Africa

The APC Mandate 2015 – ?

/ Adeola / 3 Comments

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

Adeola Aderounmu
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.

aderounmu@gmail.com

Weep Not, Nigeria..!

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

Nigeria, you are one country whose past must be retraced so that the future can be better. You must find that spot where it all went wrong.

Weep Not Nigeria..!

By Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

The home run to the Nigerian presidential elections is here, at last.

The presidential and national assembly elections that should have held since February 14 2015 are now expected to go ahead on March 28 2015.

There is still a low risk that the entire process is truncated.

The corrupt and destructive ruling party since 1999-the PDP is not in support of the Voters’ card to be used for the elections. Until the elections become realities it appears that the PDP will continue to push for the termination of the appointment of the chairman of the electoral commission Mr. Jega.

Other means that the PDP have attempted in jeopardising the forth coming elections are sponsoring of violence in the country and pursuance of various last-minute court injunctions aimed at frustrating the main opposition party-the APC.

At the beginning of week 12, some miscreants were gathered from south western Nigeria and allegedly also from south-south region of the country. They converged on the city of Lagos and unleashed mayhem in some parts of the mega city.

The wife of Goodluck Jonathan said to stone the people chanting change. This group of miscreants had more than stones. They had dangerous weapons including guns.

The commonest trend is that people who engaged in this type of senseless demonstrations in Nigeria usually do so after they must have received huge sums of looted money from the politician or the person they are supporting.

In this case huge sums of money and scam contracts have been used to induce the thoughtless elements who chose Monday of all days to interrupt businesses and other human endeavours in Lagos state.

This is not the first time Mr. Jonathan is empowering terrorists or militants in Nigeria. The warships in the hands of the Niger delta militants have not been thoroughly explained.

Mr. Jonathan has empowered terrorists in different parts of the country in different ways.

In his recent interview with a BBC reporter, he was dumbfounded as usual, unable to explain why the Boko Haram terrorists ravaged the north eastern part of Nigeria as the Nigerian military looked on helplessly.

Those who participated in the shameful Monday demonstration in Lagos, the nerve center of Nigeria and the heartbeat of Yorubaland, were paid from the huge sums given to one Gani Adams the leader of the armed militant group-aka OPC in Western Nigeria.

Some children and adults have lost the use of their cerebrum and they will use their left hands to point out the direction to their fathers’ houses. This is the lot of the thoughtless and shameless OPC faction led by Gani.

In addition, these lost sons of Oduduwa know that it is an abomination to waste away Monday mornings (ojo-aje) in Yorubaland. They ought to seek the forgiveness of their ancestors before the wrath of the gods start to descend on them and their households.

In any case, back to the scam security contract issued by Mr. Jonathan to terrorist organisations, the constitution of Nigeria is clear on whose shoulders the security of the country rest upon.

The Nigerian military will protect the country from external aggression; the police will maintain law and order internally.

On the sea and the international waters around the country, the Nigerian Navy will ensure that all is well.

Mr Jonathan is probably the most clueless ruler any country can have. Who hands over the security of life and property of a country into the hands of local militants or terrorist groups?

Only clueless and dangerous minds will justify the security contracts anomaly under Mr. Jonathan, the first of its kind in human history.

No ruler or leader in human history has gone to sleep for 5-6 years in a place where civilians and ordinary citizens are slaughtered by terrorists.

Someday it will be nice to question Mr. Jonathan on his style of rulership.

He and his advisers need to inform about what they were thinking or not thinking when they gave the functions of the Nigerian army and the Nigerian navy to local terrorist organisations.

The above are some of my arguments when I chose to describe the Nigerian lawmakers are criminals and nonentities. They have turned blind lines to absurdities, lawlessness and outright impeachable offences. Birds of the same feather will flock together.

What kinds of political solutions or approaches are they aiming at?

Why is Nigeria’s ruler Mr. Jonathan still awarding security contracts to terrorist organisations?

Apart from outright stealing and looting, there are several other reasons why Mrs. Jonathan is afraid of the prison terms that her husband may face someday in the future when Nigerians wake up from their slumbers and start to ask for justice and fairness.

Who told Mrs. Jonathan she will be spared should in case her husband ends up in prison?

They and several thousands of political criminals across different political parties will end up in prisons if the law system in Nigeria starts to function today.

There are several thousands of criminals spread in different government and private institutions as well. The jails will burst if the justice system suddenly comes to life in Nigeria.

