It is a truism that the political milieu is getting charged by the day. In the last three or so days, the media appears, awash with reports of endorsement of buhari by Rev fr. Mbaka or the threat by Akpabio that there cannot be peace without jonathan. I have refused to begrudge anyone over his comments.Instead, my mission is to throw up the issues and educate. This is a free country, a constitutional democracy, that cherished debates and would convulse the way Nigeria for a while. I am of the firm view that Nigeria will weather the storm.I am sure-footed in the destiny of God for Nigeria and the fact it would emerge out of this fuselage of economic and political imbroglio. It is also time to take positions and drum up points, in a way that iliterate electorates, with scant understanding of the issues at stake, could be assissted. There is no more sitting on the fence. The die is cast. On the one hand, we have GEJ, who serendipitously or fortuitously, had power locate him and has piloted the ship of state for 6 years. Under him, Nigeria has witnessed a cascade of fortunes,even as the economic morass of the present, is only a throw back to the austerity measures of the 80s. With most states unable to pay basic salaries, and contemplating borrowing from the banks to leverage on the little at their disposal from Internally generated revenue(igr) and from federation account,there is without a doubt, that the situation is dire. Agreed that some of the Governors are greedy, profligate, non-performers and have no business in governmen t houses. GEJ, is president and uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Some are wont to dismiss some of the things we say here as idealistic and not within the purview of real politik. It is mind boggling that GEJs finance minister, a world bank acclaimed economist , was caught flat footed as the price of oil tumbled, serially. Economics, as the legendary prof Aluko, informed us, is the science of alternatives. Why did the finance minister , that prefers the appellationcoordinating minister of the ecomomy, not move to seriously, facilitate the diversification of the economy, away from oil, on time?. I have no doubt that the oil glut and the concomitant rock bottom prices, will not dissipate in a hurry, given the blizzard of conspiracy theories. On the one hand, we are told that the Saudi Arabia( with external reserve of 745 billion USD , is at daggers drawn with its regional rival Iran, and is piqued and miffed with the west for the little sanctions lifted, which allowed iran to lift oil and reverse its economic doldrums. On the othe other hand, the glut is explained away , as the west response to the brass knucle tactics of Russia in ukraine and the pugilistic and pugnacious measures by Russia in the former Eastern bloc. There is another theory, that is, the large and uncontrollled production of shale oil in and from the USA, that makes the USA itself, a major exporter of oil. It is suprising that there is Zero purchase of Nigerian brent crude by the USA, event with the billions of dollars that the Nigerian Embassy, in the USA has used to lobby law makers in capitol hill and US apparatchiks. I prognosticated, months ago , that the mismanagement of the economy , will dovetail into traditional, nigerian response to economic downturn:down-sizing, retrenchment etc. The various trade unions are already beating the sambre of war and endless strikes.All these are happening against the backdrop of an endless insurgency that has virtually cut the country by half. In my church, we prayed , yesterday, for the Internally Displaces Persons( IDPS),the governmenmt clueless as to the solution. All the we shall find the culprits and bring them to book have fallen inane and amounted to zilch.That GEj is compaiging, even, ever more boisteriously, is what still baffles, my befuddled soul. I learnt moves are on to reconcile kwankwaso and Atiku with the PDP family and return them to the PDP. Good strategy or do I say, strategem?.such is our our lot. Our military , is a shadow of itself, with morale at its lowest ebb. Why has the president not visited his troops In mubi, borno or yobe, even, if unheralded,like Obama and david cameron, did severally, with the troops, to share xmas, easter or sallah meals, as Commander-in-Chief, to boost morale?. And we aspire to take a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council. Our GDP figures are a sham, a hoax, a fluke, a charade, unrepresented by facts on the ground as figures have been configured and in certain cases, contrived , to beguile Nigerians.The whole sloganeering, years ago, of A breath of Fresh Air has kissed the dust. We are left with all manner of loquacious and garrulous presidency media spin doctors, who insult our sensibilities and throw jeremaid, diatribe and vitriolics at people with alternative opinions, without any admonition or reprimand, from the president who has requested for moderation , in language,in the run-up to the elections on st valentines day. Increasingly, the police and the Department of state security have been flexing their musclesand threatening politicians, ostensibly, outside the ruling party. It is appalling that the mandates of these agencies , are quickly, forgotten,in their haste to reign in these heretics.it is therefore ,left to the individual, to determine, how to respond, via the ballot box. Individuals are encouraged, especially for votes to offices at the state level and to the legislature , to vote for individuals, rather than the party. Then, there is buhar, who is perjoratively referred to, as a serial loser and not a vote winner, as the major opposition leader. A panoply of blackmail: absence of certificate(suppposedly), Boko haram sponsor, use of uncouth language et al. He survived all that to send real treat, real pusilanimity, to the presidency. I was enamoured by the fact that renowned, cerebral minds like the catholic arch Bishop of sokoto Diocese rose to his defence, over some of these debilitating accusations, in a widely published treatise. Lately, the Rev fr. Ejike Mbaka too, from the south-west, rose to his defence.The nocturnal and cavalier meetings in all nooks and crannies, in Abuja and in state capitals with directives to Governors ans ministers, to deliver their states , gives imprimatur to this. The buhari challenge itself, has been buoyed, by the personal,charisma, charm and acclaim and fecundity of the deputy. An accomplished and consummate scholar, he spelt out his vision in the punch of yesterday-sunday. There is no harm trying.. Buhari was head of state and he is certified,even by the ostritch playing BaBa IYabo as incorruptible. That is the man for the moment, not a recipient of Billions of naira who dread the renaissance that Nigeria will witness soon and those who would stop at nothing to drum into faint-hearted nigerians , who despair an apocalyptic future. I daresay that we need a change, if. Not,This ship of state, already zig-zagging will lose steam and crash.This is no time for sentiment. Nigeria,the choice is yours. May the good Lord continually annihilate Nigerias enemies and those who do not mean well. God Bless Nigeria
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:58:29 +0000
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