In this article titled, “Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan & Usman Austin Okai: The Hybrid Politicians In Nigerian Political Terrain” as authored by Sani Michael Omakoji, four talking points are crucial to include, ‘Nigerian political Terrain’, ‘Hybrid Politicians’, the persons of ‘Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan’ as well as that of ‘Usman Austin Okai’.
Without ego or academic radicalism but with due respect to university’s Dons, I, Sani Michael Omakoji, wish to solicit their understanding not to expect “empirical reviews” of the aforementioned variables as my aim is to present media commentary which of course does not pay attention to “empirical reviews” rather it hits the points on the head that are normally author’s thoughts and ideas on the topic under consideration.
On this note, I wish to quickly highlight how does ‘Nigerian political Terrain’ look like?
Ordinarily, a political Terrain of any Nation, should be an environment that features: Leaders of thoughts, reasonable men & women, people of sane mind, visionary leaders, men and women of proven integrity and of course people who are ready to serve faithfully with tax payers money.
However, reverse is the case in Nigeria as Nigerian political terrain is dominated with octogenarians, political thugs, taunts, political Entrepreneurs, looters, political hoodlums, illiterates and even political bandits.
The faces of those octogenarians are those Governors and Ministers you see on Television sleeping during Federal Executive meeting, plus those lawmakers sleeping during emergency joint House of both Chambers.
We talk of political thugs, taunts, political bandits and even political hoodlums when we look at the composition of those personalities that make up Chairmen of Local Government Areas, Councillors, House of Assembly Members, Reps and Senate Members, Ministers, Board chairmen and Board Members of MDAs as well as Ambassadors to many Nations of the world.
The positions above are often allocated by politicians to their loyalists as compensation as vote does not count in this part of world except for the full implementation of the New Electoral Act 2022 that was signed into law.
The narrative has made it a common phenomenon in Nigeria to see a thug employed as a Commissioner assault a lady and still remain a serving commissioner even after all the evident have been tendered before our commercialized and remote controlled courts ( a topic for another day ).
No wonders, we now have a “Supreme Court Governor” in this Nation made possible by our Judiciary and similarly, the power that be has also produced “an helicopter Governor” aside, those favoured by INEC at the instruction of the ruling party.
We cannot let go of Nigerian political terrain as it parades also political Entrepreneurs and looters who are in power to enrich themselves and their wards.
This is the reason why some money stolen are reported buried in a soak-away, some reported to have been swallowed by cobra, some lodged in Nepal and Switzerland Financial Institutions where is extremely difficult to repatriate stolen money even when discovered.
These kinds of politicians in our political terrain can be best described as “an analog politicians or an Orthodox Politicians who are primitive and retrogressive in their thinkings.
These people refuse to give up the power as they have planted their loyalists across communities, wards, LGAs, constituencies, States and even at the federal levels.
It may interest us to know that these people planted by Political Entrepreneurs to serve as middle men and women are mostly nonentities and that’s why they champion political violence during elections as they also want to retain their positions.
Having highlighted an overview of Nigerian political terrain, let us also get to understand who is a hybrid politician.
According to my investigation, a hybrid politician is that politician who understands both the traditional rudiment of politics and modern rudiment of politics.
This is where I present to us, Barrister Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan ( Click to read Natasha’s profile ) and Comrade Usman Austin Okai ( Click to read Okai’s profile ) as they transact their political adventure in Nigerian political terrain.
Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan, OHI’ OGU ( Hope ) of Ebira land, a social Entrepreneurs, a philanthropist, a former Gubernatorial Aspirant in Kogi State 2019 Election, a woman who is combining beauty with brain, a mother and a refined young breed of politician from Kogi Central has an overwhelming presence on social media and she is technologically incline of both 4th and 5th generations challenges unlike most Nigerian politicians who cannot even operate Android phone or IOS device effectively.
No wonders, they appoint numerous Special Advisers ( SAs ) with tax payers money to cover their loopholes and even as at that, these SAs who are compensated as Ex-thugs hardly know what is expected of them.
With this absurdity in our political terrain, seeing the light of Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan venturing into politics is a good omen as her presence at the grassroots via her numerous projects to range from road constructions, provision of portable water, provision of electricity and giving of scholarship to deserving applicants all put together makes her a household name not only in Kogi State but across Nigeria in general.
From fact above, it is needless to argue whether Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan is a hybrid politician or not as her presence on social media and off media undoubtedly qualifies her.
At this point, let me also xray the person of Usman Austin Okai as he shares some likes with Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan.
Usman Austin Okai, is one of Kogi East rising Eagle who has not just made his mark on social media but also at the grassroots.
Usman Austin Okai, a trained Accountant, described by many as “Kogi Madiba”, “Ogbodaga”, ” Éné Aché”, a fearless young man, and a kind hearted personality who is always ready to put his life on the line for the masses to have freedom, is a kogite from Igala’s speaking extraction of Kogi State.
Infact, the distinction between Okai and someone like Sowore is that, Usman Austin Okai knows that there is no polling unit on social media despite million of “likes” and “comments”, but Sowore believes that being popular on social media or on Sahara Reporters is enough to win presidential election in a country like Nigeria.
To Okai, this thought is wrong as most people who take larger percentage of the votes in Nigerian politics are mostly at the grassroots.
This is the reason, why Okai is not only known on social media but also at the grassroots with one project or the other.
For record purpose, despite the arrays of rich men and women in Kogi East, recall that Usman Austin Okai remains the first person from Kogi East to donate hand sanitizer to the good people of the area when Covid-19 broke out in 2020.
As I wish to hastily draw a close to this article, let me say that space and time will not permit me to comprehensively xray the persons of Barrister Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan and Comrade Usman Austin Okai, but it is cheering and unarguably worthy of note that the two personalities are both hybrid politicians that are not just needed by Kogi state but Nigeria at large, hence, I therefore, without share of sentiment neither nepotism, recommend them for National Assignments to enable them contribute their own quota towards the growth of Nigeria.
Sani Michael Omakoji
Writes From City Centre
Abuja – Nigeria.
