By Adeola Aderounmu
Bournemouth? Where is that on the map? That was my first reaction when I stumbled on a game that saw Bournemouth emerge as a premier league club today 27 april 2015.
I am sure no one from Bournemouth will forget the date too easily.
Congratulations Bournemouth. I wish you a wonderful time in the premier league.
Now I know where to find you on the UK Map!
Cheers
# Bournemouth
The success and future of Nigeria lies on the shoulders of all her citizens. It is a collective national assignment to ensure that the institutions are sane and functional.
Buharism
By Adeola Aderounmu
Adeola Aderounmu
It is worrying when people start to think that what is needed to clean the political and economic messes in Nigeria is just Buhari alone.
There is no doubt that there is a need for people who are upright in character in public service.
There is no doubt that a country like Nigeria with many bad people in government since 1960 and corrupt people everywhere needs a fresh breathe of life.
A lot of people are expecting that Buhari will prosecute all the Jezebels and Judases in Jonathan’s regime.
There are even expectations that only saints will be able to govern alongside Mr. Buhari.
The euphoria of the different miracles that General Buhari will perform has brought Buharism back to life.
For many people with this ideology, Buhari is like the messiah. For them without Mr. Buhari, there will not be discipline and accountability in the Nigerian society.
These-Buharism and the corresponding ideology-if sustained may spell a doom for the future of Nigeria
What is at stake for Nigeria and Nigerians is beyond one man. The prospects and the hope that Nigeria will rise again is not in the domain of either the APC or the PDP. It definitely cannot rest on Buhari’s shoulders alone.
It will be too risky to hinge the next 4 years and even the next 8 or 10 years on Buhari, APC or the undesirable return of the PDP.
It is not Buhari’s job alone to fight corruption. He is not the court of law. He cannot be the prosecutor, the judge and the jury at the same time.
Personally this should sadden all sane minds-to see the hope of a country as big as Nigeria hinge on one man only.
I am aware that one man must lead. I know that one man can make a difference and that the people who lead or who run political institutions and other institutions are important.
However, the hope of a country cannot be on one man or a small group of people alone because they will not always be there. Life is a passage and human existence is transient in nature.
It is the institutions and the general population that will always be there. It must be possible to always have the people that will lead the institutions in the best possible ways among the population.
For more than 50 years the key institutions in Nigeria have been in disarray and dysfunctional.
Among the dysfunctional institutions in Nigeria today are the police and the judiciary.
If they had been properly maintained and functional, the call for Buhari to arrest and prosecute politicians for example would not have arisen. Buhari is not a policeman and he is not in charge at ICPC or EFCC.
By default, when the useless immunity clause falls off criminal-politicians, it is just proper that the police, the anti-corruption agencies and the judiciary do their jobs. Unfortunately Nigerian politicians disrupted the flow of separation of powers and the Nigerian people got used to a system that is totally malfunctioning.
What the APC mandate can do is to restore proper governance and work hard to enforce the political changes (especially looking into the need for regional government) that will return the glory of Nigeria politically and economically.
The APC mandate can also ensure that powers are separated and that all government institutions (political, economic and all others) start to fulfil their mandates without hindrances and undue interference.
Leadership by example will avail much, definitely. Let the executive, the legislature and the judiciary play their roles according to the laws and the constitution of the land.
Corruption needs to be tackled by the appropriate institutions. It is everybody’s responsibility to ensure that criminals and dubious characters don’t run private and public institutions.
The role of the media and information outlets in this regard is full of several shortcomings.
Sincere and purposeful journalism is lacking in Nigeria, mostly. The media is supposed to be part of the control mechanism for the heartbeat of the nation but unfortunately the brown envelope syndrome is still common and rampant.
Bias news, misinformation and favouritism are common in the Nigerian media.
Another factor that paves the way for corruption and ineptitude in Nigeria’s public institutions is the zoning of appointments and political posts.
Closely tied to the useless federal character system, this zoning will remain a huge clog in the wheel of progress of Nigeria. For as long as these anomalies exist, Nigeria under the present faulty political arrangement will never enjoy the benefits of the best men and women for the positions that duly suit them.
