 Why we must stop hailing politicians? A politician builds a makeshift wooden bridge across a wide gutter and invites dignitaries to a fanfare to commission the contraption. Probably erects a signboard there with his name boldly on it. Splashes pictures on social media. I have not submitted anyone honestly. We applaud, we hail the politician because we remember suddenly that there has not been a project like this in the area for 50 years. This is the first we say conveniently, forgetting that this is the year 2021. The former students of a public school put funds together to build a toilet for the school. They invite the commissioner or permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education in the state to commission it. The government official shows up probably to cut the tape of the toilets in the school that they are paid by us to run but that has now ended up having a basic but compulsory facility such as a toilet built by private citizens. The people who pay for the toilet hail the commissioner for taking time out of their busy schedule to attend. I have concluded that there is something seriously wrong with the Nigerian public office holder. But the disease is not half as bad as that which is plaguing the Nigerian people. Yes, the suffering masses. We complain about how hard and bad things are on a daily basis. Yet when the time comes to take a stand, we are the chorus leaders and the applause commanders. We just love it. It is almost as if it is part of some custom or tradition to show gratitude to ineffective public office holders. It is as if we disagree. The public officials or us and by us I mean their bosses. Yes, we are the bosses. The citizens value for our money. These people actually also want to own us. We want to disregard almost on a per second basis. Our politicians in Nigeria are some of the highest paid in the world and I mean legally and illegally. Yet when they embezzle billions of Naira and give us of standard roads, bridges and other infrastructure, captains of industry and traditional leaders will line up to sing their praises. Now let me take you somewhere else to the UK where the UK government spent an estimated 500 billion pounds just to support UK citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In fact, all they have done is question his methods, policies and preparedness. Whereas Johnson rides in a two car convoy, nobody claps for that. He sometimes goes to work or about his duties in public transport, nobody claps. Roads are built and commissioned without fanfare, no foundation lanes ceremony or ground breaking, nobody claps. Now imagine this was Nigeria. One would begin to think the people who live in these countries are absolutely heartless or ungrateful. But there is a simple reason they don't clap. It is because there is no reason to clap. Public servants are servants after all. In fact, I see them more as paid slaves. They are being funded by taxpayer funds to serve their masters, the people. So why should the masters clap for their servants when they do a job they are handsomely committed to do, not to talk of them drilling over the most mundane achievements? A governor awards the construction of a six-kilometer road to a contractor who is his friend or crony. At an exorbitant value, the contractor does a shabby job. But by the grace of God, God with small letters, just manages to complete the project. The governor and the contractor share the profit. But the masters who get a badly built road are the ones who organize praise and worship sessions for the governor for building a food park where an expressway should be. Nigeria is still way off the mark in terms of development, and this is not by accident. Public hospitals and schools and ISO, institutions of deep shame, I call them. This hailing of public officials has to stop today. Absolutely. Well, I don't even know what to say. I don't know why. Let's take a minute to take it off. Why was the commissioner there to cut ribbon for toilets? There's no need for you to be there. Why did we invite him? Yes, someone invited him. For toilets or for cutting a ribbon for a window. At a local government office. Or a wooden bridge. The wooden bridge. I think it's a fundamental problem. We don't understand the meaning of the word service. Or servant. I don't want to say servant. If they say servant, they won't show. If they say public servant, they won't show. The word service is derived from word serve. And to serve means to be the servant. It brings you back to the word servant. If you understood that fundamentally. That this person is here to serve me. Then it changes the game instantly. But for us it's more of a game of... I'm here to help you. It's nothing we're talking about. I've built a road. I have a right to put a billboard. And then say road constructed by. Sir, it's what you're paid to do. By the way, it's public service. Even if you're not paid enough, that's the whole point. But I think it goes back to why people go into politics. It's not to serve. It's not here. It's not to serve. Because they know that structurally it's made to go and make money. That's why you go and make your money, go and make your name. You're not there to serve. You're not there to do good. You're there to enrich yourself and your cronies. So we also need to understand that. That is actually the lay of the line. It's great to say we're meant to be public servants, public service. But let's look at the reality on ground. That's not how it's looked and perceived as. Right? General public perceives it as his excellency. Her excellency. Excellency of course. I really despise having to say his excellency. What have you done that is excellence? What is excellence about? What do you see? OK, you go. OK, I would say that if you go to some local governments where you young youth core members serve, you hear about some youth core members who build bridges using their own allow as they use their 23,500. I don't know what they are paid now. But they use something that's little to build bridges to offer free medical care. So you are wondering. So why do we have leaders? Exactly. And there's a governor in that state and there's a counsellor in that state. Exactly. And those people earn more money. But I want to look at it from this angle. someone said he said the governor is so ready to work he cares about you hello this is an applauding not even on mediocrity i think you have been very kind the applauding of everything is so outstanding as long as it is finished he doesn't even need to finish so many uncompleted ఉఒ్ఽికాలొా. శిఆక్డిఙాటు-ధటినంట్లూ, న్లోటికిమ్endas81ంటలారెacağım యారెడిటకారомуరతుచ్తరకిక్పుఢుులె� నోర్ర్ను నీనునాలు gonna be on it. న్ర్చొనిందా న్చిపాసిల్త్స్ందాలికొికడిసికందుట్కుల్ట్ల్