Under the APC-Buhari mandate, corruption became padded and embedded. For as long as this status quo exist, where the politicians and some other people are above the laws of the land, Nigeria will continue to exist in a combo of the APC-PDP dilemma deluxe or something similar.

The APC-PDP ”Dilemma Deluxe”

By Adeola Aderounmu

There is a joke that continues to make the rounds on the social media. It is about a citizen of Nigeria who appeared before his creator on judgment day. He told his creator that he was sure that he was not going to hell. His reason was that living in Nigeria during his lifetime meant that he had already been through hell. Now he must go into heaven.

Some jokes are not to be taken on their face values alone. In this case, the certainty is that ordinary citizens living in Nigeria are living in hell. Nigeria, like l always reiterate, is no ordinary country. The country, since 1960 when it claimed independent from Britain, had gone from one traumatic regime to the other. It had been a combination of both civilian misrule and military tyranny.

So, for nearly 60 years of her existence as a country, there had been a gradual corrosion of normalcy which has now reached a point whereby to be normal or to act normal in Nigeria is now the abberation. This unusual situation is now systemic. If you do something that is normal in Nigeria, people look at you twice and some people will define you immediately as non-Nigerian.

I remember an incident when someone asked me to do something for him and l quickly responded that l would not be able to do the task. But l added that l would recommend another person that would be suitable for the task. It was in a group chat and l could immediately detect the mood of others in the group. One person was bold enough to react. He said ”Adeola, you are definitely not a Nigerian. You could have accepted to do the job as a contract”.

That experience sums up Nigeria today. People are accepting to do things that they cannot do. Nigerians are offering positions and jobs to the wrong people. There are a lot of contracts and sub-contracts that drags in the system and everybody is taking advantage of the other person.

You have to be a fool in the eyes of the people to confess that there is something you cannot do when you can run around to find someone who can do it whilst pretending you are the one doing it. They call it business or hussle.

Meanwhile there are a lot of other things that you are good at but the Nigerian system invariably ensures that most people end up in the wrong branches.

The aberration of the abnormal becoming the normal and the unusual business of the wrong people and criminals running Nigeria lands me in the thought of the APC-PDP Dilemma deluxe.

In Nigeria the APC-PDP deluxe is simply an aggregation of criminals and opportunists who emerged in 1999 as the new (but actually old) custodians of Nigeria. They have wriggled around in cycles prior to 1999 and remain so till date and their sole aim is to continue to do the business of governance that they are not suitable for. They sustain themselves and their families directly and indirectly by stealing from the people.

From 1999 to 2015 the years that l predicted were going to be the worst days of our lives in Nigeria, it was the PDP that held sway and controlled the resources in the land. First there was a dictator turned democrat called Olusegun Obasanjo, who went from prison to become the president of Nigeria to end the brutal years of military rule for which he had been part and parcel of in the 1970s.

The people thought that his experiences as a former prisoner will liberate Nigeria. It did not. Today he regards himself as a saint. I am sure if one browses through my blog and search ”Obasanjo” one would see my opinion about him. In summary l regard him as one of the several criminals in Nigerian politics. Nigerians did not become free under him.

Then came Yar Adua who was implanted and imposed on Nigerians by Obasanjo himself. He died in office and my blog is not short of words about him. He tried a clampdown on bloggers but he did not live long enough to see where we are today. Nigeria did not become free under him. Social crusaders and online warriors will outlive bad government anywhere. It is a fight no government can win. It’s common sense!

Then entered one drunkard of a president who doled out Nigeria’s monies like a father Christmas. Jonathan’s wife is one of the richest Africans today. You will never be able to find an answer to why a first lady is amongst the richest Africans today. She has no job other than being the wife of the president. Of course she is a thief.

If you do a simple browse online, you will find out how one criminal called Diezani turned Nigeria’s oil money into her personal source of wealth. In my opinion all these people are mad. I cannot find another way to describe people who steal monies that are supposed to be used for the development of the country for personal gains.

So in 2015 the APC preached change, it gathered a few criminals from the PDP (including one Atiku who l have written about a few times) and merged with the criminals already in APC and CPC. They convinced the people that they are changed and they will bring change to Nigeria.

Remember that this is a country where normalcy does not exist. Otherwise all these politicians are supposed to be in prisons across the country. But they are free people, above the law and exclusive to say.

So the people gave a chance to the APC. Even me, l bought the lies in the end. When you have a president who is a drunkard and who does not seem to be able to control anything at all, of course you want a change.

This is the end of 2017, the APC has succeeded in only one thing.

They have succeeded in proving that the PDP was right. That there will be no change. That the people in the APC are the same as those in PDP.

The APC under Buhari is one of the most useless regime ever in Nigeria. In performance it ranked at the same level as the Jonathan administration before it, woeful!

In terms of corruption, it’s the same, same, same…

Whilst the looting was open and obvious under Jonathan, it is obvious but not open under Buhari. Under Buhari, corruption became padded and embedded.

The standard of living for the ordinary people did not improve. Things became more expensive. The Buhari government maintain a high level of propaganda through its Information minister, one Lai Mohammed whom everybody now called Liar Mohammed.

The media around Buhari is the most disastrous ever. It’s doing a job far worse than that of journalist turned political jobber Reuben Abati who served under the drunken regime.

It’s 2 years left on the Buhari administration and the signs are very bad. Politicians continue to steal, loot, and do whatever they like. They are above the law as the judiciary and law enforcement in Nigeria especially on matters relating to politics is almost 100% useless. I would be ashame if i was a lawyer in Nigeria. In terms of politics, the laws in Nigeria are worthless.

This is proven by the existence even in positions of the senate president and house of representatives leader who are both criminals. Almost all Nigerian politicians are criminals, so yes the laws and lawyers and judiciary are culpable.

For as long as this status quo exist, where the politicians and some other people are above the laws of the land, Nigeria will continue to exist in a combo of the APC-PDP dilemma deluxe or something similar.

(c) aderounmu@gmail.com

Appendix

Some people always ask “what then is the solution”? This question is now “lame”.

Does anyone know how great Nigeria will be if all our politicians are “clean”?

Does anyone know how prosperous all Nigerians would have been if everybody did the right thing in public service, if criminals no matter their positions (president, councillors, senate president and others) are sent to prison?

How nice if the country is ruled by law and justice?

In any case, we now have something on the table. Take away the political power in Abuja because it will NEVER, NEVER solve Nigeria’s problem.

Bring the government back to the people just the way it was before the useless coups of 1966, promote justice, law and order. Send all the criminals in Abuja to their separate constituencies and let them build their region and economy.

Bring back the healthy competitions between the regions and watch Nigeria rise to stardom again. It won’t happen overnight but it would be gracious for our children and children’s children.