Zoning is part of the national tragedies and it underscores the need to constitutionally adjust Nigeria’s political system. Each region can make use of its best human resources for the benefit of all and sundry. It is better than a central system where it is easy to idle away and sustain corruption.
In the background of Buharism, one must not forget that APC is now loaded with PDP dropouts. PDP ruined Nigeria since democracy returned in 1999. Also there are many cockroaches and skeletons in the cupboards of the APC. There are no saints around Mr. Buhari and he is not going to be a miracle worker.
Nigeria’s rescue mission does not rest on Buhari alone. It is far beyond the APC mandate. It is the people who have waited this long under oppression and useless governments that should get themselves checked.
If governance is built on institutions and of course good people, the system will run itself and things will eventually iron out even if the start is rough and untidy.
Nigeria will not be rebuilt in one day. It will not be rebuilt in 4 years. To maintain and rebuild are constant processes. These are the secrets of the developed countries.
The imperfect APC mandate provides a new chance for Nigerians to think and start again. It must be repeated that the success and future of Nigeria lies on the shoulders of all her citizens.
It is a collective national assignment to ensure that the institutions are sane and functional.
Nigerians must always demand for, and elect men and women who can uphold the virtues associated with civil rule and the common good of all Nigerians.
Buharism in 1983 and Buharism in 2015 is a sign that Nigeria is not producing and nurturing good people for political assignments. It is a fundamental flaw on the overall mentality of the citizenry. It is a sign that Nigerians are not sincere with themselves.
I will state this again: Nigerians should look at themselves in the mirror and take away their garments of evil. For any government in Nigeria to succeed, it is not enough for the people to shout change or (Buharism again). It is very important that people become the change that they want to see.
aderounmu@gmail.com
The people of South Africa are fast becoming slaves in their own land. South Africa owes it to herself and the rest of us who fought for their emancipation to educate the bunch of fools in their countries and by default their children to prevent them from becoming both self-destructive and xenophobic.
South Africa: From Apartheid to Slavery?
By Adeola Aderounmu
For a few days now the biggest and saddest news out of Africa is the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Like a whirlwind the sad occurrences in South Africa overshadowed the election results and controversies emanating from Nigeria.
In March 2014 l wrote a piece titled: Nigerians in South Africa, Victims Or Culprits? At that time the South Africans had engaged Nigerians and other African nationals in some bouts of xenophobic attacks.
When the dust settled, the information l got at that time was that South Africans already promised another showdown with unspecified date and time. The rage was there all the time.
Then in March 2015 l got an email from a South African citizen. He highlighted the several sins and crimes of Nigerians living in South Africa. He also condemned Nigerians trooping to a country where the locals are jobless.
There was a bitter complain in the email, that what was once the pinnacle of Pretoria and Johannesburg, Sunnyside and Hillbrow, have been turned into Nigerian hub of sex, alcohol, drugs and modern slavery.
The writer of the email stated that Nigerians are destroying the image of Africa through their illicit activities in South Africa.
He was also not pleased about my comment that the South Africa police are corrupt. He shouldn’t worry. Recent events around the world including the USA continue to fulfil our fears that the police are not only corrupt, but also rotten in many places. South Africa is not an exception.
What were missing in the email are the positive aspects or the essential roles that many Nigerians and other African nationals are playing in the South African health and service industries amongst several others.
Suddenly a few weeks after l received the email from this angry South African, the stupid king of the Zulus made his hate comments.
xenophobic South Africa, A man looting the Ethiopian store and another waiting to kill foreigners
The king was angry and claimed that foreigners are spoiling businesses for them-the locals.
Just like the email l received the king also claimed that foreigners are selling drugs, promoting prostitution and competing with the locals for the few jobs available.
The Zulus are the major perpetrators of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa because it was their king that gave the go ahead to kill and pursue. This is why Durban is the worst affected place. It is in Durban that the King’s order originated.
This is not the first time the Zulu king is instigating violence. This is not the second time he is igniting xenophobic attacks by his utterances that usually play on the fragile emotions and the stupidities of his people.
