As most Nigerians remain ruefully lukewarm
about President Buhari’s second term bid;
An ever-increasing multitude of potential
voters across ethnic divides, seem to be
enthralled by Atiku-Obi presidential ticket;
On the duo’s restructuring manifesto, and
remarkable track records of achievements.
It’s as if the masses with full intent or
otherwise, have at last come to
the realization that Nigeria’s
incumbent Head Of State:
President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) –
who had risen to power on the crest
of integrity, was a bad call
made in an infatuated impulse.
With PMB’s popularity ratings plummeting
headlong from its previous pre-election
heights, gullible and stout-hearted defenders
of his Presidency are faced with a number
of awkward issues, as they contemplate
the President’s pathetic twist of fate.
Well, it remains beyond doubt,
that an individual’s mindset
impacts how the person visualizes
and adapts to existential realities.
Careful scrutiny of the intricacies of PMB’s
worldview suggests, a rigid
Muslim with a fixed mindset.
It is this uncharitable frame of mind
that deprives him of the flexibility
and adaptability, that are crucially
needed to form an all-inclusive and
progressive national government.
The core-Northerner with an inherent
pugnacity is a wholehearted believer
in Hausa/Fulani hegemony: A clannish
head of state who sees our fatherland
through a parochial and ethnic prism.
This almost primitive sense of kinship
has caused President Buhari to flood
his government, its parastatals and
agencies, etcetera, with his kinsmen;
Especially in the presidency and
in the affairs of national security.
A factual assertion of this unfair tribalism
and sectionalism is backed by
a sackful of evidence and statistics.
For example, in the 2016 Department of
State Services (DSS) recruitments;
A total of 479 candidates were recruited
into the elite security unit from the 36
States of the Federation, plus
the Federal Capital (Abuja) .
Out of this number,
Katsina – the home state of the President,
grabbed a lion share of 51 slots;
Followed by Kano 25, Bauchi 23, Zamfara 20.
By far these four states from the ‘North’
have more slots than the four southern states
of Akwa Ibom 5, Edo 6, Lagos 7, Ebonyi 7.
The figures for Nigeria’s six geographical
zones are:
South-south 42
South-east 44
South-west 57
North-central 66
North-east 100
North-west 165 (PMB’s region of origin) .
Utterly unashamed of his unfair favouritism,
the President has loaded the agency with
by far more people from ‘North’ than ‘South’.
Katsina State(51) alone has more slots than
the six states of South-south(42) ,
the five states of South-east(44) ,
with the six states of South-west(57)
slightly higher by 6 slots.
A cursory glance at the overall high profile
appointments made in defense and security
departments within PMB’s first year in office,
is yet another example that points to a
President who writes his principles with
pencil, while he’s got an eraser handy.
Embarrassingly lacking in political savviness,
the President has created national security
outfits more Hausa/Fulani than Nigerian.
The Minister of Defense is an Hausa man;
The Inspector General Of Police;
The Internal Affairs Minister;
The Chief of Army Staff;
The Chief of Air Staff;
The Chief Security Adviser;
Director General of the Department of State
Security Service (DSS) :
Director General of the National Intelligence
Agency (NIA) :
Director General of National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) :
Acting Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) :
Comptroller General of the Nigerian
Custom Service;
Comptroller General of the Nigerian
Immigration Service;
Comptroller General of Prisons;
The Chairman Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) :
To mention but only the most strategic
portfolios – all from Hausa/Fulani extraction.
Granted, for his peace of mind regarding
personal security, all his bodyguards and
the Brigadier Of Guards may be his own
people, but tribalizing the entire military
and security units in a Nation of over a
hundred peoples is nothing short of a call
for interethnic tensions and bellicosities.
These lopsided selections are a snobbery
of the level playing field provided by
The Principles Of Federal Character –
which enshrines equity, justice, and fairness.
They were hiring exercises conducted
in bad faith. In a blatant display
of his ethical inconsistency, the self-acclaimed
anti-corruption crusader has changed
our Federal Character to Northern Character.
To a grave disservice to other ethnic groups
and religions, more than 90 percent of
top security personnel in the country
are from the Muslim North.
In tribal or religious clashes with members
of other groups, they have been known to be
inhumane law enforcers with a warped sense
of justice, who treated others like outsiders.
The figures above which are verifiable via
the internet is just the tip of the iceberg,
for there is undoubtedly much more of
this kind of miserable stories to tell
in all spheres of the President’s influence.
PMB’s pro-North and pro-Islamic leanings
appear to be quite opposed to his much
paraded political ideology that lays claim
to moral and ethical superiority.
