…also published in Daily Trust
Nigeria holds its presidential election tomorrow amid scarcity of kayan aiki especially compared to the 2015 presidential election when kayan aiki literally flooded the country’s political terrain. On the eve of that election, I wrote “The politics of Kayan aiki” (Daily Trust, Friday, March 27, 2015).
Quoting from that piece, the term Kayan aiki “… probably developed following the country’s return to democracy in 1999, and has ever since then been commonly used, though largely informally, in political context. Kayan aiki, which also literally means tools, stands metaphorically for the financial inducements doled out to the electorate by candidates with a view to winning their votes during elections.”
Unsurprisingly, kayan aiki-sharing formula isn’t only disproportionately lopsided but hugely exploitative as well, as every beneficiary literally grabs his share according to his real or perceived potential to influence election results in his constituency. The elite beneficiaries of kayan aiki, e.g., power brokers and other public figures at the local, state and federal levels always end up with the largest chunk of the amounts allocated to their respective constituencies leaving the voters with peanuts.
