The ghost of Michael Corleone in the book authored by Mario Puzo, “The Godfather” has materialised in the ancient City of Benin in the build up to the 2016 governorship election. Michael’s literal apparition in the land of ‘battle and blood’ announces the unending circuit of deceit our politics has rotated in the last seven years of Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s administration.
The epic novel deals with a mob war fought between the Corleone family and the other four of the five Mafia families in New York. After Don Vito Corleone is shot by men working for drug dealer Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo, Corleone’s two sons, Santino and Michael, must run the family business with the help of consigliere Tom Hagen and the two caporegime Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio.
When Michael murders Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey, an Irish police officer on the drug lord’s payroll, the conflict escalates into a full-scale war; this ultimately results in Santino’s murder and Michael’s ascension to the head of the family. He initially desires to legitimize the family business, but gradually becomes even more ruthless than his father, orchestrating the murder of all of the family’s enemies, including his brother-in-law Carlo Rizzi, who played a part in Santino’s murder. Michael then sells all the family’s businesses in New York and moves the Corleones to Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
In 2007, without mincing words, Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s governorship mandate was achieved on the ethos of eliminating “The Godfather” in our body politics; a feat vigorously executed with pump and fanfare. Fliers and billboards were abound across the state at the time loudly proclaiming the Death of “The Godfather”. The leaflets and billboards glowingly painted the drawbacks of endorsement and godfatherism to it submit as the darkest devilement that milks and arrests development to enrich the godfather; godson and their cronies with all their smug morality.
The barbarous entrapment of “polipenureship” is the perpetual squabbles between the godfather/godson who are permanently at dager’s draw. Any time you hear the word godfather, what comes to mind is the Christian position of true mentorship on the one hand and what transpired between Senator Chris Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State and his estranged godfather on the other hand. In Nigeria today, no politician can come out and declare himself a good mentor.
The second most visible example of godfatherism gone awry is the current fight between Lucky Igbinedion, his father, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion and Governor Adams Oshiomhole himself whose 2007 election was allegedly bankrolled by the Igbinedion’s family. Even though the Igbinedion’s family didn’t pill pressure on Governor Oshiomhole for patronage, their understanding, perhaps may be to protect former governor Lucky Igbinedion from prosecution who is now an ex-convict. Governor Oshiomhole honoured that pact until Pastor Ize-Iyamu strong showing in the build up to the 2016 election.
Across board, godfathers are expected to sponsor or support their godsons and give them advice on how to excel in their areas of assignment but the reverse seems to be the case in Nigeria. I have always believed that Nigeria’s kind of godfather has only one aim, which is to recoup all monies expended in rigging their godsons into power. And as we all know, godfatherism is now permanent resident in the nation’s political landscape since an average Nigerian politicain is incurably greedy. And this the godfathers exploit, as ruthless and mindless benefactors.
I have watched with dismay in Nigeria today, that hardly can a political green-horn win election without the support of a godfather. It is also the same thing at party primaries where candidates are ‘selected’ instead being elected. And this has never in anyway helped in the development of the country, rather it has in a every way led to bad governace. This is a monster that must be nipped in the bud. ‘Selected” governors, for example, after being sworn in open the state coffers to repay the godfathers with tax payers’ money. This is nothing other than looting with impunity.
Besides politics where godfathers and their godsons continue to steal from the common purse of the state, the ills of godfatherism had continued to stare us in the face with no remedy in sight. Civil servants, those in the private employ, and even teachers in remote villages know that having a godfather helps put food on the table, and move up in the social strata of life.
As great deal of the times, one wonders why godfather/godson relationship never end well as a result of incessant fallouts where the godfather engages the said godson(s) in bitter fights. Among the most prominent macabre dances of these political giants and their political sons was that of Senator Chris Ngige and Peoples Democratic Party financier, Chris Uba, of the Uba political family who engaged themselves in bitter political fight in the name of who should control the state’s treasury.
Godfatherism can be said to have its origin in Christianity when God-parents helped to raise Christian children to become God-fearing, law-abiding adults. This cannot be said of Nigeria of today, where many politicians beg to have godfathers even when they know that what they are actually begging for will only come back to hurt them.
This, perhaps, informed the Benin Leaders of Thought, BLT, position last month when they took a swipe at Governor Adams Oshiomhole for re-introducing politics of godfatherism in Edo state, which they said Governor Adams himself fought hard against in the past.
The warning came on the heels of the alleged imposition of a governorship aspirant by Governor Oshiomhole, for the 2016 gubernatorial election in the state. Some aspirants have kicked and expressed their displeasure over rumours that the governor has ordered his aides to ‘go and market’ the Chairman of the State Economic Team, Dr. Godwin? Obaseki, popularly referred to as Dangote man, to the people of the state.
Ikelebe writes from Auchi, Edo State.