RE: WILL THINGS CONTINUE LIKE THIS

This article is a response on Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah article on the 3rd of April, 2013 in the Leadership newspaper and his Facebook page. I would advise you take a look at the article which spawned this reply.

RE: WILL THINGS CONTINUE LIKE THIS

I was at the verge of commenting briefly on your last article on Easter Monday, but stopped short when I noticed the length and reality of what hit me next. It hit me like a renewed Mike Tyson punch, that all we do is sit, whine, complain, and then write lengths of criticisms on this present administration. Various circles have often averred that Mr. Jonathan is a clueless ‘ruler,’ I beg to differ. And as Uncle Sam would often say, the man knows what he is doing, he is not just nonchalant. He as well doesn’t give a damn. And we all know this, including the opposition parties, so my query is; if he doesn’t give a damn about majority of us, what are the people who appear to be aspiring to ‘rule’ us doing? Do they too don’t give a damn about our security. Is it too much to ask that they device ways through which to assist ordinary Nigerians, whose votes they seek. I don’t want to be tempted to list names of past leaders, who I believe still have footholds in some security agencies, even though it’s minuscule, to use their weight to push for dialogues in Plateau and Kaduna states, if the Boko Haram are proving difficult to reach. It is absurd to think our government has degenerated to the extent of using the military brawn to settle rifts between herdsmen and farmers.

It isn’t news that the Presidency is toying with the Boko Haram insurgence, always condemning the acts after the action, and the opposition has joined in the charade. Do they (the opposition parties) think that when they have eventually assumed power the menace would just fizzle out, as the president is hoping it would? Is it premature to ask senators and house of representative members under the banner of the opposition to institute the laws you talked about? Is it puerile to move for impeachment of the president based on the state of insecurity? Sometimes I think that our representatives in the national assembly are of the notion that the level of insecurity is still too negligible to warrant an impeachment. Other nations have sacked whole governments for issues not even up to a quarter of what we are facing now as a country. They should not limit their anger on the pages of newspapers. If I have to point it out, the ruling party doesn’t give a damn about what they say on paper, and seldom reply them. The only language they understand is action.Of recent the APC governors thrilled a bemused audience when they walked the market stalls in Maiduguri, which prompted the Presidency to arrange a quick visit to the area, after its airport started functioning ‘miraculously.’ Their antics should stop at spending a few hours in the market, but their energy should be geared towards putting aright what the PDP seems not to care about. There was nothing spectacular after the market visit; instead we heard derogatory stories about how the PDP was behind its travails of not being able to register its party.

Cease the hogwash. This is time to cash in on the electorates heart, with the growing unpopularity of the president. If rattling the presidency with impeachment so that he would sit up is too expensive, the opposition can be humble enough to seek the advice of security outfits and former security chiefs to get inputs on how to reduce this level on insecurity. They should develop a road-map to address insecurity, make public of it and willingly offer the blueprint of the plan to the ‘clueless’ presidency. If at the long run the PDP fails to accept it; which would confirm our doubts on where they stand, or accepts it and also it to gather dust, they would not only have scored a political point, but will also have succeeded in burying a ‘fire’ in the subconscious of the ‘undecided electorates.’  They should cease every moment to advise the government, instead of criticizing nonchalant party men ears with full of cotton wools. Governors should be researchers who share notes. Those in states of ‘relative peace’ should be professional enough to give security tips to those who are having winds of fire trailing their every step. Governor Jang and Yero should be bold enough to say, “I need help;” at least where their culprits are not all ghosts.

They should take cue from the US opposition whose inputs in government are continually propelling the country forward. They don’t dwell solely on winning presidential elections before making contributions. A worthy example was demonstrated in 2009 during the ‘Obamacare’ saga, where the opposition in congress presented facts and figures after wide consultations and research with health care experts. Despite being floored in the house, they pressed on to the Supreme Court to get the bill squashed. Yes the Obama eventually triumph but they made significant inputs to the bill, and forced proponents to re-edit and shed more light on grey areas. However, in Nigeria the case is different. The opposition sat crossed legs when Mr. Aturu a very concerned Nigerian, took the federal government to court over the proposed fuel subsidy removal. I expected opposition parties to have thought of it earlier or would have joined in as plaintiffs in the suit when Aturu beat them to it. Instead they blew their trumpets the loudest when Aturu’s victory was in the bag.

It’s high time we all stop the condemnations and put words into actions, backs on the grounds and fix this jalopy called Nigeria before her 100 years birthday. Irrespective of the state of the nation Jonathan would be welcomed back to Otuoke with his bags of shoes in 2015 or 2019, would there be any welcoming party for those who have been slain under his watch, because of the actions and inactions of his PDP lead government, the noisy but recoiling Opposition, and well poised Nigerians. I doubt it.