The 2027 general elections season is expected to greet Nigerians with uncertainty and the usual dose of political brickbats but, be that as it may, the question of whether stomach infrastructure will be used to sway the balance of power in the country has remained a topic that is on the lips of many people.
According to The New Online Dictionary of African Politics, published by Oxford University Press, stomach infrastructure is a term that refers to “the use of gifts and promises of food to win support from voters in Nigeria,” and emphasis is placed on “Nigeria.”
For Nigerians who might be unaware of the reason why their country was mentioned, stomach infrastructure is actually a term peculiar to Nigerian politics and its shenanigan takes pride of place and does not escape the scrutiny of stakeholders who continue to make it a major talking point.
Since the start of the Fourth Republic in 1999, many politicians, ranging from Presidents, Governors, National Assembly members and even Local Government Chairmen and Councilors have been accused of prostituting stomach infrastructure in order to win elections into public offices.
Before elections are held in the country, it is common sight to see eligible voters receiving repackaged rice, beans, garri and other foodstuffs, which are branded by politicians, with the faces and party logos of the “generous” politicians boldly printed on the “exhibits.”
Politicians know that voters are willing to reward instant gratification, and so these politicians make available a good amount of this stomach infrastructure and succeed in hoodwinking the people.
Consequently, instead of making promises to provide physical infrastructure for much-needed development, these politicians lick their lips as people fight over their “giveaways,” and quite remarkably, this vicious cycle is repeated every four years, or as the case may be.
A former Governor of Ekiti State and People’s Democratic Party chieftain, Ayodele Fasoye, will undoubtedly be given “props” for putting stomach infrastructure on the map.
This is because while other politicians prostituted stomach infrastructure by indulging in it and not expressing “warm approval” of it, Fayose was proud to be “betrothed” to it.
Fayose was Ekiti State Governor from 2003 but he was impeached in 2006. He made a comeback during the 2014 Ekiti State Governorship election and the then Governor of the State, Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress, was the hurdle he had to cross.
However, unlike in 2003 when Fayose beat Niyi Adebayo of the Alliance for Democracy in the governorship race owing to the then PDP tsunami that swept South West states, excluding Lagos State, Fayose needed a failure-proof remedy that could dethrone Fayemi, and stomach infrastructure came to his rescue.
After his election victory, Fayose told the world that he upgraded the stomach (infrastructure) of the Ekiti people and it helped him earn their admiration, translating into his poll victory.
“During elections, they refer to what they distribute as stomach infrastructure and after elections, they call it palliative, but it is the same thing. A palliative economy is a horrible idea, especially if people are not made to be productive so that they can earn their income”
Interestingly, the catch in this story was that Fayemi learnt his lesson, and before the next election in 2018, which he won, he, too, deployed stomach infrastructure and could well have outmaneuvered Fayose and his anointed candidate, Kolapo Olushola, on the chessboard of power.
Based on present-day reality, it seems that in politics, there is now a burgeoning view that the food items and money that are distributed before an election is contested, are called stomach infrastructure while the same that are distributed after an election is won, are called palliatives.
During the administration of Nigeria’s immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari, the government distributed palliatives through its Condition Cash Transfer Programme and the exercise was the norm.
Buhari’s ex-Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development minister, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, periodically distributed N25, 000, which provided financial support that targeted poor and vulnerable Nigerian households, but there were sceptics who feared that the money was stomach infrastructure in disguise and would not properly accounted for.
After the country’s incumbent President, Bola Tinubu, took the reins of power last year, he retained the CCTP and targeted a record 15 million households across the nation, each eligible to receive N75, 000 within a three-month timeframe.
Despite the President’s benevolence, opposition to the programme persisted and the unforgiving spotlight turned on the ministry came to a head with the suspension of Tinubu’s former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Betta Edu, over alleged diversion of funds meant for social development works.
And that was not all, Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, had a brush with anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, over alleged N37.1 billion fraud.
Although the two women have not been convicted, all eyes will however be on politicians in 2027 to see whether or not they will embrace stomach infrastructure.
As far as the 2027 presidential election is concerned, some Northern interests threatened to work against the reelection of Tinubu because of the marginalisation of their region and the Federal Government’s decision to prosecute 76 minors who took part in the End Bad Governance protest in August this year.
Although the President last week released the minors, a social media user on X, formerly Twitter, retorted that the miffed Northerners would eventually mellow out if stomach infrastructure from the government was placed at their feet.
The Point asked APC chieftain, Tunde Ipaiye, if Northerners would let their guard down when stomach infrastructure was distributed to them and the former Ogun State Commissioner for Health said, “It is not true that Northerners will work against the re-election bid of Tinubu.
“I am sure you saw what happened in the United States. When the political elite talk, it does not mean that is the position of the people.
“So, the mere fact that some aggrieved politicians who are also looking forward to being compensated by the government or who have not been compensated or who think that it is their right to live off the state, can say whatever they like does not mean that their opinion equates to the people’s position.
Ipaiye, however, said of stomach infrastructure, “When people are poor and you throw anything at them, they will take it.
“The political elite all over Nigeria – I don’t like to stereotype – have weaponised poverty. And it is not even only the political class that does this. The religious groups, too, do so.”
Ipaiye also said that there was no difference between stomach infrastructure and palliatives, and that a palliative economy was a horrible idea.
“Stomach infrastructure and what they call palliatives are like six of one, half a dozen of the other.
“During elections, they refer to what they distribute as stomach infrastructure and after elections, they call it palliative, but it is the same thing. A palliative economy is a horrible idea, especially if people are not made to be productive so that they can earn their income.
“What the government should do is to create an enabling environment for people to earn a living and know how to fish, rather than giving them fish.
“If the government neglects to do this, it allows people to depend on the government for handouts.
“And you can’t run an economy of productivity like the way you run an economy of palliatives and handouts. It simply means that, rather than encourage people to work, someone would bring food and money to them.
“It is a modified form of socialism and socialism does not grow any economy. It actually makes people poorer.
“So, it must be discouraged. People must be challenged to work; people must convert every hour to productive hours.
“And religious centres should be converted to factories for the people to have jobs. People are not supposed to be expecting miracles all the time. How can somebody with no skill be expecting miracles?” Ipaiye reasoned.
A political analyst, Alex Nwadike, said, “Stomach infrastructure is the reason why the political elite have constantly refused to transform the lives of ordinary Nigerians by developing the country.
“The truth is that stomach infrastructure has come to stay in Nigeria. It will not go away before or after the 2027 general elections. It is part of our unfortunate political configuration and it will be hard to detach ourselves from it.
“Politicians know that millions of Nigerians are faced with multidimensional poverty. They take advantage of these needy Nigerians who don’t know where their next meal will come by pretending to be their messiahs in order to win political offices.
“They use the nation’s money and resources to get these stomach infrastructure or palliatives and pretend to be championing the people’s cause.”
