“No country can progress if its politics is more profitable than its industries. In a country where those in government are richer than entrepreneurs, they manufacture poverty.” – Peter Obi, Nigerian Politician
I came across the above quote recently. It really hits home, I think, as we continue to dive headfirst into this whole flood control issue.
Ever since this issue was exposed, the typhoons have kept coming. And the floods they bring seem to be getting worse and worse. This seems like it’s a huge symptom of a deeper, more corrosive problem in our country that is bubbling to the surface.
What is being exposed is the theft of billions and billions of pesos meant for dikes, dams, and vital drainage systems – projects that are supposed to protect our people from the increasing threat of climate change. And what really makes our collective blood boil is that these handful of well-connected contractors and, allegedly, government officials, are benefiting directly from these tragedies.
When you see headlines detailing how a government official’s family can suddenly afford a lavish, extravagant lifestyle while the people they swore to serve are wading in neck-deep floodwaters, it tells you everything you need to know about where the real profits are being made.
A Need for Fundamental Change
In a healthy economy, the greatest reward should go to the people who create real value: the entrepreneurs who start factories and hire workers, the farmers who feed the nation, and the innovators who build real industries. But when the fastest, surest way to get rich is through politics – specifically through kickbacks, inflated contracts, and siphoning funds from public works – how can you say that the system is working?
This is exactly what Peter Obi is saying – we cannot progress as a people if it continues like this. The system is broken, and what is manufactured is poverty.
This isn’t just about demanding accountability for the past; it’s about fundamentally changing our national priorities. We need to shift the balance of power and profit back to those who produce, not those who plunder. We need to make sure that serving the public is a calling of service, not a path to obscene wealth. Otherwise, we’re just building the foundation for the next scandal, the next flood, and the next cycle of manufactured poverty.
Anyway – easier said than done, of course – and with a lot of wishful thinking. However, we shouldn’t just wait and see. We must continue to demand accountability. I feel that that is the only way forward for us.