No one can convince us Nigerian politicians don’t have secret theatre degrees. They’ve mastered the art of putting on great shows, from dancing to leading live bands to even producing tears on cue.
Unfortunately for them, we’ve become used to their theatrics and can now tell when they’re trying to take us for fools.
Still, it’s interesting to laugh at these performances when Nigerian politicians have tried to exploit us with their tears.
Chidi Lloyd
The launch of the new naira notes dominated news headlines on, November 23, 2022, but it wasn’t even the most dramatic thing that happened on that day. During the commissioning of the Akpabu-Omudioga-Egbeda project in Rivers State, yet another politician went, ‘Lights, camera, action”.
A former Rivers State House of Assembly member, Chidi Lloyd, broke down in tears, and apologised for his behaviour towards Nyesom Wike who’s the state’s current governor. For those who don’t remember Lloyd, he stood against Wike’s administration and broke the head of his colleague, Micheal Chinda, with the House mace during a commotion inside the State Assembly complex.
What moved Lloyd to tears was that Wike approved the project in his hometown despite their beef, and that should just make you shake your head for Nigerian politicians. Wike now has Lloyd’s undying devotion, and tears, for doing his job.
Ben Ayade
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has cried in public so many times that some people call him the “Cry Cry Baby Governor”. His first public display of tears was in August 2016, when he saw the living conditions of Bakassi returnees whom he donated ₦3 million.
Ayade cried again on January 17, 2017 and May 21, 2020, when he abolished the taxation of low income earners. Does he know he’s supposed to be the governor and not the town crier?
Saka Audu
Remember this man?
The 2020 lockdown period showed many Nigerians the government’s true colours when officials hoarded COVID-19 palliatives in different warehouses. The people, in return, responded to this wickedness by looting the warehouses.
Saka Audu was the Kogi State Commissioner for Health at the time and he put his theatre degree to great use during a press conference. He repeatedly shed tears and made the government out as the victim of the situation.
Clearly, the only lesson to learn here is a teary-eyed Nigerian politician should never be trusted.
Muhammadu Buhari
Two days before the 2011 presidential election, Buhari organised an event to mark the end of his presidential campaign. In case he’d not done enough to convince voters during the campaign, the former military general put in an Oscar-worthy performance and wept about the state of the country.
He eventually won the presidential elections in 2015 and 2019, so maybe tears work sometimes.
Atiku Abubakar
In 2019, support groups bought Atiku the presidential nomination form of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). And perhaps to take a leaf from Buhari’s page, Atiku got emotional and cried over the love and support he got.
He went a step further to promise us salvation from our terrible state. The tears didn’t work this time and he lost, so maybe for the 2023 elections, he can try to add wailing to the performance.