The resiliency of Nigerians has been totally transformed to a permanent weakness. Hence there are 2 remaining remedies to the prayers of Mrs. Jonathan.

The first is that Jonathan’s statement “I will surely win” comes to pass. The second is for him to be succeeded by another PDP looter. If these 2 options fail, it will be prison or exile for sure.

As l was saying, terrorists or local militants as Nigerians will prefer to call them should never be equipped or rewarded for their criminal and terror activities.

They should never been given any pipeline contract or any other type of contract at all.

There are reasons why the Navy exists as an institution. There are reasons why the police exist and there are jobs that the military should be equipped to handle.

Greed and clueless-ness form a bad combination. In the hands of a lazy, drunk mind the tragedy can be worse that what it has been in Nigeria. I had mentioned earlier that the PDP should have presented a sane mind on its platform the moment it became clear that a dangerous mind had mistakenly been trusted with power.

However, for as long as humanity exists, money will remain the root of all evil.

A people suffering from several years of misrule will continue to miss the margin regarding the meaning of life. Their conquerors will not understand the significance and transience of power.

When greed and in-satiation take over the feeling of contentment, the human mind may be irreversibly ruined. Sadly, this condition may also be incurable.

This is the point that many individuals have reached in Nigeria.

Under the prevailing political circumstances, and sadly too under the unfortunate mindset that the upcoming generation has been groomed, the Nigeria that exists today, just like the people whose souls have been overtaken by evil, is becoming increasingly incurable.

But weep not Nigeria, weep not..!

You seek change. How genuine? Will it happen?

With the characters of men and women parading the major political parties the question arises: is this what you deserve?

Why is the landscape occupied by drug barons, drug addicts, drunkards and incurable looters as the dominant political figures?

Generation after generation, you suppress freedom and sanity and install criminals in high places. Yet you cry foul!

These criminals, are they not your fathers? Are they not your mothers? Are they not your sisters and brothers?

What are you going to do about the corrupt souls, the evil people who continue to install criminals after criminals as the custodians of your treasury and the makers of the policies that ruin you?

Weep not Nigeria, weep not motherland!

The time is overdue.

Arise; take your destinies in your hands. Clean the table, wipe the stable, tidy up your domain and seek freedom.

Under the unitary system of government in Nigeria, there is no freedom and there will be no transformation. Change will be a camouflage.

Nigeria, you are one country whose past must be retraced so that the future can be better.

You must find that spot where it all went wrong.

There you will be able to pick up again patriotism, dignity in labour, brotherliness, selflessness, dedication, duty to man and country, justice, peace, fairness, merit-based rewards, competition to promote culture, to facilitate development and preservation of immediate society while not relegating the importance of nationalism.

aderounmu@gmail.com

A Savage Mark

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

When a suspected criminal is made a federal minister and if the case is not an isolated incidence but a trend, then you have the Nigerian politics-which is largely a government of the criminals, by the criminals for the criminals.

A Savage Mark

By Adeola Aderounmu

Which Way Nigeria?

When a suspected criminal is made a federal minister and if the case is not an isolated incidence but a trend, then it may not be unreasonable to state that Nigeria is ruled partly by criminals. What is more saddening than this is the obvious reality that the situation gets worse by the day.

Exactly 2 weeks ago l wrote an article titled A Savage Situation. It was to join the protest against the re-nomination of Mr. Obanikoro as a minister in the cabinet of Nigeria’s lazy and corrupt ruler Mr. Jonathan.

As it stands now it appears that Mr. Obanikoro was approved by the senate.

The fact that the name was not thrown out as soon as it appeared in the senate is also a confirmation that the Nigerian National Assembly is a den of touts and criminals.

The lawmakers who are opposed to the approval of suspected criminal Mr. Obanikoro and thereby staged a walk out during the deliberation process may feel hurt coming under a general classification-den of criminals. But it is not far from the absolute true situation.

To this day there are no clear information as to the several millions of dollars that is earmarked for the Nigerian National Assembly and the House of Representatives monthly. The general perception is that these houses are the most expensive to run in the world.

In the type of democracy that is practised in Nigeria the Nigerian National Assembly is a complete waste and so far a part of the embarrassment that befell Nigeria’s laughable and ridiculous democracy.

Which sane National Assembly will harbour a failed executive government for 6 years? Which National Assembly will look away with all the impunities, illegalities and extreme corruption in the land? It has to be the one with the same mindset.

It must take a corrupt National Assembly to tolerate a corrupt executive and to look away at the extreme rot in the land.

