I feel the need to reawaken the consciousness of our teaming youths who are recently engaging in Social Media banters that can justifiably be tagged to be sycophantic aimed at proving loyalty.
They praise sing the person of their interest to high heaven and consciously or unconsciously become intoxicated. The western conception of sycophancy is solidly premised on insincerity and deceit. Another family member to sycophancy is propaganda, although this is technically employed in both local, state, national and international politics. An unhealed trend we are currently faced with.
Social Media Sycophancy and it’s consistent ‘vawulence’ (permit me to say it in our local parlance) calls for concerned as it has become a profession, particularly on the Nigeria, especially Kogi political scene, and its practitioners are really having a field day. It has been elevated to a height that makes it an art of government. The trend could be said to be a product of the type of politics we practicing that abhors service, truth and decency.
To a large extent, government is personalized by occupants of political offices, particularly those with executive power and connection. Thus, this allows for ascension of youths willing to blaspheme anybody who’s against their interests. In the process, politics of patronage takes over the stage. An ugly situation we have found ourselves as One invisible and indissoluble sovereign State.
What this trend reveals is that, those involves see Social Media as a deity to be worshiped so as not to get their principal angry unnecessarily.
When he wakes up from the wrong side of his bed, the running dog knows how to appease him, not minding if one of his subjects is to be sacrificed for ritual. Instances abound when some of these so-called ceremonial aides go out of their ways to unleash terror on the perceived enemies of their bosses or the outspoken individuals in the society who frequently speak against obnoxious situations.
These politicians hear only what they wants to hear as they rely on the errand men and women for situation reports. He eventually becomes a prisoner of some sort in the government house, losing touch with the reality outside there. This to me, doesn’t define an ideal Leadership.
The sycophancy business is currently lucrative in Kogi State because of the forthcoming Gubernatorial Primaries. No doubt, depending on your ability to identify real or imagined political enemies that are working against your interest.
You stand more chances of access to hard currencies if you are anointed to front for or transact this sycophantic deal this period.
One would imagine that, what if this person’s principal doesn’t scale through the Gubernatorial Primaries, God forbid? I tell you, It won’t takes the sycophants 24 hours of rethink to discover the new helmsman and the business continues. So, politicians need to interrogate issues squarely and stop dwelling on hearsay and blasphemous activities of those they assumed to be loyal.
Truth is, some of them have being in this business since, for Long and are still doing it til date. They have their nuisance value, one may say, but not without its attendant implications for the supposed beneficiaries of our democracy.
Sycophancy does not discriminate. Those who engage in this business are called Any Government in Power (AGIP) in Nigeria politics. This practice has found its way to the churches, mosques, schools, among other places. It exists in almost every establishment where there is a boss -overall or sectional head- who takes delight in being canonized.
Most of the time, drinking from this bottomless cup of sycophancy might be to cover up some glaring deficiencies inherent in their administrative or intellectual engagements.
To this end, it’s however saddening that the rate at which social media sycophancy and it’s consistent vawulence business is booming and alarming particularly, among the the teeming youths and I expect all concerned politicians to call their lieutenants to order.
Regardless of the intention, we must not divide the house with uncultured activities.
In the End, its going to be a win-win for the party ( All Progressive Congress – APC).
I Pray this sink into many heads and lay calm their arsenal.
– Abdulkadir Bin ABDULMALIK is a seasoned political analyst, and writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.