Ok, enough already! Quite a number of you are asking me to explain what all the fuss on President Jonathan was all about; what about the so called transformation; how about the promises to grow our economy; what happened to a government of unity; how about assembling the best qualified professionals to fill cabinet positions; what about security, power, jobs, infrastructure? Frankly, how about hoping for anything of substance from the new charade called nomination of candidates for Cabinet and Ambassadorial positions which is actually a shameless process of settling political loyalty within the ranks of the Peoples Democratic Party. This usual unproductive winner takes all approach has gotten us nowhere in the past and will definitely get us nowhere now. This is truly sad that we are again embarking on this road of guaranteed and certifiable disastrous merry go round that will bring about no meaningful or positive change to the generality of Nigerians. We had such high hopes coming through an election that was hailed by many to be free, fair and credible but many are starting to wonder if the election was truly free and fair or if it was simply freely and fairly professionally rigged with the aid of government machinery conveniently positioned to bring about one result whichever way you turn; that is whichever road you take, all the roads lead to one certain destination, Jonathan and the PDP.
It is quite interesting to note that when you speak with many of us Nigerians aspiring for positions of authority, we seem to always know the right things to say, how well we analyze the problems we are faced with and the good well thought out solutions we proffer. Just wait till we get lucky enough to get into power at any level, you will never believe it is the same very humble, intelligible individual that you had spent so much time with deliberating on issues of the nation and possible solutions because, you will be the last person he would want to set eyes on, let alone share ideas with. The best part of it is that the very day or, at best, the next day after this same individual gets out of that position of authority, do not be surprised to see him at your door steps trying to pick up where you left off right before his appointment. Better still, he will come to you with a new twist as to how he has it all figured out and if only those in government will listen to him. However, when he was there just yesterday with every opportunity to make a change, he did absolutely nothing, not because he did not know any better, but because of the usual selfish me, myself and mine syndrome. I am now completely convinced that when people get into these positions of power, something happens to them, it is as though they feel like they are on another Plato while the rest of us should feel privileged to be somehow associated with them. This attitude defies all forms of logic because I have tried to understand the kind of switch that goes on and off in these people but, unfortunately, I have had no success. Who knows, maybe if I get into one of these positions, the same thing may very well happen to me; just maybe the bug that bites them may decide to bite me as well. I suspect you have heard this story about a baby crying nonstop, if you as the adult decide to start crying alongside the baby, most times, the baby gets amused and often stops crying long enough to wonder what is wrong with you. Same goes for when a dog decides to bite you, if you bite that dog back, it will generally get the hell away from you. And so it will be for whatever bug it is that bites them when they get into these positions of authority, if I find myself anywhere near there, I assure you that before that bug gets a hold of me, I will personally find that bug and bite the hell out of it so that it will never have an opportunity to consider heading in my direction.
President Yar A’dua with his then Vice President Jonathan promised to be servant leaders, while we were waiting for the servitude to unfold, Yar A’dua died. Jonathan managed to weather an onslaught of political meanderings and emerged President to serve out Yar A’dua’s tenure. Then came the campaign for the election proper where he literally begged the entire nation to give him a chance as he was bent on completing the work he started with late President Yar A’ dua and hinged his sincerity on the fact that he only intends to serve one term. With the power of incumbency behind him coupled with the richly oiled state machinery, President Jonathan coasted to victory in what appeared to be free, fair and credible elections. Nigerians thought the best was yet to come but with the daily events unfolding before our very own eyes, it appears now with hind sight that the best had already come and gone. Once Jonathan got elected, his party, the Peoples Democratic Party reared its ugly head to claim a mandate clearly meant for the man Jonathan and insisted on a winner take all approach rather than any attempt at mending fences with the opposition and running an all inclusive government by carrying us along.
Where are we now and where are we headed? Well, just like the zoning saga, President Jonathan appears to have made a u-turn on all deals made with any party or person outside of PDP under the pretext that PDP wants no part in any such deal. We have now found ourselves watching a debacle called nominations and screening of candidates to fill cabinet slots and Ambassadorial positions by a PDP dominated Senate. PDP party stalwarts and echelons wielding the big stick, dictating to a PDP President candidates they want to anoint or repay for what usually amounts to thuggery and hooliganism during elections.
These same nominees seem bound for almost but certain confirmation by a PDP Senate. What a party, the PDP; what a President, Jonathan; what a country, Nigeria!
We are now starting to hear the President say things like, we should all get ready to tighten our belts and get used to some inconvenience. What a joke? Whose belt do they want to tighten and at whose expense are we to be further inconvenienced? This same President Jonathan has openly stated that instead of junior ministers, he intends to increase the number of full fledged ministers by increasing or creating more cabinet positions, Does that sound like someone who wants to make sacrifice? It certainly looks like a concerted plan by the presidency and his party, the PDP to use this as another avenue to make more opportunities available to reward more party faithful with these lofty positions by squandering our national resources while the rest of us are left to do the belt tightening. Just in case it has not occurred to you, when politicians speak like this, what they are really saying is that we are getting ready to screw you by increasing price of fuel through subsidy elimination and devaluation of our currency. What do these types of policies do to us? They increase in the cost of transportation, the cost of food, the cost of housing, in fact the cost of everything imaginable is increased while simultaneously reducing our standard of living. Is this why we voted for President Jonathan and inadvertently the PDP so that they can further complicate and frustrate our already hard lives? None of these two options has made us fare any better over the years; if you do not believe me, just ask former Military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida about his Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) that brought untold hardship to a majority of Nigerians for the benefit of a privileged few. In an attempt to stay popular overseas, Babangida bought into a foreign designed economic program by the International Monetary Fund with little or no input from the local community, the result was disastrous as our currency started tumbling in a bottomless free fall.
The effects of that ill advised adventure are still reverberating in our economy today. Is President Jonathan for real? Do he and the PDP want to engage on this suicidal mission at this delicate juncture of our democratic uncertainty? Labour has finally decided that it has had enough by drawing a line in the sand demanding full implementation of the N18,000.00 minimum wage within 14 days as passed by the National Assembly and promised by Government or a complete shutdown of the country’s labour force. Frankly, in my opinion, this is a welcomed development in the light of the unscrupulous and rascal behavior of the Peoples Democratic Party. They cannot be allowed to hold the entire nation to ransom by looting our national resources before our very own eyes on account of winning elections which they more than likely rigged while leaving the rest of us holding the bag. If that is how the PDP wants to play, then so be it, let us all play dirty.
A PDP run government cannot be creating more lofty cabinet positions with fat compensation packages in the hundreds of millions while deliberately refusing to pay workers a paltry sum of N18,000 but asking the rest of us to tighten our belts, get ready for harder times and tough sacrifices ahead. Enough is enough Mr. President, our patience is already running thin and if this is your way of angling for a second term within your party, you better have a second thought because Nigerians are completely fed up with these types of antics and with your party, the PDP in particular. For this breed of Nigerian politicians and politicking, we hail thee but be rest assured that your days are numbered.
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