The man who heads the Nigerian senate has been around for a very long time and he has done a lot to contribute to the destructions of several institutions in Nigeria. Now he appears to have moulded the senate into a criminal-approving organ.  This is not the first institution he is poised to destroy.

David Mark’s name will be indelible in the history of Nigeria. This generation will remember him for the expression-telephone is not for the poor. After the reckless statement one of the treasured possessions of the middle and low-income earners in Nigeria, the land telephones became historic and disappeared from millions of homes!

David Mark staged-managed the approval of Mr. Obanikoro, a suspected criminal despite the strength of the opposing voices. In Nigeria this means that Ghana-must-go bags containing raw cash (probably in dollars) has left the presidency or central bank and emerged in the houses of most of the senators or their bank accounts.

This is an aspect of the Nigerian politics-which is largely a government of the criminals, by the criminals for the criminals.

The people of Nigeria, I mean the ordinary citizens constituting about 90% of the population who are living from hand to mouth and unsure of the next meal are long forgotten in the political equation in Nigeria.

There might be elections in Nigeria at the end of this month. The coast is not clear. Both the ruling party and the main opposition party are moving around with wardrobes full of guilt and rotten skeletons.

Mr. Jonathan has literarily emptied the Nigerian treasury during his recent relocation to South West Nigeria. He’s been holed up in the region doling out monies as if it comes from his personal inheritance. Such is the height of corruption and stupidity in Nigerian politics.

Mr. Buhari is back from the UK, has not spoken much at the campaigns in Nigeria and is funded by unexplained wealth.

Now Nigeria remains at the point where appointing a criminal into a government is normal because it is assumed that there are no saints in government or that we who are politicians are all criminals. It is amazing that the citizens are quiet as the impunity continues to reach record levels.

The ordinary people are in real trouble. The future is so uncertain. Bandits have taken control of governance almost all of the years after independence. There is nothing happening today that is new.

The probability that ordinary Nigerians will get a better life out of any government under the current arrangement is very slim. The chance is narrow under a system that is designed to oppress and suppress.

Change is not only getting rid of the criminals in all political offices and public institutions, it also means that the political structures of Nigeria and the various institutions at the federal, state and local levels need to be reassessed for their functionalities.

Change is when people look in the mirror and see whether they are ready to shed evil for the common good of all.

Many concerned citizens and organisations continue to argue for regional government or true federalism.

If change does not come from the ruling party and if change does not come from the opposition, the category of Nigerians describe above will one day learn that they have to take their own destinies in their hands.

Ironically both fear and hope have hindered the Nigerian revolution.

It always appears that something will happen in the positive direction, but after a while hopes are always dashed. In recent history hope was dashed in 1993.  In 2007, many people were dumbfounded because it was not EUREKA. In the last 6 years Nigerians have learnt many new lessons as hopelessness and evil overshadowed good and happiness.

The fear factors were well analysed by the late Afro-beat legend Fela Anikulapo. It is one of the biggest hindrances to freedom for ordinary Nigerians.

The downtrodden Nigerians need to get organised. They need to be formidable. They need to conquer their fears and rescue themselves from the wolves.

It does not look like the wolves are going away soon if a David-Mark senate approves a fellow criminals back into its fold at the executive level.

I don’t think the wolves and the oppressors are going away if they continue to empty the treasuries for one or two accomplices, for the selfish royal families, for the religious rulers, for themselves and for their families without any consequence.

The wolves cannot depart for as long as it is possible to gallivant with stolen and unexplained wealth.

To the 90% Nigerians suffering from the over half a century of political looting and economic suppression, your future is in your hands. A savage mark can only be erased by force and popular revolt.

A Savage Situation

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

If people are calling you a thief, you do not start dancing with the young of a goat or any other familiar four-footed beast. -adapted Yoruba adage.

A Savage Situation

By Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

If people are calling you a thief, you do not start dancing with the young of a goat or any other familiar four-footed beast.

That saying is an adapted Yoruba adage.

Another similar adage is that if there are people who are ready to roast you, you do not aid their plans by rubbing oil all over your body.

A few days ago Mr. Goodluck Jonathan the lazy and corrupt ruler of Nigeria sent some names to the National Assembly for screening and confirmation. Among the names, he re-nominated one Mr. Obanikoro for the position of a minister.

The system of governance in Nigeria is not just one of the most corrupt in the world for many years in a row; it is also probably the most wasteful and thoughtlessly formulated.

This combo is a recipe for disaster. The free fall of the naira in the hands of both Mrs. Iweala and Mr. Emefiele is not an unexpected dilemma. There are several factors working against the strength of the Nigerian currency and corruption is their common denominator.