Regrettably this is not going to be the last time sensitive comments about the roles of foreigners in South Africa will be used politically or otherwise to set black Africans against their brothers and sisters from another country.
The Zulus are very problematic people. It appears that the other tribes like the Khosas and the Buas are not in support of this recent madness in South Africa.
The attacks have since spread to other places. Limpopo and Johannesburg are also affected. People are being killed and goods are looted from homes and stores.
As I settled down to write this essay l got reports that a certain Julles town in Johannesburg was under attack. This is a place where many Nigerians run auto businesses in form of mechanical workshops. Many cars in the workshops have been burnt down!
There are several schools of thoughts on the rising xenophobic attacks in post-apartheid South Africa and where this could lead to in the future.
One that is a consistent narrative from different sources in South Africa is that some South African citizens can be categorised as lazy, stupid citizens. They are the ones that are easily manipulated by hate speeches such as the one given by the stupid Zulu King.
This school of thought believes that this category of South Africans is always jealous of the achievements of the foreigners.
In this post-apartheid South Africa the arguments go further that the locals have refused to do something good with their time and energy. They wait on the government to give them houses, water, light and other things all for free.
A careful analysis on this behaviour with respect to the situation during and after the collapse of the traumatic apartheid regime needs to be investigated and reported. It may help politicians in South Africa to come to their senses.
Why have the citizens of South Africa failed to take advantage of the opportunities around them thereby allowing foreigners to perch on these opportunities? What is the role of the lack of education in all these brouhaha? Why are the people generally regarded as lazy?
My investigations revealed that the people behind the massacre and looting in South Africa are those who blame the whites, their fellow Africans and even their government for everything that is not going well with them.
Sadly they have refused to get up to do something tangible with their lives. They enjoy drinking, smoking, sleeping and idling around while expecting that everything should be given to them for free. In extreme cases they loot and take from others by force or through the use of arms.
An average uneducated South African does not understand how foreigners from Malawi or Zimbabwe doing menial jobs are able to make ends meet because they don’t get the logic that little drops of water make a mighty ocean.
They are so myopic they don’t know that Nigerians can make profits with their legitimate businesses starting with little investments. They should come to Nigeria and see how hairdressers, small shop owners and several petty traders keep their families together with the profits from their different businesses.
It appears that South Africa will forever remain hostile to Nigerians and other people in their midst. The xenophobic attacks of April 2015 were already predicted in March 2014 after similar attacks.
Words from south Africa continues to reveal that these attacks will continue but at varying degrees. The prediction is that South Africa may go down one day if the government does not wake up to put her acts together.
If this ever happens, the country that has called itself by the name of an entire region-Southern Africa-will not receive aid or help from other African countries.
The post apartheid children of South Africa will eventually be taught the history and lessons of the apartheid years and that may be their saving grace from the way of perdition that they have chosen.
The successes of South African companies and organisations rest on the shoulders of the educated ones among them and the foreigners that appreciate such gestures.
It must be emphasized that those carrying out xenophobic attacks in South Africa don’t care about South Africa companies and interests abroad. They don’t comprehend it and that is why retaliations of any form will not bother them.
On this matter of xenophobism, retaliations are not the options anywhere.
This is where the roles of the government of South Africa become extremely important. They must (and by force too) educate this bunch of fools and by default their children to prevent them from becoming both self-destructive and xenophobic.
The children of the Zulus, all the children of South Africa must not be allowed to grow up with greed, jealousy and foolishness. It will spell doom for the future of the region. The leaders, l was told need to come clean and educate their citizens better. They cannot continue to threat them with kid gloves because of their selfish political gains.
From the Nigerian angle, l think it is about time Nigerians in South Africa look at themselves in the mirror too and take a stock of their sojourn in South Africa.
There are Nigerian professionals and business people in South Africa. They live and work there and contribute to the development of the country. For them South Africa is home. This is the same for Nigerians around the world, doing great in different ways. This is legitimate and a part of human nature and existence.
