage representing every state (including the FCT). One thing I love about him is that he realizes that we are poor so he takes pictures of his expensive cars and expensive outfits and vacations and posts on social media to inspire us not to be poor. Absolutely love him.
Another man of the people I admire very much, apart from being a Senator and businessman, is also a “common sense” merchant. He benevolently takes time out to lecture us on common sense. Some mud swingers come out to say he is a hypocrite. They say that he is serving in the most corrupt institution in Nigeria and cannot use common sense to speak against this institutionalized corruption but people are being unfair to him. Our common-sense senator likes his peace- he does not want his colleagues to not like him (friendship is very important). I mean, which would you choose? Being a hypocrite or having rich and powerful friends? You must be joking if you think I would turn down friendship. So, next time he lectures us on common sense let us listen to him and not ask questions about his character because of this situation I have just made you understand.
My fifth man of the people is gravely misunderstood. Everyone loves playing games. It may be football, tennis or basketball so why bash this man of the people for playing with power and lives? My man of the people is an ex-Governor and a current minister and I love how miraculously switching parties and becoming a minister can wipe away all your iniquities. This man of the people did not care how much his political shenanigans cost and how many lives were lost so far as he was winning the game which he loved so much.
A very passionate man we should all emulate.
Finally, my greatest man of the people is not even a man. You all come out in the media saying she stole billions (in both naira and dollars). Even the courts have seized a lot of her property because of your lies. Even if she stole all that amount, how does it concern you? You did not elect her, she was appointed. See, life is short and you may not be fortunate to be wealthy in your next life so it is only right to amass wealth for your next ten lifetimes just to be safe. They say this man of the people has surpassed a certain deceased head of state in ill-gotten wealth but do you not know records are meant to be broken? Amassing wealth is a very tedious task and may come with some health challenges so that is why she needs to rest abroad without all the noise from you ungrateful Nigerians. We should be grateful for the lesson that she has taught us on utilizing every opportunity to better ourselves. Like they say, opportunity only comes but once. Thank you, Ma!
Like I mentioned earlier, this article cannot do justice to the numerous men of the people that we have in Nigeria. However, when any of them comes to your mind, say a prayer for them that they may continue to serve the people to the best of their ability. Being a man of the people is definitely a heinous task and they need all our support.
Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija
Leave a reply