Anyone with a rudimentary understanding
of economics knows that the Nigerian
Foreign Exchange has been unfairly slanted,
to favour the Hausa/Fulani who own
most bureaus de change in the country.
Certainly, there’s a sense of crafty pretense
about the Chief Executive of our Republic.
The Crown Of Tribalism has proclaimed
President Muhammadu Buhari its Emperor.
It was obvious during his earlier days in office
that PMB had failed before he even started.
After dawdling with doubt for the better part
of his first year in office, in a blind exercise of
power of appointments, he comes up with
the most tribally and religiously tilted Federal
Cabinet in the annals of Nigerian politics.
In his virtuous hypocrisy, the ethnic jingoist
and religious bigot continues to politically
and economically empower, more and more
political jobbers from the mainstream ‘North’.
These delusional sycophants and Yes men,
hardly would they advance opinions of theirs,
let alone query the validity of their master’s.
Power to Buhari is all about asserting his
superiority – the Nigerian military style.
He prefers friends and partners who are
eager to dance to his tunes, instead of
the ones who challenge him to see
things in their proper perspectives.
Consequently, he continues to build
mediocre teams devoid of innovative
minds, that are essentially needed to
compensate for presidential ignorance.
It may also be worth noting that Buhari
was the foremost beneficiary of the 31st
December 1983 coup de tat largesse:
He became the C-in-C and Head Of State
haven masterminded the abortion
of Nigeria’s 2nd Republic.
Not only did Major General Buhari (rtd)
desecrate the Presidency of a good man,
Alhaji Shehu Shagari, of blessed memory;
But also his thoughtless and forceful
hijacking of the peoples’ mandate,
in no small measure aggravated
Nigeria’s descent into stagnation.
That abominable act of sacrilege against
the Sacred Will The People and
the revered institution of Democracy,
has since clothed his sincerity
and integrity in rags.
The ex-military ruler should consider himself
undeservedly fortunate. Why Nigerians
have returned the known dictator to power
through the ballot box in 2015, still beats
the imagination of any sober society.
Under PMB’s watch, Nigerians carry on
mourning the socio-economic,
political and security situations in
their country as they turn from bad
to potentially disastrous:
The rating of Nigeria as the world’s poverty
capital;
The steady increase in our national debt;
The seeming ostracisation of North Central
Nigeria (The Middle Belt) by the core North;
The unceasing and gruesome killings of hard
working rural farmers by the fiendish and
trigger-happy Fulani herdsmen;
The government’s authorized maiming
of demonstrating Shiites Muslims;
The Massacre of the unarmed, nonviolent
and defenseless IPOB members by
security operatives;
The manhandling of dissidents by security
agents of The State – an invariable portent
of their unlawful arrests;
The unceasing snobbery of the Judiciary,
which ought to be the firmest pillar
of any people’s oriented government;
And the Executive’s bitterest antagonism
with the Legislature is surely not helping
matters – with no record of any bill yet
to be passed via peaceful grace.
The list goes on and on.
I couldn’t help wondering what had
transpired between PMB and Trump,
that had prompted The US President
to poetically refer to him as ‘lifeless’.
As if the derogatory remark wasn’t enough,
the ebullient American further added
insult to injury by declaring before
his aides, that he wouldn’t want to
meet his Nigerian counterpart again.
The bareness of Trump’s sentiments,
to be honest, it’s an eye-opener.
And the definite implication is that
our out-of-date President,
whose body is not healthy enough
to sustain the vicissitudes of his office,
is too great a burden for us to bear.
PMB is a lingering emblem of Despotism.
An absentee head of state,
whose zeal to rule us is only exceeded
by his total disregard for us.
The echoes of his incompetency
is reverberating across the nation
and beyond our shores,
as his presidency serves to spotlight
the cold vacancy of leadership
during his promptly aborted military regime.
Here is an emotionally distant President
whose silent miens during periods of
national tribulations often wore
the semblance of an undertaker:
Never calling up enough empathy
as a doleful sympathizer will do,
by rendering heartfelt speeches on
such pitiful occasions, to assuage
the pains of those affected.
Such basic responsibilities he readily
delegates to any one of his aides.
Equipped with perfect sets of iron teeth,
there is no kind of trauma that President
Muhammadu Buhari may not impose on
his political adversaries with impunity.
The case of Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd)
readily comes to mind.
Under the guise of national interest,
PMB who has a grievance with the former
National Security Adviser (NSA) ,
in his relentless quest for a damaging
retribution continues to keep him
incarcerated against the rule of law.
The recent intimidation of Atiku Abubakar
by irate security agents of the state, and
the subsequent ransacking of his private jet
at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,
Abuja, was an unjustified exercise of power
to hold his main political opponent in check.
