PALLIATIVE HOARDING DISORDER

By Michael Adeosun

So many footage are emerging on social media of Nigerians across many states in the southern part of the country, breaking into warehouses in which food stuffs marked as Covid-19 palliative are being hoarded. Seen in this videos are bags of rice, containers of vegetable oil, boxes of noodles and many other staple food items eaten by ordinary Nigerians.

This shows that there is hunger in the land. Hunger, when there is no famine. It also shows that there is high level iniquity in the lands. Wickedness in high places. And this in a very religious society.

Why did the authorities in charge and in custody of the palliative keep them away from the people they are meant to be disbursed to? How was it that this inhumane act is replicated across many states by the respective authorities? How were those we elected or appoint into political or public office able to look the starving people in the eye, knowing that food meant for them are secretly stored away in some discreet warehouse?

It appears that Nigerian politicians and those in power deliberately subject the people to hunger and suffering. They intentionally keep them at that abysmal level of poverty to make them easy to manipulate and use for political gains. Keeping them poor and hungry make them easy to control. This is evident in how easily Nigerians sell their votes for a small quantity of food stuff, a small bag of rice, or a bottle of vegetable oil. A people need to have being very starved and deprived for them to sell their votes for such meager quantity of staple food.

What could the hoarders of those palliative intend to do with the stock in their possession? Re-bag the rice and sell them along with the other food items? Keep them to be used as vote purchasing currency in the next election?

Politics in Nigeria is highly predatory and exploitative. This will not change soon. At least, not by the beneficiaries of the anomaly as it is. No, not by the politicians. Recent development has again brought to the fore that most of our political leaders and office holders suffer a malaise, a mental illness known as Hoarding Disorder. This has being evident in many ways more than one before now.

It is in Nigeria that political office holders have been found to store up cash, both local and foreign currencies in odd places like sewage tanks, water tanks, and recently seen, coffin. These are political office holders already worth billions of naira, some are worth dollars. Yet, they suffer the obsessive and compulsive need to hoard. They continue to steal from the national purse depriving the masses of basic needs.

With anyone who suffers Hoarding Disorder, nothing is beyond hoarding for them, it could be food stuff or condiments meant for the people. Everything must be hoarded, stockpiled and hidden away for themselves. It gives them some psychological fulfillment and satisfaction. They experience distress discarding, disbursing or giving away things even when they are past being of value anymore.

Think of millionaire political office holders hoarding boxes of noodles belonging to the poor.

Hmmm… I’m just tired.

(c) Michael Adeosun 2020