In Nigeria III; President a Liar and a Betrayed Nation

By; Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

babansaibo@gmail.com

Prologue (Blasphemy);

“My husband is a messiah,” -first lady Patience Jonathan. “People do not understand the burdens this President is bearing. He’s like Jesus Christ. He’s bearing the burden of everybody.”- Doyin Okupe, Senior Special assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan. This is the same man, must I remind, whom claimed himself  a “Bastard” if the then newly born opposition Party APC (now governing party) do not disintegrate within a year “If they don’t crumble and disappear before 2014, don’t call me Okupe... call me Bastard”. Why he chose to be a bastard if that happens? Only people of his caliber could tell.

During that same program Mr. Doyin Okupe (Bastard) also asserted that, “I can’t see GEJ losing this election. It’s not possible.” I wonder what he would say had gone wrong today! Or may be “Lord” GEJ had sacrificed his ambition for the betterment of Nigerians just the way “Jesus Christ” did, Who knows?!

Also, a lawmaker from Rivers state Mr. Bipi Evans claims that Mrs. Patience Jonathan Nigeria’s first lady is his Jesus Christ. One must come to curiously ask, how on earth could these people be compared with this holy personality? Considering the fact that this same peoples’ acclaimed faiths regards him to be God, how then could one confidently compare him with these ill beings? Perhaps, those who see the first family as “Lords” hath faith only in power and wealth, as of result, the only thing they worship is it.

But hence, I’d say it has come to its ends, for those whom obeys not but ‘Power’ and ‘Money’ will so rot in jail as the vanquisher of ill acts and corrupt deeds have thus unveiled.

 
“Nigeria we hail thee, Albeit thy children fail thee, in mercy God’ll bail thee, Before thou thus derail thee.”- Hannatu Musawa      

President a Liar;

President Goodluck Jonathan’s fund of lies to Nigerians and to the world is rather becoming an act of disrespect to the people, as he continuous to undermine not alone his integrity and dignity, but also that of the country’s as well. Though as it appears both the Nigerians and the international communities, do apprehend the man’s endless shameless-shameful acts. But the question remains, ‘are Nigerians doing the ‘much’ in need to reintegrate their national integrity in proving they have a fragment of it left?’

“But if I’m voted into power within the next four years the issue of power will become a thing of the past. Four years is enough for anyone in power to make significant improvement and if I can’t improve on power within this period, it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for the next four years.”- President Goodluck said on February 1^st 2011 in Addis-Ababa. How cunning, and yet the man’s despair to return to power took him the entire nine yards just to ensure all democratic processions are neglected and curbed to becoming absolutely irrelevances. Today the PDP as a ruling party grew to neglect entirely what are known to be democratic orders. The coming together of the sitting Governors of the ruling party to agree on a consensus that the presidency’s primary elections should be annulled and the incumbent is to be granted an automatic ticket proves it all. The party’s executives’ (chairmen) processes to office are rather such of which democracy entirely tabooed.

“Up till two months ago Mr. President you told me that you have not told anybody that you will contest in 2015. I quickly pointed out to you that the signs and the measures on the ground do not tally with your statement… and only a fool would believe that statement you made to me judging by what is going on.” Former president Olusegun wrote in his letter to President Goodluck Jonathan. But allow me to say Mr. Former President, but President Goodluck Jonathan honestly thinks of you and Nigerians as fools.

“Four years is more than enough to make all invaluable changes to a nation,” were the words of President Goodluck during his 2011 campaigns. O my! But allow me to say those are the words of a man whom had the privilege to govern the country for more than five consecutive years with no single diminutive achievement to offer his people. Or perhaps, Nigerians have heard of enough projects only Mr. President and his political dogs know about, Of course, for if they were real? Nigeria would be regarded amongst 1^st world nations.