The re-nomination of Mr. Obanikoro is a stupid gesture from Mr. Jonathan to the Nigerian people. It is part of the embarrassment that Nigeria presents to the world on behalf of Africa that doesn’t look like it is going to end soon.

The criminal activities of Mr. Obanikoro in Ekiti State are very fresh and recent. Along with some other accomplices like ex-convict Mr. Omisore, Mr. Obanikoro was implicated in a leaked audio recording that has since gone viral around the world. The audio recording may be the most obvious evidence that the recent governorship election was rigged in favour of a popular thug called Fayose.

In the sense of law and justice the Nigerian system is laughable and ridiculous. The law system in Nigeria and its operations remain a monumental embarrassment to the African continent. It’s a slap to all those lawyers and judges wearing the white colonial wigs.

Mr. Obanikoro should have been arrested along with all the other criminals that were revealed through the audio tapes. They should have been investigated and if found wanting prosecuted accordingly.

The thug in charge of Ekiti State, Mr. Fayose can of course now claim immunity. The immunity covering Nigeria politicians is part of the several useless things about Nigerian politics. It remains a license to criminality, general looting and extreme lawlessness.

Of all the intelligent, smart and learned people in Ekiti, all they could settle for courtesy of the evil political situation in Nigeria is a thug as the custodian of their commonwealth and their chief security officer.

No thanks to the political structures in Nigeria, Ekiti State is now a part of the huge joke on the collective mentalities of the Yoruba race and their genuine fallen heroes.

Since Obanikoro and the gang were not arrested, Mr. Jonathan decided to reward him with a ministerial post. Instructively Mr. Obanikoro resigned earlier from a ministerial position to seek for the PDP governorship ticket in Lagos State.

Unfortunately his lack of popularity and lack of credibility cost him. He lost to Jimi Agbaje. So his re-nomination by Jonathan was to serve 2 functions.

One is to pacify him because he threatened to pull down the PDP structure in Lagos State through violence. Jonathan needs people like him to keep his hope of rigging in Lagos alive.

Secondly it will be a reward for helping Jonathan to succeed in the rigging of the Ekiti governorship election that brought in a thug as the governor of a Yoruba state.

Nigeria is far from a sane country. No one knows when things will start to happen as they should especially in public offices and political positions. My points are that the leaked Ekiti audio tape that implicated Jonathan was enough a reason for any of the following:

  • that Jonathan resigns out of shame
  • that the police invite Jonathan for a chat and have him investigated for his roles in the rigged Ekiti governorship election- roles that dragged the Nigerian military in disgrace and disrepute
  • that the PDP summons an emergency meeting asking for the resignation of Goodluck Jonathan or
  • that the National Assembly starts and accelerates the impeachment process of Jonathan

In Nigeria things like these don’t happen. My suggestions remain illusions because Nigerian politics is pure madness where crazy people are in control and the sane people remain voiceless in the society.

The good people-more than 98% of the population have been enslaved, silenced and subjected to ridiculous rule of the wicked and heartless. There is no change in sight.

Those who left the struggles on our side to gain government appointments have forgotten our collective struggles as they now live in opulence.

Now Jonathan had the (arrogant) audacity to re-nominate Obanikoro. It shows thoughtlessness; disregard to what is normal and disrespect for the rule of law.

Nigerian politicians are tight together on the path of evil.

If Mr. Jonathan was not guilty in this case he could have scored a very cheap political point.

The Ekiti election scam would have been an easy way to ease out Obanikoro. It would have been one less evil in Jonathan’s baggage.

As mentioned earlier in a normal situation this would have ended the Jonathan fairy tale that also included enduring the Oduah Aviation saga, the Diezani NNPC saga, the Oil Cabal (theft) subsidy saga and the Iweala disastrous economy saga among several others too numerous to mention.

The short arm of the law in the Nigeria is still embarrassing. We learnt of a man who said that Buhari must never be allowed to become the ruler or president of Nigeria because according to him Buhari will send him and other corrupt Nigerians to prison.

It was a similar situation when Mr. Rotimi Amaechi said that he and the other politicians are looting the treasuries because Nigerians fail to stone them.

Over the years the law has failed to deal decisively with politicians on all sides of the rule because corruption is massively organised in Nigeria.

If Nigerian politicians want to be stoned then they should first announce that the judiciary arm of governance is officially suspended and that there are no more laws in the country.

