A politician in Nigeria, Alex Ikwechegh, has caused a public outrage after his video went viral and was seen slapping and verbally harassing a food delivery taxi driver for bringing his meal.
The video, released Monday, shows Ikwechegh, an opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), shattering his windscreen through a loud brawl shouting on the top of his lungs, “Do you know who I am?. I can make you disappear in this whole country and nothing will happen.” Conflicts reportedly started with his own driver asking Ikwechegh to go out to collect food he dropped outside.
The video caused a firestorm on social media and forced Ikwechegh to issue formal apologies, which oddly was harsher criticism coming for his conduct not only because of what he did but also for the impunity shown by Nigerian officials on several occasions when they take turns intimidating citizens with their convoys, police escort, and blaring sirens.
This is even worse, considering Ikwechegh was among the chief promoters of the “Not Too Young to Run” movement, which pushed for higher youth participation in politics through a reduction of age restrictions for most positions.
The move was successful last year; today, the youth compose 27 percent of government, up from 6 percent the year before. Many Nigerians had hoped for a new breed of more youthful leaders, which might bring about different thinking and an end to oppressive tendencies that have stuck with political elites.
But then, there is the déjà vu: Ikwechegh’s antics bear a similarity to another incidence, which was Elisha Abbo, the then-youngest senator in Nigeria, caught on camera beating up a shop assistant in 2019, showing that abuse of power transcends generations.
The House of Representatives has referred Ikwechegh to its Ethics and Privileges Committee with the accusations that he dirtied the image of that institution.
He faces more serious court charges as relating to “threats, assault, and abuse of public office.” It is quite a test case as such a development makes many struggle to eliminate entitlement and impunity in Nigerian politics when citizenry ask if such junior politicians are really seeking a change or just rushing in to take power as free riders.
