THE ARITHMETIC OF STATE CAPTURE: NIGERIA'S PYRAMID OF PATRONAGE.
Nigeria is a nation of immense endowment whose governance has been captured by a narrow cabal of unscrupulous con men disguised as politicians. At their first foray into politics they approach the electorate as supplicants, seeking a mandate held in trust. Once in office, many of them repudiate that trust, as Napoleon and the pigs of Orwell's Animal Farm did when they discarded the agreed social contract once they assumed office.
THEIR MODUS OPERANDI: This is how they operate. Suppose ₦100 million arrives each month, enough for ₦1 million for each of 100 people. The official responsible for disbursement is himself one of the hundred, but equal distribution would cost him the deference and forced loyalty that inequality produces, so he:
- keeps ₦90 million
- gives ₦1 million each to 10 lieutenants, on the condition that they keep the public compliant
- has each lieutenant recruit three subordinates at ₦100,000 each, leaving each lieutenant ₦700,000
The result is 41 beneficiaries and one dominant patron with 59 people waiting for usual elction season rice amd noodles as their own share of the largesse. Every tier of this food chain feels prosperous relative to the tier below, so each has a stake in the arrangement while remaining structurally dependent on the apex. Wealth does trickle down, but in doses calibrated to extract loyalty, not to lift living standards. The same logic repeats at the local, state and federal levels, across the legislature and through every ministry, agency and government parastatal headed by a politician.
This is not new. Infact it is well described in the following concepts; neopatrimonialism, prebendalism, clientelism, elite capture and rentier politics. They are now moving things to the next phase where they are grooming their children to perpetuate the system they have put in place. If that isn't obvious to Nigerians then there's some serious voodoo with national spread blindfolding us.
Poverty drives this system. Material deprivation compels the deference on which the patron's status feeds. The cycle sustains itself, with scarcity producing dependence, dependence producing worship, and worship shielding the extraction.
THE SOLUTION: Ending this evil requires a deliberate social awakening. We must reclaim power through the ballot, the most valuable currency in a democracy, and defend our votes lawfully. The man currently at the apex is widely reported to have said that power is not served Ă la carte but must be grabbed, snatched and run away with. The argument here is that this cuts both ways: we will not be handed power a la carte by Tinubu Wike, Akpabio or Gbajabiamila. We must reclaim it ourselves, through the ballot box by following Bola's advice where necessary! If someone is trying to steal our votes then we must grab it, snatched it and defend it to add our own twist to the president's infamous quote.