The judiciary arm is a shameful arm of governance that is completely paralysed by politics and money.

Several days after Mr. Obanikoro, Mr. Omisore and all the criminals caught on audio devices are still walking free in Nigeria. Rather than face prosecution and prison terms, they may even become ministers and senators.

The majority of Nigerians who may make up to 90% of the population who are suffering and smiling must be reminded that their freedom from the savages will not be served to them on a platter of gold. History is devoid of such gesture from the oppressors.

Sadly too freedom is not in participating in conned elections. The 2015 elections stand a risk of not holding. If it held, it will not be liberation.

True freedom is the knowledge of what it will takes to pursue happiness in a society propelled by fairness and justice. The Nigerian system must be cleansed.

No matter the sacrifice, the cleansing of Nigeria and a lasting political solution such as regional government or true federalism are not optional.

aderounmu@gmail.com

Disgraceful and Shallow Campaigns (Part 2)

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

This season the Nigerian media houses blew away the chances of healthy political debates. For Nigeria, the road to freedom is under construction but the good people and the institutions are asleep.

Disgraceful and Shallow Campaigns

By Adeola Aaderounmu

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Prior to the cancellation of the February 14 elections l’d written a long essay, probably more than 10 pages, on what l missed watching and listening to some of the live campaigns of both the APC and the PDP.

Indeed some of these issues that l missed have been incorporated into posters or advertised campaigns. However these types of campaigns are made by professional marketing companies and they do not reflect what one can get directly from the candidates of the political parties during campaigns or debates.

As I was fine tuning the second part of the said article, Mr. Jonathan, the lazy and corrupt ruler of Nigeria fulfilled a year long expectation when he postponed the elections. In actual fact it was a cancellation made possible by a bloodless coup by some lazy, potbellied soldiers.

Here l will try to highlight the rest of the issues that ought to have shapen the 2015 presidential elections campaigns but which did not.

Nigeria has a population that is growing fast and which is estimated to be between 150 to 200 million. There has not been any debate how to confirm or check this population growth.

Nigeria needs good politics and appropriate policies in keeping the population at a level that is manageable. Nigeria has no functional social or welfare system. How will families be educated so that they procreate according to their financial capabilities and prospects of a good, qualitative life?

Another issue that I missed is immigration. Nigeria government does not take immigration issues seriously. So the people don’t get to hear what the government is doing on border control and how to prevent the growth and spread of terrorism through regulated migration.

The PDP led government of Jonathan can claim it inherited a lot of problems but what has been done in the last 4-6 years on the issue of immigration, population growth and social welfare?

What does the political program of the APC tells us on immigration? Have these questions been raised at any political rally or debate? What about the need for appropriate census and state of the art demographic of the population?

Apart from the free food that APC promised school children, there has not been any serious public discussion on how the glory of the education sector will be regained and sustained.

Public education in Nigeria today is a source of embarrassment to the people and the government. What will be done to revive the lost glory of education both in the short and long terms?

In line with improving the public education policy, there should be a perpendicular goal to bring back the glories of Nigeria in medicine and technology. In terms of research and development the political parties need to discuss plans on how they intend to reverse the brain drain syndrome.

This sad phenomenon, now several decades old, has left many Nigerians trapped abroad and many wasting away even in irrelevant branches. Also, the misplacement of priorities and the glorification of criminalities in Nigeria have left many graduates redundant and in the wrong fields.

I have missed the plan for the development of other infrastructure the way they should be. Many federal and state roads in Nigeria remain eye sores. Rail systems remain largely underdeveloped and water transport remains a mirage or a heavy risk to life and property where it is carried out.

I’ll try to summarize the other issues that l thought ought to have made the headlines.

How will corruption be tackled considering that the 2 major political parties continue to parade cross-carpeting members who are looters and lazy politicians?

It remains a useless expectation that a person as corrupt as Jonathan will do something to halt corruption. He was already a looter from Bayelsa State and he will never understand that stealing is corruption because he was not imprisoned for stealing in Bayelsa State. He was elevated by people like Obasanjo and the PDP in general!

If APC wins in the presidential election, it would be interesting to see how it intends to fight corruption considering all the corrupt people in its ranks and files too. They should stop repeating that nonsense that Buhari was never corrupt or infallible. Out of the several examples, the one where he defended and supported Abacha was the most disgusting.

Will the useless immunity clause be removed in the coming dispensation? Is there a debate about this question?

