2nd republic Nigerian politicians’ referred to themselves as “new breed politicians”, those who make up the current dispensation of our “nascent” democracy must view themselves as a “celestial breed” of politicians.

Embattled house speaker, Mrs. Patricia Etteh, is currently fighting for her political life in the face of allegations that she spent more than N500m to furnish an official apartment that was only renovated less than 5yrs ago. The same woman who allegedly claims to represent the voice of more than 70% of Nigerians who live below the poverty line is also accused to have inflated contracts to purchase private vehicles for herself and her deputy despite the fact that she already had 12 official vehicles. Madam Etteh of course attempted to pull the wool over our eyes by clutching desperately to the drowning straws of “due process” (an official garb for legalizing corruption). She will have to do much more than whine about her innocence to convince us that rugs, chairs and tables cost N500m!

Desperate in the face of mounting plots to probe her profligate regime, Madam Etteh and her defenders are going back to dig up dirt on some members of the last house of representatives. It is alleged that some past house leaders collected N8000 per week to purchase table salt for their offices. Perhaps they alone live on a separate island where their own specially manufactured salt costs about as much as a 50kg bag of imported rice!

Madam Etteh does not deceive us with her sudden zeal to probe the sleazy details of the last house leadership, she is merely doing this as a form of trade-off to scare the hypocrites crying loudly about corruption. We have been through this charade before, it is not about “due process” but about the private agendas of thieves, crooks and dishonorable men and women who parade themselves as servants of the people in the corridors of power.