Unemployment is a serious problem in South Africa. So when it comes to Nigerians living on the streets in South Africa or Nigerians seeking political asylum and having no means of legitimate livelihood, l think this is an unwarranted incursion into the South African enclave.
It is this category of Nigerians that have been clumped together with other foreign nationals as pests and a burden to the South African society
To make matters worse, the Home Affairs Office in South Africa is making several billions of dollars annually from the illegality of issuing permit.
The government of South Africa has turned the issuance of resident permit to a national income earner. At R3000 for an application that can be turned down several times, this industry has come to represent the face of the South African National scam.
Still there are disturbing images of maltreatment of black Africans including thousands of Nigerians seeking different types and shades of permits.
The government of Nigeria must repatriate her citizens who have become a source of burden and even menaces to the people and government of South Africa.
For the ones who have chosen the drug business or prostitution. It is up to the South African government to sharpen her legal system. The police cannot remain corrupt while the people expect a miracle of sanity. The South African police are very corrupt and illegal businesses will always thrive in the midst of corruption.
The cure for drug businesses and prostitution is a functional law system and not xenophobic attacks. It is not as if the South African citizens are saints on this matter. People should be treated equally under the law irrespective of their nationalities or countries of origin.
One cannot also forget that South Africa is well known for the spread of crimes amongst the population. Johannesburg is ranked high among the most dangerous cities in the world.
Every day young South African rascals steal and even molest other people in the society. Sometimes guns are used and people are killed. Some people l know have suffered in the hands of South African criminal gangs.
South Africa has a lot of work to do. To stop apartheid, many African countries stood up for South Africa. I remember the endless chanting of Nigerian musicians back in the days. They sang and shouted down the walls of apartheid.
The people of South Africa are fast becoming slaves in their own land. What has become of black majority rule in the hands of the ANC? Now the aggression is towards the same people who helped them to gain freedom. There is anger in Harare and there is anger in Lagos.
Nigeria must get fully back on her feet again especially as everyone waits anxiously for the take off of the APC mandate at the national level.
Many Nigerians will return home because they are tired and frustrated in South Africa. Many other African nationals may follow suit.
History will record the next recipients of the fatal blow coming from the ignorant people of South Africa. Hopefully then the people would have identified their real enemies.
At that time when the cycle of slavery is complete and fully manifested, maybe eyes will be opened and knowledge will be common.
My final suggestion is to the people and government of Nigeria.
Arise O’ compatriots!
As your brothers and sisters start to return home, let them be fully reintegrated normally into the society. Their potentials as professionals, business people and entrepreneurs must not be allowed to rot away on home soil.
Hug them. Do not stigmatize them.
My question to the people of Rivers state is this: for how long do you want to kill your brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers in the name of politics?
Amaechi and Wike are not used to electoral victory through the ballots. Something drastic must be done this weekend in terms of security to end the spate of political assassinations in Rivers State.
The Killing Fields of Rivers State
By Adeola Aderounmu
Adeola Aderounmu
It is hard to comprehend the intricacies and complexities of politics in Nigeria. For sure it is not a normal scenario.
I am not about to change my mind that politics in Nigeria is crazy.
In recent weeks murders or political assassinations have been committed in Rivers State. It is not certain in which direction the investigations are going or if anyone will be prosecuted.
Lawlessness is still a common denominator for politics and several other areas of the Nigerian society.
Political assassinations are rampant in Nigeria and there are many unresolved cases across the country over the past decades.
Hence the Rivers State scenario is not an isolated occurrence. It is a trend that is not about to end soon considering the forthcoming governorship elections and the intrigues that may emerge thereafter.
If taken as a micro-representation of Nigeria or just a case study on its own, what is happening in Rivers State is an escalation of the stupid political processes that occur seasonally across Nigeria.
Sadly, the murders and assassinations that we have seen in Rivers State are products of the mindsets of many people in Nigeria who continue to see politics as a means to an end. To them politics is do-or-die.
To them, politics is a source of deep rooted hatred and the elimination or assassination of political opponents can even warrant ecstatic celebrations including thanksgiving services in churches and mosques.
