NIGERIA: In this piece, the practice of sitting governors demolishing property owned by their opponents to score political points is examined, reports Sunday PUNCH.
The Chinese military strategist, Mao Zedong, defined politics as war without bloodshed. Events in Nigeria’s political environment in the past few years have lent credence to that brief but deep-seated definition.
Seen largely as an authoritative allocation of values in society, politics in Nigeria sometimes morph into a vengeful mission to drum home the trappings and essence of power by those who wield it.
In the past few years, Nigerians have been treated to ugly episodes of sitting governors who take on their opponents as soon as elections are over.
Being a zero-sum game in this part of the world, politics in the form of personal attack, replaces electioneering politics when a winner emerges particularly at the sub-national level.
In 2020, shortly after he was sworn in for a second term in office, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki turned the heat against the state ex-deputy governor, Mr Pius Odubu, and other All Progressives Congress chieftains, who opposed his second-term governorship aspiration.
The Certificates of Occupancy of their property were revoked alongside that of his own, stating that they were government property which former Governor Adams Oshiomhole gave as parting gifts to former political office holders, companies and private individuals.
“On December 21, 2020, the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, revoked the Certificates of Occupancy of 11 government properties within the Government Reserved Area which were allotted to former political office holders, companies and private individuals as parting gifts on the eve of the exit of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole from office. One of the properties was allocated to Governor Obaseki and was also revoked,” a government statement read.
Taking a clue from Obaseki’s playbook, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, wasted no time in getting down to business as the Owerri building of the then spokesperson for his predecessor, Sam Onwuemeodo, was marked for demolition by officials of the state government.
Onwuemeodo, who currently serves as Special Adviser on Media to Rochas Okorocha, had stated that the only reason the building was marked for demolition was his political association with the former governor.
He said, “They have marked the house where I have been living with my family for demolition. As of now, nobody has told me the reason for marking my house for demolition.
“On Friday, March 19, 2021, someone called and told me to be very careful, because the government has decided to demolish my house; that by Tuesday, March 23, 2021, my house would be marked for demolition. And to avoid making it look personal, they would also mark other houses around my own.
“Following this information, on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, I decided not to leave the house early. By 11:22am, two Hummer buses with tinted glasses came and parked in front of my gate. I decided only to watch them. The two buses were filled with young men I wouldn’t like to describe as thugs and about six hefty men in mobile police uniforms, fully armed.”
Before then, Uzodinma, whose political battles with Okorocha are well documented, had ordered the demolition of seven roundabouts built by the latter.
On his part, Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, in 2023, ordered the demolition of buildings on government lands sold by the immediate past administration of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
In a demonstration of the executive power he possessed, Yusuf, accompanied by the state Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Gummel, was physically present to witness the demolition of the property.
Although the property, according to the state government, was illegally built, many commentators attributed the development to the perennial rift between Ganduje and Abba’s political godfather, Mr Rabiu Kwankwaso.
In his inaugural speech shortly after the 2023 election, Abba, who won on the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party, gave a marching order to security agencies in the state to immediately take over all public property sold by Ganduje’s administration.
“I am announcing today, that all these public places and assets that were immorally plundered and sold by the Ganduje’s administration should be taken over by law enforcement agencies, led by the police, the DSS, Civil Defence, and Hisbah pending the final decision of the government.
“These places are meant for public utilisation. It is therefore disheartening to witness the incessant destruction and conversion of public places that are used to render social services by unpatriotic citizens. We shall bring an end to land grabbing and indiscriminate erection of illegal structures in the state,” he warned.
Last week, Crystal Place, a shopping mall located on Sulu Gambari Road in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, was demolished allegedly on the orders of the state government.
In his reaction, a former governor of the state, Bukola Saraki, noted that the mall, owned by Mr Moshood Mustapha, was brought down owing to the latter’s political association with him.
Mustapha was commissioner and special adviser to Saraki and a House of Representatives member on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party until he defected to the APC.