I recall the Presidents’ interview with Christian Amanpour in 2013, the President did actually humiliated himself and Nigerians on global television when he was asked what he had to say about power (electricity) stabilizing in Nigeria for when he assumed office the first time he had her assured that power is Nigeria’s number one problem and he would do all in his strength to curb it. But three years after, in a second interview, President Jonathan had this to say to Amanpour, “I would have loved that you asked an ordinary Nigerian in the streets of Lagos and Abuja or another other city this question about power. That is one area that Nigerians are quite pleased with government, that our commitment to improve power is working. That is one area that even civil society members agree that government has kept faith with its promises.” “What should I tell the people who keep contacting us and saying they hope they have electricity just to watch this interview on their televisions…? Amanpour asked in response to the presidents’ submission, but the president assumed the stands of an “ordinary Nigerian” (himself) instead, and said, “We have not gotten to where we should be. The power infrastructure is one investment that must complete the chain before the bulb can light”. I have to be honest about this, I was stupidly abashed.

A week later the CNN correspondents walked the streets of Lagos and Abuja just to confirm from “ordinary Nigerians” as the president wished. Unfortunately all of those interviewed had not but to attest that the president indeed lied, and perhaps there’s no “area that Nigerians are quite pleased with the government.”

Regrettably, that degrading talk with Nigeria’s leader furthered to a point of self-contradiction. Christiane determined to continue with the president’s assessment of the Boko Haram insurgency, “Others believe Boko Haram is about resisting misrule and corruption.” But of course as a Nigerian leader, the person in question must retort contra to such attack even if the allegation comes true, “No! No! No! Boko Haram is not as a result of misrule. Sometimes people feel it’s as a result of poverty, definitely not. We should not play politics with Boko Haram.”

Wasn’t it during the June 5^th 2014 National Executive Council’s meeting of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) that president Goodluck whole heartedly blamed the opposition party (APC) Governors for Boko Haram’s dilating crisis? “There is no insurgency in PDP states because the Governors are performing.” That quite sounded to me like politics being played with Boko Haram by the president. And what was that again the president mentioned when Christiane asked “do you admit that there is a problem in the security dealing with it?” of course the president retorted “that is not correct. That is not correct. I have said it severally; those are insinuations by some interest groups.” “One of those interest groups is the state department of the United States.” Amanpour replied the president. “No! No! No!” (Again!?) “People get wrong information to the state department of United States.” Need I do remind of President Jonathan’s #AmericaWillKnow media chat? I still wonder as to what changed his mind.

A year now, since the Chibok girls were abducted by Boko Haram. I recall vividly when the President claimed to know the whereabouts of the missing girls that’s some 10 months back, but then on another submission, of course surprisingly, his own words were, “all the information that was volunteered to us (about their location we’ve used) and we have searched the places… and we have scanned but we have nothing.” Permit me to admit, this is my country’s leader.

But if I could meet the president, I’d sure would ask him, ‘and Mr. president, why should Nigerians trust in your coming back to office when your own words were “it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for the next four years.” And you told even your predecessor that you do not intend to?’ does it then mean that the last four years you spent in office did not suffice you to make “significant improvements” and you still can’t and won’t “improve on power within the coming period”? Earnestly, what exactly do you intend to improve on? Or perhaps, “four years is too short a time for someone to make an impact,” as yourself accorded.

“I am concerned about your legacy and your climb down which you alone can best be the manager of, whenever you so decide… You may wish to pursue a more credible and more honorable path.”- Former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan.

A Betrayed Nation;

During his 2011 campaign, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan made some unscrupulous promises regarding the problems the country was facing. Mr. Goodluck’s toughest challenge being the serious insecurity bothering the nation, he assured Nigerians that curbing Boko Haram would be his 1^st project. But lest one reminds that at the end, all through his stay in office had never for once visited the states where the insurgency was badly corroding until a few weeks to the country’s national elections. The President’s excuse as he claimed during his 3^rd media chat in 2013 was because the Borno State airport was not functional at the moment he planned to visit, “And we did not want to land somewhere and fly into Maiduguri with a helicopter for obvious reasons.” “Obvious reasons” indeed, for that’s a President whom promised to secure his people no matter what it takes.

During that chat the President was asked why he had to travel to Brazil when Nigeria was in a serious delicate insecurity situation. The President’s responded, “The day the international community gets to know that the president of Nigeria couldn’t travel because of Boko Haram, then we are finished,” (finished!?) I think the president is confusing leadership with acting (my take).

