by Usama A. Dandare
The inability of Nigeria’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to set the country on the right track in its sixteen years of leadership is indeed a reasons for one to be bewildered of being a Nigerian. Despite spending billions of dollars, there’s little or no visible achievement to justify how PDP led-government spent at least 15-20% of the total budgetary allocation since the return of democracy in 1999. Nigeria with all its goodwills and fortunes kept sliding back in all areas of developmental indexes, thus forcing the electorate to try a different leadership which perhaps prompted the election of President Muhammadu Buhari from the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC).
The newly elected government of President Buhari, undoubtedly breeds optimism and hopes of a more improve nation but unfortunately, there remain several number of frustrating areas where Nigerians would like to see changes. These include critical areas affecting the life of the common man, such as; absence of standard educational system, a demoralized health sector, insecurity, unemployment, as well as an undesirable rate of corruption and impunity which has almost broken the whole country apart.
Apart from expendable and incapacitated leadership, Nigeria is pitifully blessed with the most stupidest and idiotic followers on earth. A highly rich nation that has all it takes to be the envy of the world is lacking behind in all aspects of human and social endevours, as a result of an unchecked corruption that has virtually taken over the affairs of the entire country. In short, the best way to define Nigeria is; a country with greedy and idiotic leaders, voted in by stupid followers. The poor masses in Nigerians are perhaps more devilish than their leaders.
In our Nigeria of today, the easiest way of buying insult is to talks about what a particular leader is doing or did wrongly, all his tribal people will rain abuses on you nonstop and will even be willing to fight you to death because the leader is from their tribe. I wonder how leaders will change when the followers cannot differentiate their heads from their anus. Nigeria is the only country where this ridiculous stupidity, and gross ignorance is being practice while the common masses appears more like animals than humans.
The plethora of attacks by supporters of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) against anyone who dare talk about any corrupt APC leader is simply disgusting, vexatious and hypocritical. In recent days, much of the stories making headlines were either exposing fraudulent activities of one APC leader or the other, just as it was the case with those from the opposite side since the swearing-in of President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29. When PDP officials were being accused of corruption, my fellow APC fans jubilates but now that the clock has turned around, they are busy insulting and calling people all sorts of names, akin to how the brainless Jonathanians were once acting when it comes to defending the woeful failures of the then President Jonathan.
I find it idiotic when people go all out to defend a politician, even abruptly trying to stop others from asking questions or voicing their own opinions, similar to what played out few weeks back when Rotimi Ameachi was accused of diverting about N70bn belonging to the people of Rivers. And also in the case of Babatunde Fashola whom was alleged to have constructed two bore-holes and a car park at a whopping sum of over N736m. Instead of my APC friends to support President Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade by calling on Fashola and Ameachi to publicly come out and clear their names, we are now ignorantly castigating those that are doing what we ought to do (demanding accountability) and yet, we think we are showing love or support to the present regime by defending suspected looters. The motives that might have prompted these allegations against Ameachi and Fashola shouldn’t be giving much emphasis, the need for both men to prove their innocence should be our top priority not stopping others from demanding answers to issues of national importance. We can not be selective in our crusade against corruption, even the accused happens to best performing public or civil servant.
Probing those we admires or supports and asking them to account for all their deeds in office isn’t in any way a disgrace, in fact, it even strengthens their integrity and make others develop interest in them, only if found to be innocent. We cannot be ranting all-over calling for the prosecution of some groups or persons while excluding a particular politician because he’s our party leader or he’s being hunted by political opponents, and at same time claiming to be fighting corruption. It is silly and absolutely hypocritical. How can we move forward if we only want others to face justice while ours should not despite committing same atrocities?
Defending any APC politician on corruption charges won’t do anything good to us nor our country but rather, it will only expose our monumental hypocrisy, when we address Jonathan and his government officials as thieves and even went on to demand for their prosecution but failed to accept the fact there several APC leaders that equally embezzled public funds and also deserved to face justice. Why are we sounding more like the wailing wailers?
We should come to terms with the reality that electioneering periods are over, it is now time to focus on the progress of Nigeria and the ordinary Nigerians. Believe me or not, almost all those in APC today are former PDP members and were involved in siphoning the nation’s wealth before cross-carpeting to APC after fallen short of rapport with former President Jonathan, therefore, an unbiased analyst will weigh most APC leaders on the same standard with their PDP counterparts when it comes to corruption. Most of my fellow progressives are sympathetic to one APC leader or the other, insisting that someone should be spared of corruption probe being him/she among those that made Buhari became the president. Though it may be true to some extent but this market women theory is completely laughable and out of point, it’s undeniable that the unprecedented goodwill on which APC rod to victory wasn’t for APC as party but for President Buhari as a person, coupled with the conscience and conviction of Nigerians to throw Jonathan’s government out to deter him from taking the nation to it grave earlier than time.
If truly we are the change agents we mockingly called ourselves, then I see no reason why we should be perturbed if any of ours is being called to give account or clear himself of corruption charges but jubilate when others were being sent to jail. Therefore, whatever Sule Lamido was docked for, Aliyu Wamakko must not be applauded for it. Whatever Godswill Orubebe was investigated for, Ameachi shouldn’t be exempted unless proven otherwise by the court. Whatever Diazeni was being castigated for, Murtala Nyako shouldn’t become a saint. Is time we move on from this sentimental politics of ours in which the interest of some few elites supersedes national interest and put that of the nation first before any other thing.
President Buhari’s current fight against corruption knows no boundary, it cuts across all sections irrespective of tribe, gender, age or religion. It is a fight not between Buhari and Jonathan or PDP but rather, a fight between Nigeria and the ruling elites whom have nearly took the nation to the land of no return. It is simply a ‘masses’ versus ‘elites’ war and definitely, the latter must fire back with all possible and even impossible means. Therefore, in order to compliment and encourage President Buhari’s war against corruption, we must learn to ask questions and demand accountability from those we hired to serve us and whoever fails to account for his actions, the full wrath of the law should take it course no matter his influence or his closeness to us. Only then would the thieving elites wake up from their power intoxicating euphoria and realize we are no more the fools they used to know.
Proudly, Nigeria now have a responsible and well disciplined government, a promising and coordinated leadership, under the governance of an incorruptible, active, honest and a non-nonsense gentleman but alas, the same cursed followers are still doing what they knows best, our stupidity and foolishness is rampantly on the rise. I rest my case!
Usama A. Dandare
[email protected]
@osadaby
