Veteran comedian Ali Baba has shed light on the staggering costs associated with securing political positions in Nigeria.
During an appearance on the OUTSIDE THE BOX podcast, Ali Baba, who is known to have strong ties with political figures in the country, spoke candidly about the deep-rooted corruption plaguing Nigeria’s political system. He revealed that running for office has become a highly capital-intensive venture, one that fuels corrupt practices among leaders.
According to him, the cost of contesting for a senatorial seat stands at around ₦1.2 billion, while governorship ambitions may require anywhere from ₦20 billion to ₦25 billion, depending on the state.
He criticized Nigerian politicians for neglecting the real needs of the people, instead focusing on initiatives that can generate personal profit during elections.
“To win the senatorial seat is now between N1.2bn. you need N1 or 2bn to win a Senate seat. To win a house of Rep, you need another 1billion.
State House of Assembly you need N500 million. Governorship depends on the state. For Delta State you need like about N20bn, for Rivers you need a 25 billion. For some of those states in the North maybe 4 or 5 or 6 billion naira.
So it’s a capital intensive project, which is what is driving the corruption in our country right now. So anytime somebody is in office, the person is not thinking of education, except if whatever he wants to do in education will provide some money that they can leverage on when the time for election comes”, he disclosed.
Watch the full video below…