Politics in Nigeria is generally heart-breaking and in the Niger Delta, very crude too.
The fund that INEC may have expended in organising elections in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria since 1999 may as well have been used for direct development programs instead of the elections.
Again, I am not saying that this crazy situation is peculiar to Rivers State or the Niger Delta alone.
However since the political assassinations in River State is not ending, it is reasonable to use it as a case study.
Typically, ascension to political position in the Niger delta region (if you like say for Nigeria) has always been by anointment. This means that there is usually a general consensus about who is selected or anointed to contest for a certain political post.
It is so organised (or disorganised depending on which side of Nigeria’s home-grown democracy you stand) that the opposition candidate is also aware that his opponent is already approved for the position.
In the remote places of Bayelsa, Rivers and other places in the delta, it is described as clan-to-clan rotation of political appointments.
If Godspower knows that it is the turn of his clan to be sent to the parliament in 2019, he could as well lobby within his family and probably do nothing in the years running to the elections. By implication he knew that when he gets to the house of parliament (state or local), he will become rich. He will share with his clan if he is not selfish.
In essence the political positions are shared and rotated. Governorship positions are not exempted from this arrangement. The settlement of the Odili-Omehia-Amaechi imbroglio can serve as an eye-opener in case anyone is in search of proof of this arrangement.
In furtherance of this, the Niger delta of Nigeria is not usually a place where elections are allowed to take place at voting booths or the votes from the booths are not significant.
The common practice is to find a secure or hidden location usually away from the mainland where heavily armed people are on guard. It is here that the fraudulent massive thumb printings do take place.
In the Niger Delta, as it is also common in several places in Nigeria, the rigged votes do not usually correlates with the number of registered voters. It is because the rigging is so intense that the perpetrators always forget to take the population of the people into account.
There are connections between the politics of the Niger Delta and the retention of the some of the world’s poorest people in what is arguably one of the richest places on physical earth.
The Niger delta remains underdeveloped despite the oil wealth of the area. The permanently corrupt federal government is partly to blame but the bulk of the blame rest on the custodians of the wealth that have been allocated to the region.
The representatives of the region have taken turns via federal and state government appointments to loot in the various regional agencies that have been formed for the purpose of developing the area.
There is also no commitment by the people who get into positions of authority to develop the local areas and the communities because of the way people are appointed to political positions with the collective mentality that it is the turn of a certain clan to “chop”.
May I remind my readers again that this scenario has a national dimension but with varying consequences and implications.
If one looks at the cases of former governors like Alamieyeseigha, Igbinedion, Ibori and Jonathan as few examples, one can get a glimpse of why most of the regions away from the capitals are still not where they should be considering the oil wealth that are looted away by these fraudulent characters.
Fast forward, Ameachi and Wike are from the same clan- the Ikwere clan.
The people of River states consensually know that it is the turn of another tribe to become the governor of River states. This is definitely not a democratic approach and in principle democracy is alien here.
Historically, political thugs and militants re-gained prominence in this region during the 2003 election season. It was at that time that PDP had already taken control of the region and armed the ordinary people, mostly unemployed.
The Obasanjo-Odili collabo would need to answer some questions if a probe is set up today. Similarly, some politicians should be answering for the escalation of Boko Haram terrorists in the north.
Since Amaechi and Wike are not on terms and Mrs. Jonathan is trying to fulfil a promise of electoral victory for Wike, hell is let loose on Rivers State.
Wike has a constitutional right to contest under the platform of his choice. His ambition is normal and healthy but it is taking place against a practice that is alien to the people who even with the PDP would have preferred a candidate not from Ikwere.
There are allegations that the Jonathans have helped Wike in bulldozing his way to the top of the PDP ticket in Rivers State. It is in Nigeria that you hear such things like “by special arrangement, Satan will see God”. Money can do anything in Nigeria.
Both Amaechi and Wike know how the game is played. However since they are on opposite sides of the divide, they are both clamouring that the votes should count. This is new because both of them are not used to electoral victory through the ballots.
