The name Ben Bruce naturally generates a number of reactions in the
minds of many Nigerians as a Fashionista, Celebrity and Entertainer.
Nigerians are also familiar with household names created by the
entertainment guru such as Silverbird’s Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria,
Cinema and a radio and television station which has helped enrich the
broadcast industry in Nigeria.
Bruce’s success in the
entertainment industry is indeed what many would call an American Dream
come true, and is a wakeup call to the Nigerian youth illustrating that
from nothing, one can go on to build empires.
Therefore, it was
with much gladness that I welcomed his entry into politics when in 2012;
he sought the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party to become its
guber candidate. While I knew that as the rookie that he was, he would
have to contend with the powers that be for the ticket and that odds
would be heavily stacked against him, I still saw his entry into
politics as another leap forward for Nigeria, as ‘Clean Men’ like Bruce
could then bring about the much needed change in our politics and help
change the mindset of a number of youths that it was a dirty game.
Unfortunately for Bruce, he was disqualified owing to issues bordering
on his membership of the party then, but for us it was a good start.
In
2015, opportunity reared its head again and Bruce ran for Senate, under
the Peoples Democratic Party and won, beating or should I say rigging
out mercilessly a former Governor of the State, Timipriye Sylva, who
polled a meager number of votes.
No sooner had he become a
senator, Nigerians began to witness a new Bruce, who started
proselytizing “The Common Sense Revolution” where he has been touting
ideas after ideas on what is wrong with the country and how we can fix
them. Using media platforms, Bruce has sought to identify the troubles
with the Nigerian nation whilst at the same time proffering solutions to
these challenges.
The trouble with Bruce’s Common Sense
Revolution is that one cannot discern whether it is a publicity drive or
a genuine cause to salvage Nigeria. For example, many have asked where
has Bruce being all these years? Was he asleep when his party the PDP
raped Nigeria from 1999 to 2015? Particularly, when his kinsman in
former President Goodluck Jonathan held sway and nearly ran the nation
aground. Surprisingly, Bruce saw no evil and thus tucked his commons
sense revolution in his boxer shorts.
I was miffed when Bruce
went on twitter to announce that he was donating half of his wardrobe
allowance to the people of Osun State, following the failure of the Osun
State Government to pay salaries for some months. For all its worth, I
as many Nigerians felt that such philanthropy was puerile and unbecoming
for a man like Bruce. First of all, one felt that Bruce should have as a
Senator worked across the aisle in the Senate to perhaps sponsor a bill
that would have sought relief or bailout packages for states like Osun.
Again, one wonders whether a paltry sum of N253, 300.00 per annum would
have been enough for over 30,000 civil servants in Osun, while his home
state of Bayelsa owed pensioners and workers too. Many therefore
wondered why Ben Bruce wanted to begin his own charity abroad.
Perhaps,
like the village rascal, who is not fretful about the notoriety of his
image, Bruce has not let up from playing to the gallery time and time
again. One time, the senator advocated on twitter that he was wondering
why Nigeria with 36 states had to have 36 ministers, whereas the United
States of America with 50 states had 18 or thereabout ministers. I
quickly retorted that the same United States had two senators per state
and asked whether he was willing to give up his seat in order to make
his common sense practical! Dear readers, Senator Bruce never responded
and as at this point in time he still has his seat in the senate!
From
his tweets urging Fashola not to use generator, to his referral to a
minister in Buhari’s cabinet as a criminal unto his silence while the
Senate in its profligacy wants to purchase cars amounting to N4.5bn,
Senator Bruce has shown that hypocrisy is now becoming his favourite
past time.
The trouble in his common sense revolution is that
Bruce sounds like a socialist while he is a capitalist, a liberal while
he is a pseudo liberal and a progressive whereas he is at heart pro
establishment.
While I do not frown at his being vocal, I would
only wish that Senator Bruce would channel his new found love for
activism unto good bills, motions and resolutions on the floor of the
senate, guided by truth and patriotism.
This way, he would not
only make a good case for himself but also for millions of professionals
considering politics as a means of service.
www.leadership.ng/blogposts/501316/hypocrisy-ben-bruces-common-sense-revolution
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