Just a day to his declaration ‘ceremony’, President Goodluck Jonathan’s chief of army staff Mr. Alex Badeh announced that a ceasefire accord had been reached between the Nigerian Government and the Boko Haram terrorists. To further strengthen the hopes of the people, he announced even that the terrorists agreed to release the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls in exchange with their captured fellows. To Nigerians greatest dismay, it’s just a week to the long awaited Presidential elections (of which a majority of the populace regards as “Change”) but yet, there’s still no news of the whereabouts of the missing girls.

On the 20^th of this month, the BBC had an interview with the President, talking on the hopes to finding the missing schoolgirls, the BBC correspondent asked the president if he’d know where the missing girls are, regarding that the military saying that they have “no clues at all as to where they (Chibok schoolgirls) are.” The President response to that assertion was (am sorry to say) rather stupid, “if that’s what the military tells you then of course you have to take it.” He said, “But we ask that question every day, we are looking up too, we have not seen dead girls, that is a good news. So I believe they are still alive, I believe we’ll get them.” “Many people are questioning how on earth has it been that during this last just few weeks,” the interviewer went on, “less than six weeks, the whole picture has changed in the North-East, this towns and villages have been taken back, and they’re wondering why that couldn’t have happened months or years ago, why it’s happened right now?” the President replied, “Yes I agree that in the beginning of Boko Haram, we never expected that they will build up that kind of capacity, we underrated the external influence.” I think at that juncture, President Jonathan himself agrees that we are finished, and he in a sense did finish us.

“We shouldn’t have waited for a practically ‘non-existing’ government to give us the go ahead before mounting a humanitarian effort to rescue those girls.”- Senator John McCain of the Republican party of USA said in an interview. How I wish they didn’t?

“I would have loved that the Nigerians in Diaspora vote this year but to be frank with you that is going to be difficult now. Presently, the law does not allow the voting outside Nigeria and so this year Nigerians in Diaspora will not vote but I will work towards it by 2015 ‘even though I will not be running for election.”- President Goodluck Jonathan said in 2011. But Mr. President, if you honestly didn’t want to contest in this election, then why did you strongly and repeatedly emphasized on not contesting? O! Of course, “four years is too short a time for someone to make an impact.” Indeed.

In my remorseful opinion, a country can only be at its breaking point when its leaders whom hath not the tiniest fragment of shame, boldly face its people and ask them to vote for them ‘again’ when the only legacies they are about to leave them are but endless lies and seemingly unending disasters of which they (the leaders) deliberately allowed to hatch (if not incubated).

“Mr. President, there’s an election coming, can you win it?” the BBC correspondent asked his final question. I honestly adored the earnest with which the President replied that question. “I will surely win it.” Although the challenges faced by Mr. President were solemnly raveling, he still assumed he’d emerged the winner after all.

“If I go Nigerians will miss me.”- President Goodluck said in one of his media chats. Truth is many Nigerians (my-self included) will really miss this man and his company of lies and deceit.

“In a sick country, every attempt to cure it is an affront to those who feed on its sickness,”- Bernard Malamud

Epilogue (Defeat);

At 5:15pm the evening of Nigeria’s presidential elections, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan called General Muhammadu Buhari to congratulate him on his victory in the ongoing elections of which the final result was yet to be officially announced. That honorable gesture made by President Goodluck took almost the entire world aback. “An incumbent African President concedes defeat at an early hour, is this the first time this is happening?” the world seem to have never witnessed such!

Although as I said, that was an “honorable gesture”, could it have qualified as heroic? Many Nigerians regarded that doing as heroic, but I (for one) see it as an “ethic of leadership”. But profoundly, I see it more as a self vindication from the eyes of the international community, of whose eyes were interestingly glued to the country’s political uproar and a democratic transgression.

Prior to the presidential elections, I recall, two peace agreements were gladly signed by the presidential contestants of the two major parties PDP and APC, both agreements were signed in front of both domestic and international witnesses. Yet again, US secretary of states, John Kerry had visited earlier the country and had a one-on-one discussion with both candidates (separately).

Let the truth be told here, if President Goodluck Jonathan hadn’t have conceded defeat the result would have still been announced as him being the defeated and still the country would still have remained in peace. Why then would that little “honorable gesture” be regarded as “Heroic”?

