I do not know if we can talk about a civil society existing in Nigeria. Those who pretend to belong to the civil society are too divided along partisan lines to be worthy of that name. Faith- based leaders are either playing politics or fanning the embers of strife much contrary to the tenets of their faiths. Even parents have lost the voice to lead their children correctly and caution them against lending themselves to the devious use of some politicians. Traditional and community leaders are of course more or less an extension of government houses as a result of which Nigerians are on their own. However, as the 2015 elections get nearer, Nigerian politicians are beginning to show us what they are all about. And that is nothing but winning the elections at all costs. Within the past 10 days, we have had actual statements of threats of violence from two elected representatives who should ordinarily be more responsible and circumspect. First was Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, seen on an amateur visual recording encouraging his party members to physically assault and possibly “kill” politicians of opposing views in the state like they would cockroaches. Some days after that , Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State picked up where his colleague stopped as he promised that his party would not just form a parallel government if it was not satisfied with the results of the 2015 elections, it would also go ahead and spearhead civil disobedience across the country. These actions which would without doubt be accompanied by violence, would, according to him, follow any electoral result, which does not favour his party, even if those results indeed reflect the desire of a majority of Nigerians. His party must just win otherwise Nigerians must prepare to turn the country ungovernable. Nigerian politicians like to play god in the lives of the people. They like to dictate the choices that people should make even when they have not earned the right to win the confidence of the people. Shema and Amaechi incidentally represent the foremost political parties in Nigeria – the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress. Highly placed personalities in Nigeria’s leading political parties mongering for wars and violence just for the selfish desire to continue to be in government, no matter what it costs. However, when the violence being preached by these politicians eventually manifests, neither of them nor their children would be anywhere near the scene. As Jide Ojo testified in his column in The PUNCH on Wednesday, “…a former member of the House of Representatives openly declared that what many of them do is to send their immediate families abroad about three months to Election Day. As they too go on campaign, they have on them valid visas to many foreign countries with a minimum of 2,000 pound on them. So, should anything go awry, they will head for the nearest international airport to exit the country. These are the same politicians who will arm other people’s children to go kill and maim their political opponents, snatch ballot boxes and perpetrate diverse electoral heists and malfeasance.” What a shame. This is why I am convinced that.... Click on https://m.facebook/groups/751795098232399?view=permalink&id=752313248180584&refid=18&_ft_&__tn__=%2As
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 05:08:58 +0000
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