While Nigerians wait for a permanent political solution, the debate on promoting merit above the useless federal character is missing. Federal character will continue to bring nonentities to important political positions. Through federal character system, evil has subdued good and foolishness has overtaken intellectual capacity.

One of the most obvious missing parts of Nigeria’s political campaign remains the team behind the campaigns. Who is the person answering the questions for energy/power for the APC or the PDP? Who is responsible for the education portfolio of the APC campaign group? l do not think there are answers to these simple questions because there are no teams of experts pursuing research, development or political questions in the political parties.

Political appointments are never reserved for the skilled or informed in Nigeria. They remain rewards for thugs, any fool, militants, potential terrorists and persons connected to godfathers and sponsors.

Rarely when good people are appointed in Nigeria, they soon become evil after one night in office. Something fundamental is wrong with Nigeria and Nigerian politicians.

It is pertinent that the absence of follow up and the negligence of track records are some of the reasons why a lazy, incompetent, corrupt and weak ruler like Jonathan emerged as the ruler of the Africa’s most populated country.

The disgraceful outcome of this tragedy is hard to bear. But if they seek change, Nigerians must learn to do things the right way. Sadly, Jonathan is a living tragedy and a sad phenomenon that may repeat itself.

Who will stop the pension fraud madness? What does the political agenda of the APC and PDP say on retirement matters? How will pensioners get their gratuity and pensions without having to provide the proof of life after 35 years in service?

For 16 years now we know that PDP encourages pension scams just the same way they enjoyed the oil subsidy scams. PDP is built on scams. Even Jonathan and Abba Moro scammed unsuspecting unemployed people in the failed immigration employment program. There were no consequences for Jonathan and Moro despite all the dead bodies that littered the country.

What change will the APC be?

On the campaign trail so far we have no heard how APC will deal with judicial processes involving pension frauds, subsidy scams, employment scams and oil theft. It would have been nice to know the change they are talking about and how they will be achieved.

Religion has failed Nigeria. Under Jonathan, religion became a total instrument of governance whereas Nigeria is a secular country. Churches and mosques built as outlets to government houses should be pulled down. Let everyman worship in his house and keep his/her religion a private activity.

Unfortunately, in 2015 religion will play a very dangerous role in who becomes the ruler of Nigeria. This is the same country regarded as one of the most corrupt in the world.

This means with Nigeria as a classical example, the more people go to churches and mosques, the more they are likely to be criminally minded and avoid the simple social responsibilities of nation building.

The way to freedom for the regions trapped in Nigeria is long. The rapid visual assessment and evaluation of the views and opinions of Nigerians both online and in reality leaves a lot to desire.

The winner takes all mentality after the elections rather than a system that heals after bitter electoral processes has left deeper wounds in the soul of the country. They may never heal under the persisting unitary form of government.

Since 1966, Nigeria remains in an endless transition.

The political solution is urgent so that the institutions can be brought back to life.

Separation of powers and respect for the principles of real democracy must be integrated in the expected political solution.

Nigerians remain easy to rule but difficult to lead, which is why they have always ended up with the wrong people leading the affairs of the country.

Nigeria as a country or as an aggregate of regions must work hard to get to that point where criminals and looters like the ones we have seen before and since 1999 are arrested and made to face judicial proceedings according to the law.

Based on the past and even the present, both Jonathan and Buhari are not the best of materials from intellectually saturated Nigeria. But it is sad that the good people are caged as the politics of money and do or die remains prevalent.

Change may come to Nigeria but with a lot of economic uncertainties and unseen social and political consequences.

The debate on the future of Nigeria which is missing in the campaigns ought to have been brought to life and taken at several sub-levels.

What will it take for Nigeria to revert to a system of government where power is not concentrated in the hands of one dictator at the center? Such a system where money is gathered in Abuja and redistributed to beggar states will not take Nigeria to the promise land. In fact it may tear the country apart soon.

What are the plans of all the political parties to restructure Nigeria so that the regions can stand on their feet and develop competitively like it was before the useless coups of 1966?

The real change that Nigerians want is yet to come. Making sure that people answer for crimes against humanity, for negligence of duties and for corruption must be part of the real change that they seek.

Most of the Nigerian public and private media houses should also be ashamed of their leadership styles and profiles. They have taken sides and will never be trusted in promoting fairness. This season they blew the chances of healthy political debates.

The media houses including both the visual and the printing press should bury their ugly heads in shame. They never put their spotlights on real issues and on the people who can emancipate Nigeria and help build her institutions.

For Nigeria, the road to freedom is under construction but the good people and the institutions are asleep.

(Concluded).

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