In the arts of leadership (governance) power and politics are always the game tools, wherein the people are the players. But nature and time will always be the judges as well as the decision makers in their own respective perspectives.

To God be the Glory

Written By; Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

A statement of gratitude by Barr M. A. Abubakar on his victory to emerge Bauchi APC Gubernatorial candidate;

Bismillahirrahman al-rahim. All gratitude and appreciations be to Allah the most high.

Today, I,Barr Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar, a son of Bauchi state, and at the same time an aspirant of the Gubernatorial position of the state under the platform of the party All Progressives Congress APC, wish to express my utmost appreciations, first to my hard working, selfless, tireless and vibrant campaign team whom speared not alone their time, energy and resources but also their trust, faith and belief to see and ensure that this victory was made a reality. I wish to remind them that this is not the victory but the beginning of it. Lest I remind of Herbert George Wells, a British writer who once said “The past is but the beginning of a beginning, and all there is or has been is but the twilight of the dawn.” Sure this victory has become a past, but it is a past that will forever be present in our future times, whilst this historical primary election, is indeed the “Twilight of the dawn” Insha Allah for Bauchi state.

This formidable team should also know that the strife, hustle, tussle and all struggles has just begun, for it shall end not the day we are declared victors of the general elections Insha Allah, it shall end not the day we take over our duties to the Government of Bauchi state, and yet, not again the day we chose to retire, but ‘to God be the glory’ it shall be the day the people of Bauchi state decidesto nod in agreement that we have achieved their ultimate demands which shall definitely be our ultimate goals.

To my fellow contestants, I wish to express to you all that there couldn’t be more worthy and dignifiedopponents, and yours sincerely must say, I hope as we worked toward achieving the congregation of this prestigious party, the unity has been made a success. And I also wish to humbly call upon you all to come join this quest of salvaging this great “pearl of tourism” from the hands of this selfish and self-serving ruling party, for ‘to God be the glory’ even God knows that this is not a one man’s fight. So as this victory is not regarded as mine alone, but the party’s,I call upon your supports, mandates and encouragement and I so hope that ‘to God be the glory’ I shall have it.

I also wish to give my overwhelming thanks to the convention committee, whom despite the stress, pressure and all constraints, maintained absolute order and conducted a free and fair election. If I must suggest, INEC should learn the methods of free and fair electoral conducts from these league of unbiased and transparentgentlemen.

And to the delegates who stood all day long to undergo series of challenges to start with accreditations processes down to the tiresome wait of voting processes, I earnestly hope and pray that you have made it back home in safe and sound conditions. I must say that you voted righteously and wisely, for I might not have been the entirety’s choice but I was privileged to be the majority’s and that is not my making but the making of good and wise decisions made by the majority and most of all the making of God almighty.

So, I must also urge them (delegates) to tighten their shoe laces, because the race has just been blown the whistle for. As the rest of the primary elections are set to take place, I urge them to vote again rightly and wisely the deserved people whom will be “faithful, loyal and honest” to the people of Bauchi state, and will serve our dear state with their “Hearts and Might” and will also protect the interests of our dear state, and “uphold her honor and glory” and so “help them God”.

To the entire people of Bauchi state, I humbly come to you, as a son, a brother, a father but most of all, a servant. A servant, whose motives will not stop at making mighty and great promises but a servant who will see to his words when uttered to his people Insha Allah. And Insha Allah, if God wills and I am elected Governor of Bauchi state, I will ensure that I aim at becoming the best Governor servant that has ever come and will ever come to being in the history of Bauchi state and in Nigeria. Hence, the name “Servant General” I shall bare instead of “Excellency” all through my stay in office, Insha Allah.

And, Unlike any other politician, I will pledge my promises to the people of this cherished state, but as I said I am a politician but not in promises, as Nigerian politicians are well known to be fund of empty and broken promises, especially those of the PDP, so mine will be more of personal promises rather than political ones, but if God decides to test my humanly weakness, I wish to plead to you that I am to you not more than a servant, a son, a brother, or a father. And I do hope and expect I get the proper toss to put me back to order.

