The Political Structures Of Corruption

 By M.C. Asuzu

Recently, there have been discussions in this country concerning politicians who have no political structures and those with them, as the veritable determinants of those who will be able to win elections and otherwise. But what keeps coming back to the mind of some of us who are incapable of any partisan political persuasions is this: what structures are the people saying these things thinking of? 

What do political structures by a single politician mean? Is it individual politicians or the group of people who wish to work together under specific political ideologies that develop such political structures? These organisational groups of people are simply called political parties, is it not? So, when politicians are talking of personal political structures (but not those of political parties), it becomes necessary to examine what these people may be having in mind and what it is that they themselves really have done in those regards.

This discussion is the result of my personal study of what these people are talking about and what they themselves have done in those regards. Three or four prominent politicians in Nigeria have taken part in talking about this matter of their owning of personal political structures, among many of their lieutenants as well as others; or of others not having them. 

On the whole, my searching has shown me that what politicians need for the success of their political careers are good relationships with all men and women of good will. The others are good educational qualification, good track record of their political life, competence and integrity.

 It is the political party, especially at the regional and national levels, that needs what may actually be called structures as physical organizations, according to the electoral laws of the land. Without such structures, such political parties would not even be registered in the first place; and so, there will be no issues to discuss at all in those regards. 

So, what are these personal political structures that these funny Nigerian politicians talk about? A very careful study of these structures that I have done has revealed to me the following as the components of these personal political structures of the politicians who have brought us to this state of complete national collapse that they are talking about: 

Structures for political god-fatherism; even up to planting and supporting their puppets as leaders within their immediate localities and even regions! 

Structures for hiring and paying for the political thugs and other gangsters that abound in the country, in the class lower than the political godchildren. 

Plutocratic marriage arrangements between themselves, their sons and daughters for nationwide collaborations in the political ruining of the country that we are all suffering from now. 

Nationally spread relationships that were established by using state money under them (not their own money, of course) to give humongous “gifts” to other states and bodies while in power as the fake “powerful men”, “political performers”, “philanthropists” and “people-lovers” that they wish to be taken for. 

The creation of private agencies, including business companies in their names or those of their colluders when in power, through which they not only siphoned the state or nation’s wealth while they were in power, but also of other states where they had used their god-fatherism to install their stooges in power therein. 

These are the agencies and the structures by which all the American dollars and naira to be used to bribe us all and to buy and sell our votes at every turn and level of the elections are made from. It is from it that the money to pay the thugs and other hired agents of these political warlords are made. 

The creation for oneself, of the image for themselves as the leader, owner, messiah or saviour of their state or ethnic nationality in Nigeria, which tribe or ethnic group must either believe itself to be the owners or (have become) part of the owners of Nigeria, to the exclusion of all the other ethnic nationalities. Such people boast that nobody in their state or ethnic group will vote other than they will prescribe or indeed, dictate! What a silly state! 

*Asuzu is a professor of public health and community medicine at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo.