“Senate seat now costs ₦1.2bn” — Ali Baba exposes price of power in Nigeria

<p><&sol;p>&NewLine;<div>&NewLine;<p>Veteran comedian and social commentator <a target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;gistreel&period;com&sol;tag&sol;ali-baba"><strong>Ali Baba<&sol;strong><&sol;a> has sparked fresh debate over the cost of governance in Nigeria after revealing the exorbitant price tags associated with contesting political offices in the country&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Speaking during an episode of the <em>OUTSIDE THE BOX<&sol;em> podcast&comma; Ali Baba&comma; who is known for his deep connections within Nigeria’s political elite&comma; alleged the staggering cost of contesting an office&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He claimed that securing a senatorial seat in Nigeria now costs around ₦1&period;2 billion&comma; while a bid for the <a target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;gistreel&period;com&sol;tag&sol;House-of-Representatives"><strong>House of Representatives<&sol;strong><&sol;a> could require as much as ₦1 billion&period; For a <strong>governorship<&sol;strong> position&comma; he disclosed&comma; the cost ranges from ₦20 billion to ₦25 billion in states like Delta and Rivers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>According to him&comma; the massive financial demands of running for office have turned politics into a high-stakes investment&comma; driving the <strong>unending corruption that continues to plague the country<&sol;strong>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The comedian explained that because of the high financial stakes&comma; many political leaders enter office with a mindset focused not on governance or service delivery&comma; but on recouping their investments&comma; often through corrupt practices&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He lamented that leaders often sideline education&comma; healthcare&comma; and other public needs unless there’s a financial gain or electoral advantage involved&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;So it’s a capital-intensive project&comma; which is what is driving the corruption in our country right now&period; Anytime somebody is in office&comma; the person is not thinking of education&comma; except if whatever he wants to do in education will provide some money that they can leverage on when the time for election comes&comma;”<&sol;em> he said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;p><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;gistreel&period;com&sol;senate-seat-now-costs-&percnt;E2&percnt;82&percnt;A61-2bn-ali-baba-exposes-price-of-power-in-nigeria&sol;" previewlistener&equals;"true">Source link <&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;