To my family, friends and well-wishers, I hope you can see where your prayers has brought us, albeit, we all need to know that now, more than ever your prayers are mostly needed as they should be absolutely sacred. So ‘to God be the glory’ we shall achieve this all together.

Our father, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in his “Maiden Speech” said and I quote, “Cooperation is for each man to be true to his religious belief and to reaffirm the basic principles of his particular creed. It may be that, when we hear the world crying out for peace, we may receive the inspiration to deal with these intractable problems and be able to really devote all our resources to the advancement of mankind by applying those eternal truths which will inevitably persist long after we ourselves are utterly forgotten.”

I quoted this quote to remind us(Nigerians) our basic responsibilities. The responsibility to come together as one people, one nation, one family, to achieve a common goal which is a “Great Nigeria”. The responsibilities of committing to the bringing back of a long lost hope of our dear Nation. The responsibilities to out-set personal desire and consider that of National building. The responsibilities that must promise the well-being of our people. That responsibility is indebted upon each and every Nigerian whom is eligible to vote.

So, ‘To God be the glory’, I wish, hope and pray that the forthcoming general election will bring an end to the corruption, bad governance and sufferings that this country have been dwelling within.

Long live All Progressives Congress party. Long live Bauchi state. And long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In Nigeria II; A lost leadership, a lost Generation

By; Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

Prologue (Blunder);

On December 2^nd 2013, Nigerians awoke to experience one of the most shocking confessions they’d never anticipated. Former head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote a letter of appeal to president Goodluck Jonathan, a letter I can best describe as, “regrets to a Blunder”, which he titled, “Before it is too late”.

In my honest opinion I must say it is “too late”, when a former president like Olusegun Obasanjo would submit what was considered by many, ‘fearful out-cries’ to a Government well known to be his own edifice. Sincerely, when I say “too late” I mean not for the incumbent president neither for the former. I mean it is just “too late” for the country.

This year Nigeria celebrated its 54^th anniversary since its independence in 1960. Queer to ask, ‘how could a country be regarded independent by its citizens when the past leaders whom built the path ways to its grave and created even the elements to its decay, do also disapprove as to the contemporary station which they deliberately put the train to a halt?’ I quote from the letter former president Olusegun sent to president Goodluck, “PS; I crave your indulgence to share the contents of this letter at first instance, with General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who on a number of occasions in recent times have shared with me their agonizing thoughts, concerns and expressions on most of the issues I raised in this letter, concerning the situation and future of our country.” That sounded to me like these past leaders are regrettably asking themselves ‘what have we done?’ Well, I wouldn’t hesitate to say our past leaders have sent us to suffer the cataclysmic present of which they architected.

A former minister of the federation Mallam Nasir El Rufai, during the Olusegun democratic regime also caught on the social media passing messages of anti-incumbency of the Goodluck Jonathan administration. On the 19^th of July, Mallam Nasir wrote on his facebook page “JONATHANIAN NATION?: ‘Once a government is committed to the principles of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and create a country where everyone lives in fear.- Harry Truman, 3^rd president of the USA.” I couldn’t agree less, these are yes President Jonathan’s horrible practices, but I am a little puzzled as to why it’s coming from a man whom helped effetely to secure the incumbency of the president during the days of late president Yar’adua ill challenges. I remember reading in Olusegun Adeniyi’s Book, “Power, Politics and Death”, the former minister admitting being amongst the propagandists of the “Cabals” that were hoaxed to be said were running the affairs of the presidency during the late presidents’ sick days.

Today, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, is one of the most prominent opposition politicians in Nigeria, I would presume he’d regretted to have never reasoned with the British writer, H. G. Wells’s assertions when he said “we were making a future and hardly any of us troubled to think what future we were making. And here it is!” here it is indeed. The former minister once said, “Even my corpse would reject PDP.” When he was asked when he will be decamping back to his former party? Sure the same will go for the former head of state for he confessed in his letter, “I will want to see anyone in the office of the presidency of Nigeria as a man or woman who can be trusted, a person of honor in his words and his character.” But of course!