In the recent presidential election, it appears that the Wike’s faction-the PDP won the process of counting rigged votes in the bush and presenting it on photocopied papers to INEC. Typical!
Rivers State has been boiling before and after that. APC has suffered more. Her membership is severely decimated by deaths at the top level. Blood is flowing in Rivers and the federal government is acting dumb.
Adopting violence as a way of resolving their political differences is not the best way for Amaechi and Wike. Both are adamant and egocentric on this matter. Personal vendetta is now above the interests of the parties and the will of the people.
The River State crises are not a “small” problem.
There is tension everywhere. There are soldiers everywhere but no safety nets.
As the 2015 elections days approached, APC rallies suffered violent disruptions. People have been shot and people have been killed.
In public places nowadays in Rivers State, it is almost tantamount to a death sentence to mention APC.
Jega’s led INEC accepted a number of disputable results in the just concluded march 28 presidential elections. One of the obvious ones, even as seen through the eyes of the INEC returning officer, was that of Rivers State.
INEC’s fact finding mission’s report on Rivers State as presented by professor Jega was a cock and bull story. Next time, he should tell it to the marines.
However his submission on Rivers State has both advantages and disadvantages.
Understandably, due to the intricacies mentioned in the first paragraph of this essay, Jega’s tactics was an appeasement of the PDP at their sorrowful hour and a subtle counter attack to the display of madness by one Mr. Orubebe.
The acceptance of the results from Rivers State has set the state on virtual fire because it means that whoever rigged best the gubernatorial election on April 11 2015 will capture the state.
PDP has the advantage in Rivers State as it was able to control and manipulate INEC/INEC’s official on March 28 2015. This does not mean that the APC was saintly during the process. One party just overpowered the other, that’s it.
If the presidential results from River States had been cancelled, the tension may have been reduced and probably for the first time since 1999, the people may just realise that the days of rigging are over.
Again, that is also a probability because it seems that the crazy people are on the rampage and dominant in Rivers State. Who knows which way the wind will blow?
On the other hand, cancelling the Rivers State election could also have led to the cancellation of the entire process because there were contestable anomalies and widespread irregularities.
Nigerians accepted the results; the people chose peace above all. It may mean that they know that man made processes will never be perfect.
Now, some reports from the ground in Rivers State will support a hypothesis that the people are not ready to be subdued by the Ikweres for 16 years (Ameachi 8, Wike 8). It is this hypothesis that Wike is trying to disprove against APC’s candidate, Mr. Peterside.
But only when the votes are counted at the regular voting booths can the truth be known.
Tribal politics is killing Nigeria and it is about to drown the state of Rivers.
Unless Amaechi, Wike and Mrs Jonathan’s influence are taken care firmly by the law, things may get out of hand in River State.
In Rivers State, APC’s agents were barred from polling booths during the presidential election of March 28, 2015. Who gave this order?
Accreditation started at about noon in several places? Who stage-managed the general delay?
What is INEC putting in place and what are the roles of the security agents to ensure that normalcy prevails in Rivers State on Saturday the 11th of April 2015?
Will the army continue to stand by the PDP only or will they stay away and allow the people to vote?
Who will count the votes? PDP’s or APC’s agents disguising as INEC’s official?
Which votes will be counted? Will they be the votes from the booths or the votes from the creeks/bushes?
The most significant question should be put to the people of Rivers: for how long do you want to kill your brothers and sisters, your fathers and your mothers, in the name of politics?
Not until the Rivers run dry…..
As early as the 100th day in office, some of the changes promised by the APC must be visible because in Africa the morning shows the day.
However for any government to succeed, it is not enough for people to shout changes. It is also important that people become the changes that they want to see.
The APC Mandate 2015 – ?
By Adeola Aderounmu
On the 31st day of March 2015 the people of Nigeria accepted the final results of the presidential election that took place 3 days earlier. The significance of this is that Mr. Buhari will take over as the president of Nigeria on May 29 2015.
The APC government promised CHANGE. By this slogan the party means that it intends to do a lot of things in the next 4 years that will correct most of the anomalies that trailed Nigeria for more than 50 years.
