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Since December 1, 2021, politicians in my State, Cross River, many who have not taken their calls nor responded to their text messages in years, many who shut their social media IDs and changed their phone numbers, are now back to the front row of populism. They are facing home with election year goodies to demonstrate how much they care and love their constituents. Philanthropy á-la-carte.

And for our poorly politically educated people, once someone distributes these things and says, “if you vote me, I will do more”; they shout “capacity leader!”

Do we really know what we want?

Do we vote for good governance or we vote for charity?

Do we vote for people who have capacity to share or people who understand our problems and have the solutions?

How sharing of election year goodies became equated with capacity to lead, is what I’m still struggling to understand.

If Bikes, Keke, cash handouts, grinding machines, etc could cure poverty, the ones UNDP, World Bank, IMF, USAID, DFID, EU has been buying for decades to share to our people through numerous poverty alleviation schemes, would have long solved our poverty.

Charity is good. Sharing is noble. Philanthropy is worthwhile and they all have their place in society. But you don’t have to be voted into power to do any of those.

As politicians return home to cajole for our votes, we have to up the ante. We must demand for good governance. We must demand for coordinated action towards solving our problems and stop thinking that charity will ever replace that.

Yours sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.