By freezing Peter Obi’s account with that
of his wife in a ploy designed to cast his
spotless reputation in a bad light, PMB
indeed has inflicted a wanton insult on
the feelings a most respectable Nigerian.
Peter Obi, affectionately referred to in some
quarters as ‘Obi The Great’, is a politician
of well-known and approved public opinion.
Undoubtedly above and beyond the errors
of his colleagues and contemporaries,
the well-groomed administrator with a
quiet fortitude enjoys enormous goodwill
nationally. A political fortune that is hinged
on his sagacity and unimpeachable integrity.
The Harvard trained former Governor
of Anambra State, whose stewardship
in the face of substantial economic,
fiscal and structural challenges in his
State, was nothing short of excellent;
Not only does his success serve as an
eloquent reminder of the value of hard work
and dignity in labour, it also reinforces
the belief that with great skill, an
ingenious composer could make music
from even the most discordant tunes.
It thus follows, that these politically
motivated hostilities against the main
opposition in the current presidential race,
are pointers to a PMB who is downright
panicky over Atiku-Obi soaring popularity,
since their emergence as PDP flag bearers
for next month’s presidential election.
The glaring injustice is there for all
who are not blinded by prejudice to see.
With the official endorsements of Atiku/Obi
presidential ticket, by the apex socio-cultural
groups of our major ethnic nationalities,
it has become quite safe to declare with
no fear of deviation, that the rest of Buhari’s
days as President are numbered.
His desperate attempts to hold on to power
even when events point to the contrary, as
nasty and self-serving as they may be, they’re
more or less the last kicks of a dying horse.
FADE OUT
Haven examined in depth our history
as a Nation, our turbulent political
and stagnant economy systems;
The truth is that a radical restructuring
of these systems is needed if we are
to find solutions to the problems of
the ‘common man’, in a unified Nigeria
that will move from poverty to plenty,
and ultimately into abundance.
It is not merely necessary, but vital to
affect a regime change in Nigeria;
Especially when the main opposition party
has restructuring as the focal point of its
agenda for the forth coming election –
A manifesto commitment that rings
with a youthful sincerity.
Atiku’s radical transformation manifesto
is a bold and honest exploration of
the most crucial issues in Nigeria –
matters that have involved economic
and political controversies.
It is a statement of belief that is laden
with historical memories, with a view to a
radical restructuring of the stagnating Nation.
Alhaji Abubakar’s gospel of change
is a harbinger of hope for a Nation
that has been dulled by a culture
of ‘shuffering and shmiling’.
It is a reflection of farsightedness of rare kind,
that isn’t visible among the highest echelons
of Nigeria’s political class, particularly
those that hail from the core-North.
The Waziri Adamawa is a cosmopolitan
politician who is well acquainted with
public affairs, and sufficiently versed
in all compartments of government.
He’s a leader who understands that
the thirst for entitlement cannot be
quenched by an offer of appeasement.
Suitably endowed with a growth mindset,
that creates motivation which conduces
to resourcefulness in the fields of politics
as well as business, Atiku has the passion
for persevering and slugging it out
even when it’s not going well.
And this is the progressive mindset
that allows him to thrive during some
of the most challenging times in his live.
In choosing former Governor, Peter Obi
as his running mate, Atiku has for sure
delivered the stroke of a genius.
He not only sought the hand of a
brilliant technocrat – well graced
with vital ingredients of knowledge,
as well as economically savvy;
In addition,
he’s picked a partner whose visions
and ideas of charting a way forward to
a prosperous Nigeria dovetails with his.
It therefore behoves us as willing partners
in progress, it will do us a world of good
to grasp and hold on to Atiku-Obi lofty
vision of a thriving and a united Nigeria.
Let us vote them into Power:
So that they’ll rejuvenate the crawling
‘giant of Africa’ with a breath of new life;
To afford them the opportunity to further
the self-reliance of our geographical zones,
through remodeling of our Federation,
to get the most from each one of them;
To enable them to enkindle the fire of
patriotism in the heart of Nigeria’s citizenry;
And to encourage the formidable duo –
a superb complement of each other,
so that through their people-centred
leadership styles, they will inspire us
to flag our unity under oneness.
It’s high time we Nigerians ignore all
parochial interests and appeals to
sentiments of all kinds, and provide
the seasoned captains an opportunity
to manoeuvre our Ship Of State
to berth on a safe harbour.
Our sublime persistence at gullibility has
to come to an end: “Our mumu don do! “
Atiku-Obi For All, All For Atiku-Obi, We Stand!
“Today’s Decisions Are Tomorrow’s Realities.”
Let’s Get Nigeria Working Again!
Viva The Federal Republic Of Nigeria!
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