A lost leadership;

In my previous article (a failed leadership and a grieving populace) I argued that the failure of leadership in this country was as a result of greed, corruption and dishonesty of the leaders, albeit I was able to evince only the grieving countenance posed as a facade of the nation, I didn’t actually explain why the leadership failed. Hence, Nigeria’s failure of leadership is firmly supported by the failed followership of its people. Sometimes one couldn’t fathom whether the failure is a result of deliberate actions or inadvertent doings of the followership.

“A leader is someone whom his people must trust, someone whom protects his people with the best of his power and ability, someone who would set aside all interests for that of his people… history will always remember when Goodluck Jonathan came and destroyed this country.” 23 year old Aisha Zubair Aliyu said in a youth conference held in June this year in Bauchi state. I’d actually come to align my opinions to those of this young lady’s.

The failures, wrecks and ruins of Nigeria are not ordinary disasters for the country, but as much as detrimental as it has come to being in the last few years. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (Mr. clueless as the world knows him to be), took the liberty to declare his interest to re-contest for his seat. Gruesomely unfortunate that the president couldn’t exercise the humor to condole the death of about 50 secondary school students whom were lost in an attack by a suicide bomber in Potiskum, Yobe State just a day before his declaration. My wonders, like any sane Nigerians’ couldn’t do justice to my conscience, so, a president whose intentions to run for his office just one more time can’t make even a disdaining statement before declaring his selfish intentions which clearly benefits only and only the microscopic few particularly the ruling class, and yet, on the rush to doing so, still has no primary counterpart?

It has become crystal clear a situation that the terror of Boko Haram is an uncontrollable botheration to the Nigerian Government, as some may say the Governments’ gesticulations appears to be deliberate in not wanting to overcome the menace. I for one would say, if the Boko Haram could take over localities like Mubi in Yola State and Chibok in Borno state and a group of hunters, local vigilantes and ordinary civilians can liberate these towns using ordinary hunting guns, machetes and weapons never to be compared with the automatic lethal rifles, machine guns and the 30, 40, 50 calibers reported to be operated by the terrorists, then I and every other sane being should ask, why can’t a well-trained army of soldiers?

Last week, the Nigerian Vice President uttered in his statement during a press briefing in Kano state, what was considered by many “a halfhearted confession”. My worries remain to be, why would a Country’s Vice President make a statement that illustrates guilt in the middle of such chaotic dilemma? The people he says are spreading rumor of suspecting the Government to be behind the Boko Haram insurgency “while in the real sense we are doing our best to tackle it.” I believe the best Vice President Namadi Sambo refers to is one of which will lay the grounds for them to stay beyond 2015 in office.

A day after over 200 school girls were abducted by the insurgents the president was seen in Kano state dancing on the podium to a crowed. aAfter 7months and still counting, the girls are still in captivity. Yet again, a day after over 50 students were killed he declares his interest for reelection. Need I remind that early this year just a day after some 40 secondary school students were slaughtered in Buniyadi, Yobe state, the president celebrated with fireworks in Abuja calling it, “centenary celebration”? As it appears, every loss of life in the country is a thing to be celebrated the next day by the Jonathan’s administration. All events had no records of a statement issued by the President for the country’s shocking losses. Indeed Mr. Vice President you are doing your best and Nigerians can attest. Nigerians have had enough lies, denials and disdains from your boss to see how best your efforts are in tackling the situations.

True misuse of power indeed is when the leadership and the leaders directly attack their oppositions (or should I say ‘true fears of power’?). Series of events has evidences to prove that the presidents’ despair to win the coming general elections has grown medieval. Wole Soyinka (noble laureate) compared President Goodluck with 

Nebuchadnezzar (the Babylonian king who intended annihilating the Jews).

Just the previous week the Department of State Security DSS invaded and vandalized the All Progressives Congress APC data bank in Ikeja, Lagos. Few days after the security went back and arrested the workers there. After the claimed torture by the security men on the captives, till this hour no statement has been made by the DSS on why that happened. This in my opinion is just the beginning of the rigging of the 2015 general election, for this is no ordinary power tussle but rather pure tyranny.

When the likes of such events develop in the society, then the settlers of that society must understand that the leadership is lost, for indeed Harry Truman did speak the truth.

