Self-ish is when you seek to be the central focus of events and discussions. In some way, everything becomes about you even other people’s time, effort and endeavours. Living selfish is so endemic almost everyone is involved as a victim or a perpetrator. Watching it playout is so comical!

Fueled by others

Truth is it takes yielding from other people to achieve personal goals and aspirations, doesn’t matter if it’s negative or positive. Leadership is the culprit for perpetuation of egoistic ambitions. People add flesh to thoughts. It takes a few yeses to start a movement. Ambitions and objectives exist at different rungs of the society and at differing levels of intelligence at the disposal/exhibited by individuals. Means and ends mean different things to people at varying times hence the ability to transact positions and positioning with ‘power’ and money. There’s the Yoruba saying loosely interpreted to mean ‘you purchase portions of the earth so you can live in it’, being born isn’t enough.

Plagued by Ignorance

If people had the faintest idea about how deep they plunge themselves into hardship by submitting their living and ability to earn a livelihood, to the whims of a few. The art of manipulation is so swift that the victim feels loved, kindly treated and empowered even. The feeling that the greater good is the goal and that community welfare is what is being sought after. Rumours of self-aggrandisement seem not to spur people to the real happenings because at some time, they’ve been made to believe through some periodic or once upon a time favour.

Inability to understand the workings of societal financing and the role of government in organizing the workability of the different sectors of the economy to ensure the welfare of the citizens empowers the rulers to further impoverish the people as they regard as favour whatever they get from government. Me-ism keeps people reveling in handouts.

Entrenched by Poverty

Made to perpetually grapple with such basic needs as food and shelter, one is rarely able to think about such grand ideas as state wealth, accountability of elected officers, what good the government is to the people etc. A flicker of electric light is greeted with so much excitement. The visit of a politician to his constituency is seen as a huge sacrifice on his part because, “he doesn’t belong here anymore”. Poverty keeps you pre-occupied gratitude for merely going through the day.

Disguised as loyalty

In many cases, Loyalty is fueled by indebtedness, commitment to a person rather than to a cause, hence the fear of the growth of a liberating ideology among the people. The first response is to shut down dissenting views not so much for being dissenting but for shedding light on the true goings-on within the ranks and files of the high and mighty, the ruling elite whose cows must be kept sacred else an end to the flow of milk.

Profiled Manipulation

Empowering schemes are exactly that – schemes! What does it mean to empower? It simply means you know full well that the people lack the basic structures that would enable them excel in their chosen endeavours. You admit that they’ve been deprived but now will have to be thankful for now having access to what they had been deprived of. Thing is, this set of individuals will be thankful to the medium, institution, person or regime through which they gained such access and so show loyalty when the time comes. Cheap canvass for support!

Discredit some part of the population because of your own negligence over the years. Play cards that whip up sentiments that pitch tribes against themselves. Elaborate narratives which foster hatred among brethren and friends.

Raise propaganda against well-meaning causes for fear of being found out and rendered powerless.

Powered by Money

Money makes the world go round or does it? Superiority has always been a feature of all societies. Be it the caste systems, the class systems of aristocracy and the bourgeois, the slave/master or the colonies and their masters, man has always been separated by man from man on the basis of his means. -Men are in sizes, life is in Phases - phases acquired by money – ill gotten money. Whatever route through which one gets into wealth can be traced and explained, where this is traceability of wealth is muddy, brows should rise, voices should be raised and justice should be implored.

The Wheeler Dealer

 A wheeler dealer is someone who engages in commercial or political scheming. This person has money as a tool to make people/things bend for him. Sometimes he is very visible and sometimes he may choose not to be. His stock in trade is power. He transacts political posts and appointments. He plants stooges indebted to him in places of relevance to his overall aspirations.

He knows the turns and queues up people in turns as deemed fit by him. And who knows someday it might just be his turn!