By OKECHUKWU KESHI UKEGBU

A former deputy governor of Abia State, Ude Oko Chukwu, recently stirred the hornet’s nest in what he deemed the best means to showcase that he performed creditably during his reign. He publicly flaunted a list of beneficiaries of his wonderful gestures, even extending the public show to, as low as, those who benefited in his largesse of assisting in the burial of their loved ones, though the identities of the category of these beneficiaries did not surface. But it is inimical and negates the belief of allowing the spirits of the dead to rest in peace. Now, their spirits might have been provoked, and they continue to rest in pieces, invoking the lines in John Pepper Clark’s poem “Casualties”, “burial by instalment”.

This underscores the need to draw a distinction between what an average Nigerian politician defines as his mandate and responsibility and what is truly his or her mandate. It is also a clarion call to set clear boundaries so that other public office holders will cease to toe the path of this negative precedence.

There should be a clear demarcation between philanthropy and a public office holder attracting dividends to his constituents or the people he or she is representing. When you have the mandate of the people to represent them, part of that mandate, if not the basis of the mandate is to represent their interests by attracting dividends to them which include employment opportunities. This strikes a remarkable shift and balance from philanthropy which reflects the alms and assistance you rendered as a private individual. Such gestures shouldn’t by any means be flaunted as a score card or means of achievement because you didn’t do it as a private individual rather as a public office holder. I believe, in sane climes, this is the lowest which any public office holder can go.

I believe what constitutes these problems in our clime is a combination of gullibility and docility. This grossly bespeaks the inability to ensure a proper mechanism to hold our public office holders accountable to their responsibilities and obligations to the electorate. And because of this gap, they are ever ready to flaunt even, as low as assistance rendered to bereaved constituents to bury their relatives as achievements. I think at this point that the whole thing is laughable and requires urgent attention to address such anomaly. The million question is “did the public office holder rendered such benevolence as a private or public individual? From his private resources or from the common wealth which he or she is holding in trust for the common good of the people.”

Without the mandate of the people, if there is a sane electoral process, he or she wouldn’t have been there. Until there is a proper measure of gauging the pause of public office holders, in terms of instituting a standard performance scale, they will continue to hold us hostage, by threatening to flaunt assistance they have rendered in secret to the open.

One this could serve as a “blackmail tool” to castrate any element who may rise to question their performance. When this degenerates to this abysmal level in a polity, every fabric of the political system has gone to the woods, and the polity is sitting on a keg of gun powder – waiting to explode at the slightest spark.

From the scriptural standpoint, Matthew 6:1-3 clearly warns us not to expose our good deeds for public consumption. One, it deprives us of rewards for our good deeds because we have earthly received our rewards by playing to the gallery. A typical case is the widow who donated her mite. The bible forbids us to play to the gallery when we are doing good.

Two, we fail integrity test if by whichever provocation we are manipulated into exposing those that shared in our benevolence. There is a serious lesson to note here: wealth is meant for redistribution. It’s one of the natural laws. It’s a privilege that we acquire wealth or attain whichever position in life. This is most times fired or enabled by the grace of God and not our sole efforts because “the race is not for the swiftest”. So whenever we find ourselves in elevated positions, we are bound to redistribute that wealth. We owe nature that responsibility.

This is why the wealthy man in the bible failed when he thought that the essence of accumulating wealth is to enjoy to the brim, drifting from the stark reality, which is to redistribute the wealth, especially among the weak and vulnerable in the society. On this note, Deuteronomy 10:18 and Micah 6:8 come handy to address this issue. The greatest righteousness and the basis of the definition of morality and societal ethical standard is to show mercy and compassion to the vulnerable in the society. And when such mercies are shown, they should not be flaunted as achievements as private individuals, not to talk to of as a public individual. Where did you draw the resources from which the mercies are shown? Is it not from the common wealth? Only that you have access or control over such wealth by virtue of your appointment or election into such position. Henceforth, this relationship gap between the elected and the electorate should be bridged and urgently addressed. Let this misnomer not pass as a virtue, because Nigerians are highly disposed to copying vices instead of virtues Let this be the first and last before other politicians will continue to keep tab of their good gestures to the people they are representing.

The question that requires urgent attention is “was the former deputy governor compiling or keeping these records for a day like this. Or was he prompted by the issues of the moment to react in this unholy manner. This requires further investigations and thoughts.

At this point, the sour relationship between the Nigeria Police and the public is highly envisaged in a matter of days. Such soured relationship is fired by crisis of trust whereby the former cannot protect the latter who volunteered information to him on the basis of confidentiality. Rather the piece of information is divulged or spilled to the disgruntled elements who in turn come after the volunteer.

When things degenerate to this low level of flaunting beneficiaries as a basis of showcasing success, “things have fallen apart to the extent that the falcon cannot hear the falconer, and it is left for anarchy to be loosed upon the world”. Let us retrace before it is too late.

•Ukegbu writes from Aba.

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