Nigeria rice sharing politics, a proof of poor governance

By Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong

In Nigeria, once a politician knows he has failed in governance, he buys a truck load of rice and share them to the people.

Here, the president does it, state governors do it, and representatives of the people in states legislature and National Assembly do it to cover up their incompetence.

To lobby the masses to cooperate with a failed administration and support it to continue, government now share rice in cups less than 10Kg, add a sachet of salt, and cooking spices, or soap.

In the present day Nigeria, looking at what a non performing government gives to the masses to lobby them to support it to continue in governance mediocrity, is a mockery, shameful and a way of trading for political gains on victims of corrupt administrations.

Nigeria rice politics seem to have started in Akwa Ibom State, then used by underperforming public office holders and elected ones across the country to lobby to be accepted by the people to allow them remain in power.

Sometimes in the regime of Obong Victor Attah as governor of Akwa Ibom State, he bought rice, I mean rice that was enough to share to the entire population of the state at time.

There were many allegations linked to Obong Attah rice sharing. Some said it was a proceed of corruption, some said it was a goodwill of the state government to the people.

During Obong Attah rice sharing, 50Kg bags of very good quality of rice were given per person. Top official of government got two bags or more.

Certainly Obong Victor Attah wasn’t sharing rice at that time for the same purpose that politicians are doing today. And it was not to seek public validation like it is expected today. Because from day one of his administration to the day he left office and till date, Attah’s administration and the man in person, was and is highly celebrated by all Akwa Ibom people within and and beyond the shores of the state.

Rice politics was later reformed by Attah’s successor, Chief Godswill Akpabio now President of Nigerian Senate.

In Akpabio’s era, groundnut oil was added to 50Kg given to persons and groups in good books of government.

While Obong Attah’s rice was given to all, irrespective of the recipient political affiliation, Akpabio’s rice became a political tool.

It was in Akpabio’s era that the sharing of rice was termed “Rice Politics”. Akpabio’s rice politics was always shared at Christmas.

At the eve of Christmas, pro-government individuals, church leaders, traditional rulers, and socio-political groups were given 50Kg bags of rice and 10 litres of groundnut oil to share to groups members, and individuals to lobby them to cooperate with government.

Governor Udom came and did same, but reduced the quantity of rice to bags of 25Kg and 10Kg to share to individuals and groups.

In governor Umo Eno administration, Akwa Ibom Rice Politics is decentralized. Throughout his three and a half years in office, one cannot really tell which one is governor Eno’s rice.

Rice shared in governor Eno’s administration is mostly from politicians holding office in the Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assembly with some of them offering very poor quality of the commodity to justify the fact that their ineffective performance in public offices should not look different in offers they extend to their constituents.

Late President Muhammadu Buhari while sending rice to states during COVID-19 was a relief material and not Rice Politics.

But Bola Hamed Tinubu, the incumbent president of Nigeria is practicing the Akwa Ibom State style of Rice Politics in full scale.

And as Nigerians are at the threshold of electing their leaders at all levels, Tinubu led Federal Government is sending bags of rice to all states of the federation.

As at today, Tinubu’s administration is rated across the country as one which has performed extremely low beyond expectation. Then the question on the lips of Nigerians is: “how would sharing few cups of rice to few persons fix infrastructure decay, lack of electricity, poverty, unemployment, hunger, economic hardship, insecurity, and more which citizens have been subjected to from the first day of this administration in office?”

And even at that, rice sent to states we are told is for the vulnerable and it is also meant to serve as presidential campaign dragnet to lobby the electorates to sympathize with Tinubu and vote him back to power, but politicians keep them for their use, give a little to relatives, while those targeted by the presidency get nothing.

“Rice Politics” as it is called is not a substitute to failure in governance. Government’s pro-people policies formulation and implementation is it.

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