One of the fundamental flaws of the Jonathan era that resulted to 6 wasteful years was the continuous reference to the fact that Nigeria’s problems did not start with Mr. Jonathan. There were other flaws that characterised the Jonathan government. The worst of them was the endless and merciless massive looting of the Nigeria treasury at all levels.
On the eve of the election l took a stand and supported the change movement. The reason was simple. I would have found it almost impossible to write about Nigeria again if PDP had won. I had written about bad governance and everything l knew that was wrong with the PDP, yet the government got more rotten.
The victory of APC is by no means a celebration for me. I don’t glorify people or election victories. The main reason l write about Nigeria is to contribute my bits to ensuring that one day governance will be about the welfare of the citizens and not the wealth accumulated by the criminal- or dubious politicians.
For the first time since 1999, there is now a platform for comparison of performances.
For the next 4 years, APC will be under the spotlight at the federal level as everybody awaits a new Nigeria or a new beginning in the words of APC’s leader Mr. John Oyegun.
The reasons given by Mr. Jonathan that led to the failure of PDP under his watch will not be acceptable under the change promised by the APC.
Those in charge at APC should be ready to face the harshest of criticisms if they start someday to tell Nigerians and the world that they will not be able to fix Nigeria in 4 years.
From now and until the end of the first term in 2019, APC must act and pursue goals that will show that she meant business. As early as the 100th day in office, some of the changes must be visible because in Africa the morning shows the day.
Realistically nobody is expecting Nigeria to be the biblical paradise in 2019. However many basic things that have tainted the image of Nigeria and that have also reduced the quality of life must been seen to have been adequately addressed under the first tenureship of the APC mandate.
Failure to address these basic issues will make it too easy for the PDP to regroup and flush out the APC in the nearest future. Such a development may close the chapter of any cry for change in the future. The treasures of Nigeria will remain the prize for tropical gangsterism. Hope will be dashed forever until the real physical revolution takes place.
So as the days come or go by, keen observers across the world will be watching closely to see how APC intends to flush corruption out of Nigeria.
Corruption in Nigeria is systemic in nature. This means that is exist in almost every family, almost every office-both private and public and it is practised or reflected in nearly all aspects of the Nigerian life. Someone once told me that l might be killed by my colleagues in a government establishment if l try to be a honest man and hinder them from stealing or looting.
If the head is rotten the entire body of the organism is also rotten. I know this very well and l thought l also heard Mr. Buhari and APC echoed this loudly.
Corruption in government must be eradicated first at the presidency and hopefully such a positive outcome will radiate gradually to all facets of the Nigerian life so that decency and dignity can be restored to the country.
Many Nigerians have been speaking about reducing the government cabinet by removing all the useless positions like minister of state for things and objects. Even some ministerial positions can be fused so that instead of two or three different ministers, only one minister can be in charge.
This will reduce the cost of governance and will help to remove the holes that lead to executive negligence.
One of the craziest and most unacceptable things in the Nigerian government is the salaries and allowances that government officials’ and politicians take home. Since 1999 Nigeria continues to bleed through the wages and allowances of the members of the House of Representatives and the national assemblies at the federal and state level. If nothing is done about these reckless wages, I am sorry there is no change yet.
I am certain that one can write 100 chapters on how to eradicate corruption in Nigeria based on the opinions and ideas that everybody has on the topic. Even corrupt Nigerians like those who transfer funds from the central banks to the different ministries just for looting purposes have their own opinions because everybody always thinks it is another person’s fault that corruption persists.
The change that the APC promised must not be left in the hands of the APC alone. I think that everybody should look in the mirror and take off their garments of evil. For any government to succeed, it is not enough for people to shout changes. It is also important that people become the change that they want to see.
The Nigerian judiciary is still largely a scam because criminals and corrupt people have been escaping justice. Petty thieves have died through jungle justice which is a sad occurrence. Looters of the federal and state treasuries continue to smile to the bank at home and abroad.
The APC mandate must work to remove the immunity clause that has made politicians exclusive criminals. Above that the judiciary must be independent again. The new government must hands off legal proceedings and allow them to run their courses.
