By Bunmi Adedipe
All around the world, presidential politics has always been a game of the wealthy, for the wealthy and by the wealthy. Men of means have always had a say and in several instances, determined the course of political and socioeconomic affairs in the country.
This becomes imperative in their desperate bid to establish their dominance and affluence sustainably. The need to maintain their controlling grip on their country’s economy, rather than ensuring that the nation’s commonwealth is equitably distributed has always been the only ideological and selfish motive driving their political participation.
Consequently, the superrich of the nation’s high society are continually seen as the arrowheads of plots and movements to institute and sustain political hegemony via a puppet leader or party.
Interestingly, President Muhammadu Buhari said he was averse to the inclusion of members of the private sector in his administration’s Economic Management Team because such people frequently steer government policy to suit their own narrow interests.
During the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, private sector players such as Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mr. Jim Ovia, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and Mr. Atedo Peterside among others were members of the EMT. But the President said he did not include private players in his team because such people do not work for the over-all national interest.
He said, “The Vice-President heads our Economic Management Team. “You have Finance Minister, Budget and Planning Minister, Minister for Industry, Trade and Investments, Governor at the Central Bank, National Economic Adviser and others. Some still ask for a team. I don’t know how they define the word ‘team.’
“We will listen to everybody but we are averse to economic team whose private sector members frequently steer government policy to suit their own narrow interests rather than the over-all national interest.”