Saraki, the leader of the PDP in Kwara State, has remained the opposition leader in the state since his party lost control of power in 2019 to the ruling APC.
With this trajectory showing no sign of abating, prominent Nigerians have warned of the dire consequences on the nation’s socio-economic development if left unchecked.
Speaking with our correspondent, a former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, lamented the demolition of buildings erected with huge sums of money even as he called for an end to the menace.
According to him, “it is a symptom of Nigeria’s vindictive politics of bitterness,” which he noted, should not be encouraged for any reason.
On his part, newspaper columnist and current affairs commentator, Mr Jide Ojo, agreed with Prof. Adeniran, stressing that the development could be a result of envy or jealousy.
He said, “It is an unwholesome development, which leaves a sour taste in the mouth. This is the carriage of vindictiveness to the highest level. I think it is borne out of envy, jealousy or the pull-him-down syndrome. There was the one between Dapo Abiodun, the Governor of Ogun State, and Gbenga Daniels. A multi-billionaire project of Daniel was demolished.”
Continuing, Ojo warned politicians to make the most of power in the interest of the people.
“It also shows the transient nature of power. When you are there, you want to undo the legacies of your predecessor and when your successor comes, he does the same to you.
“We may expand the argument to include the craze by the incumbent to hurriedly commission projects that are not completed. In this development, there is no trust that if you do not complete your own project, your successor will give you credit for it when he completes it,” he added.
Asked to throw more light on the non-completion of projects, Ojo said, “On the eve of the departure of the former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, he hurriedly commissioned the Ekiti State Airport and they flew one military aircraft to the runway and gathered religious and traditional rulers to add colour to the ceremony.
“However, since the commissioning of the airport, no private or commercial aircraft has flown to the state. What that tells you is that the case of undoing your predecessor may be responsible for this development. Incumbents hurriedly do some things, and publish books to document that XYZ projects were completed during the lifetime of their administration even when such projects were only 70 per cent completed.
“The same thing is happening now in Rivers State. Gov Siminalayi Fubara is turning against Nyesom Wike and Wike himself did the same to Amaechi. Wike set up a judicial commission of enquiry to probe Amaechi, accusing him of selling the patrimony of Rivers State,” he said.
He however added that there’s nothing wrong if demolitions of property are carried out in public interest.
“If a building is erected on a green area or a place designated for relaxation, of course, there is nothing wrong to demolish it. We know that some governors often use their influence to acquire choice property in violation of the law. If such an allocation is revoked and the building demolished, it is in order.”
Also speaking on the political trend, a pro-democracy advocate and founder of Women Arise, Mrs Joe Okei-Odumakin, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, described the development as unfortunate.
“It is a retrogressive style of governance as we have observed that demolition of property has only involved political opposition or any politically exposed persons that hold a different political ideology to the governors of these states. Personal vendetta is a manifestation of a flawed character. I appeal to our public servants to add conscience to their service,” she said.
Also speaking, a chieftain of the APC, Mr Jackson Ojo, said, “The action of governors that demolish their opponent’s buildings and properties is sheer executive recklessness. Gov Abba did it in Kano State against Ganduje. It is economic sabotage. Some of these properties are on rent to people. Demolishing properties on account of political differences is sheer wickedness. It is against the law.”
Taking a slightly different position is the Chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, Mr Suraju Olanrewaju.
Describing the culture of demolition as the height of political intolerance, the HEDA boss called for maturity among the political class, noting that politics ought to be about the people, rather than a means for settling personal differences.
“The penchant of our political office holders for intolerance is at its worst crescendo. The governors are the worst culprits as they use the state apparatus and influence to silence dissent, criticism, and opposition. This is responsible for the increasing rate of political violence across the country.
“Politics is essentially about public service. Politicians should realise that they are in power to serve and not to pursue political vendetta against their political foes. The earlier they realise this, the better for them, the citizens and the country as a whole,” he said.