The successful prosecution of criminals, fraudsters and corrupt criminals irrespective of their statuses in the society are essential to a new beginning for Nigeria.
Diversification of the Nigerian economy cannot wait. It must start today. How can APC take Nigeria back to the days when agricultural products were the main exports? Is it possible that oil is relegated someday so that the major foreign exchange earners can be from the various mineral deposits in Nigeria?
How does APC intend to stop the Chinese and other foreign countries from looting Nigeria’s mineral resources immediately?
Probably before and definitely under Goodluck Jonathan’s PDP Nigeria’s mineral deposits were loaded out of the country almost free of charge under the supervision of some useless ministers. This must stop today! Those who have allowed this to happen need to be apprehended and brought to justice.
Electricity situation in Nigeria has become a case of both intellectual scandal and national shame.
Obasanjo and Jonathan both spent or looted several billions of dollars on electricity. The situation got worse. Cockroaches and rats continue to lay eggs in refrigerators and freezers. Keen observers are waiting to see how the APC mandate will tackle the nonsense talk about the generator importers and the power sector mafia. Where are all the billions of dollars?
One could have hoped that the federal character could be scrapped but it appears impossible. It’s a shame that while the best brains will lie idle or remain unutilised where they are best needed, ministerial posts and portfolios will be given (albeit uniformly) based on state or region of origin. Some fools will get on board, sadly.
Sadder still some of the posts are given as rewards for the efforts during campaigns and lobbying that led to the victory of the APC. That awareness and the mess that is going on at this moment concerning ambassadorial postings bleed my heart.
One message that will remain constant in my essays is the task to reform Nigeria politically. The presidential election results as it were clearly revealed that Nigeria is not a unified country.
The pattern of voting if taken into consideration can be a beginning of a lasting political solution. The APC must not sweep the debate for regional autonomy or regional government under the carpet. It won’t go away.
The strengths of the different regions can be utilised in creating a system of government where the power at the center is drastically reduced. This will also douse the tension and pressure of elections in the future. In the face of accountability and a center devoid of the power of the almighty, rigging and violence will be significantly reduced in future elections.
The custodians of the Nigerian historical and geographical facts can be of massive help when plotting lasting political solutions. If some of these people have emerged in the houses (senate and house of representative), they must be heard.
The fragility of Nigeria can still be exploited by wicked and selfish minds in the days ahead or sometime in the future. Why not remove that possibility while it is still constitutionally possible to do so?
No matter what the APC mandate must not go the way of the previous administrations.
There will be no excuse for non-performances. There will be no story for why the hawks and wolves sucking Nigerians through the oil subsidy, contracts inflation, non-performance and direct looting of the treasuries cannot be halted.
Millions of people are already anticipating that their children will get free lunch at school. Some are looking forward to the empowerment of the public schools back to the glory days. Education must be affordable again. The quality must begin to return.
This is the beginning of the APC mandate. As the days unfold and change to months and years, some people will be looking while some people will be acting to make the changes possible. Still, some people will be accessing the situation.
With the type of interactions amongst Nigerians on the social media, it is possible to deduce that out of the several millions who voted for the PDP, a substantial percentage are waiting for APC to fail. They want to be able to justify the evils perpetrated by the PDP since 1999.
No one should be defending a failed government irrespective of their party affiliations. Only selfishness and wickedness can make people ignore the importance of good governance and accountability that are in favour of the majority and in the interest of common good.
Those who write must continue to write. This is not the time to cross from the side of the people to the side of the government hoping to cut from the national cake. By no means should the Nigerian real and virtue landscape be depleted of uprightly conscientious minds and critics who will stand by the people no matter what.
If APC fails in the eyes of those who will be doing the analyses in the coming days and years, Nigeria may just as well self-destruct!
I appreciate the importance of peace and tranquillity and I hope that the APC will succeed.
A proper change will orchestrate the restoration of dignity, honour, pride, patriotism and service to humanity on the Nigerian soil.
There can be hope for the unborn generations.
A View From The Scandinavian 