A lost Generation;

“The question of choice in selecting a leader in Nigeria is often an academic exercise, due to the election rigging, violence, and intimidation of the general public, particularly by those in power, but also by those with the means-the rich and influential.”- Chinua Achebe. It has yes, become a tradition for the Nigerian politicians to use all available force to impose in power someone that would sooth their ambitions (godfatherism). Were these imposed calibers of people whose services for the society is a little bit prioritized than that of their godfathers, it would have been (ethically and democratically) considered. Earlier, I asserted that the failure of leadership in this country was as a result of the failed followership, but do we (the masses) seem to realize how?

Today, is a Nigeria whose people care not of their tomorrow, a Nigeria whose people accept whatever hardship their leaders choose to indite upon them today, for tomorrow they’d come to compensate them with the ‘nothing out of the everything’ they looted. While these people keep talking and ranting for change in the morning, but when they come face-a-face with their leaders in the evening? They say to them “sai kayi, baka da makiyi dan amana. Allah maka nasara.” They praise them as if they weren’t the ones cursing them in the morning.

But one need ask why such happens? Why are the people afraid of their leaders? Why can’t the people tell those they elected with their sweat they want more? Well, the truth is that there are those who know and there are those who don’t know. For those who know, Chinuwa Achebe had this to say about them, “There is also the unpleasant factor of the violence associated with partisan politics that is often designed to keep balanced, well-educated, fair-minded Nigerians away.” And for, why the people are afraid of their leaders? He (Chinuwa Achebe) meticulously explained, “Well, once a people have been dispossessed and subjugated by dictatorship for such a long time as in Nigeria’s case, the oppressive process also effectively strips away from the minds of the people the knowledge that they have rights.” But of course!

Indeed the elites of this country have made it a habit to hide in their silence. That is one more reason why the uneducated are found drowning in further doom. Today, the ordinary Nigerian would come to appreciate the cheap bridge constructed in his village by his Governor, Senator or Representative. Whilst the politician (answerable to that project) would come the next day, seeking for re-election boasting about the cheap things they did (as if it were a favor for the people).

Today Nigerians choose to say “God sees all and shall judge all” whenever a high subject in the society commits a mischief rather than stand out and fight for the interest of the country’s national/international integrity. The result which brought about (in them) a subliminal and arbitrary patience and perhaps, forgetfulness which arrived with them a station where the worsts amongst the leaders anoint their successors and the people would accept without animosity.

Its saddest when one is made aware that the fat-part of these ill minded ordinary Nigerians are the youth, most of whom have been transformed to being blind political thugs for the rich politicians. Thus, the elites amongst the youth, instead of engaging in the political activities and democratic practices, they choose to tell you, “Politics is a dirty game, I despise it,” After, in their petty gist you hear them saying, “if I were the Governor or if I were the president, I’d do this and that.” Funny as it is a pity!

Nigerians as I argued in my previous piece (A failed leadership and a Grieving populace) have allowed the influence of ethnic, regional and religious sentiments, instead of, integrity, competence, credibility, experience, educational qualifications, plays the most vital role in determining who the leader becomes. However, I must regrettably report that it has become a culture for Nigerians to consider first these semi-relevant factors in selecting their leaders, thus, the architecture of the future of their country, the fate of “A failed Followership”.

Epilogue (Aftermath);

Indeed Ayn Rand was right when she asserted that “You can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.” Just earlier this month, former President Olusegun Obasanjo released a new book which he titled “My Watch”. The book is said to contain mostly the atrocities, impunities and endless corruptions that is being committed by Goodluck Jonathan and his administration.

Well, one may be curious to ask, why Obasanjo is too frustrated with this administration whence himself ensured its victory in 2011 when other better alternatives were available for Nigeria? Simple, when Karma strikes, the disappointer gets disappointed.

The anti Goodluck’s administration of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, indeed caused him a whole lot of snags. I remember him being arrested and detained severally by the police and SSS for no known reasons. Today, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is the gubernatorial flag bearer on the platform of All Progressives Congress APC in Kaduna state. I hope he wins the general elections, for he very well deserves.

“How small the vastest of human catastrophes may seem at a distance of a few million miles.”-Herbert George Wells.