OBJ Should be Supported to Continue His Good Work

By

J.E. Iyobhebhe

iyobhebhe@hotmail.com

 

 

I never use to like OBJ. I thought, like most Nigerians, that his second coming was not the blessing we were all expecting. Certainly not the Messiah we were waiting for. After 6 years in office the economy is not growing the way it should, inflation is not yet under proper control, the value of the Naira has not stabilised, unemployment and lack of job opportunities runs at 30-40% of the population, graduates still cant find work, we have no real security over our lives and property. In short, life is still short, sharp and brutish for the average Nigerian.

 

But the fact of the matter is that the reason Nigeria is not working is not because of OBJ or the PDP, ANPP or any political party for that matter, but rather for a number of reasons: first, there is the of lack of patriotism, common shared values and morality amongst Nigerians at all levels; secondly, there is the ugly use of the tribal and religious card by the political and social elite as and when it suits them; and thirdly, the big C- CORRUPTION in public service. This is by no means exclusive.

 

You see, when it comes to stealing money from the government and people of Nigeria, bunkering our precious crude oil, inflating contracts and budgets 500%, 419, etc.,  the political elites don’t say ‘I am Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Igala, IJaw, Kanuri’ etc. They conspire to steal, steal and divide funds (loot) meant for Schools, Drugs, Hospitals, Roads and social development of our Dear Country. When they are stealing money you don’t hear them crying ‘North, South, Christ or Allah, Holy Ghost Fire, Jihad or Geopolitical Zone’ for that matter. They ‘kill and divide’ quietly. As illustrated by the recent Osuji scandal (Osujigate) or should we call it ‘Wabaragate’ . You see, we had big Yoruba, Hausa fulani royalty, big Igbo names all involved in the sharing of money ultimately meant for the development of our moribund education system. Some of them claim to be descendants of the ‘Great Prophet’ and to be Knight of Saint this and Knight of Saint that. We never heard Allah or God when they were sharing N55M. We never heard of North and South or the common cry today- Marginalization.

 

The only time the elites and those in positions of power in Nigeria remember Allah or God or North and South is when we are talking about resource allocation, derivation, ministerial and other senior government appointments, location of infrastructural development projects etc. In other words, when the resources and political power in Nigeria is to be apportioned (shared). That is why I have no time for those champions of the ethnic and religious card in Nigeria       ( Oha , Are, Afe, INC)  They know the real problem in Nigeria is not about tribe or religion. They know it is poverty, lack of jobs, lack of basic water, lack of basic electricity, lack of security and proper infrastructures in the country and above all CORRUPTION. How can we have jobs, water, basic electricity, refineries, effective police force, proper roads, hospitals, schools and drugs for our sick people when the funds allocated for these services are misdirected into the private bank accounts of those in power. They know that. Instead of saying what the real issue is they hide under Allah or God, North and South, Igbo, Hausa, ‘marginalization’ and 'geo-political zones'. I can guarantee anyone that if Nigeria is to break up (God forbid) it will not be over tribe or religion. It will be over the control of resources. Basically, Oil.

 

You see, after 45 years of independence we are still a single produce economy. We cannot manufacture anything. We know how, we have the resources, but we don't want to. Nigerians believe it is easier to make ‘more MONEY’ selling and consuming what others have produced. From refined petroleum products, to Benz, to 90 Jeeps for one person, to Computers, to Generators, to toiletries, to foodstuff, to sending our children abroad to study, to going abroad for medical treatment or shall I say to die.  The fact of the matter is that without oil, which we did not create by our industry and talent, the poverty in Nigeria will be too much to bear. It will be running at 99.9% instead of the current 90%.

 

To cut a long story short, if OBJ can continue his present revolution against CORRUPTION it will have a massive impact on the ugly hands of religious and tribal bigots in the country. What I call the ugly hands of underdevelopment. It will starve them of ill-gotten funds. This will in turn speed up the provision of basic infrastructure to our suffering masses up and down our massive country. It will create an atmosphere for transparency, competence and meritocracy. It will mean Nigerians can dream again the dreams we all had for our Country 45 years ago. We can then start to think about how to move our country forward and make life worth living for the majority of Nigerians.

 

I suspect from OBJs utterances that he does not wish to continue the revolution beyond 2007. All I have to say to him is, if he is reading this article, Please Don’t Go. We need to sanitise the country before we can develop and grow as a people. We need to develop a culture of law and order, transparency in public life, meritocracy and a public service ethos amongst our present and future leaders.

 

 

To those men and women who are currently at the Political Reform Conference, you need to recommend that we amend the constitution. Have a fixed term of 6 or 7 years and no come back for the executive arm. The new constitution should not be retrospective. OBJ must be encouraged to stand afresh and if he does, will win hands down across NIGERIA.  Let us have some stability in the country for a change. Stability under Democracy. This will bring the progress we all want for ourselves, our families our local government, our village, our town/city, our state, our tribe, or geo-political zone, our religion, our Gods, and our Country. The stealing of public funds is not progress. Ghana-Must-Go is not progress. Whipping up religious and tribal sentiments for personal political and financial gains is no answer, either.

 

The history of Nigeria since 1960 has been one of political and economic instability from Independence to the 1st coup, the counter coup, the coming of Gowon, the rise of Ojukwu and Igbo nationalism, the civil war, the reconciliation and reconstruction under Gowon, the overthrow of Gowon after his many promises to hold elections, the assassination of Murtala Mohammed, the unexpected first coming of OBJ, the transition to Shagari, the farce of the 1983 elections, the collapse of the economic and political system under the second republic, the coming of Buhari, the palace coup and rise of IBB, the decline of the economy for the second time, the political crisis that forced IBB to hold elections at last, the victory of MKO, the refusal by IBB to hand over to the winner, the political fallout of this, the forced stepping aside of the Maradona, the institution of ING under the man from UAC, the vacuum it created for the deadly ambitious Kanuri turned Kano General to mount the saddle, the death of the so called third republic that never was, the consolidation of power by Abacha, his determination to succeed himself after making promises to hold free and fair elections and return the country to democratic rule, his so called transition that never was, his bullying of all the political parties he set up to make him the sole and only candidate, his stealing of billions of dollars of Nigeria's money ( not that he was the only one- and may God forgive me for speaking ill of the dead! ), the unexpected call from the messenger of death on him, the rise of Abdulsalam, the elections of 1999 , the second coming of OBJ and the rest.

 

How long are we going to continue living and managing crisis in Nigeria.  From elections to coup, from coup to counter coup to palace coup, back to elections and then back to coup again. I have even forgotten about Parliamentary/Regional Government of the 60’s  and Military Presidency. Some even say there is one we have not tried yet. Mixing the Presidential and the Parliamentary System like the French. And now I hear talk of back to Regionalism, again. When are we going to learn?  It is not the system that is failing NIGERIA, it is the people who run it that are failing us. We have tried almost everything over the past 45 yrs and it still is not working.  They don’t know how to lead by example. And they Don’t care because they can get away with it. We can have a system run by Bishops and Imams if you like and it still won’t work in the current NIGERIA. The poverty of Good Leadership and lack of Total Commitment to the Cause of NIGERIA is our problem. Nations less blessed in human and natural resources such as Singapore, Korea, Malaysia, South Africa and now even small Vietnam are doing better than us.  When are we going to start living and managing progress and success. When are we going to learn?

 

Let OBJ stay and complete the first stage of Nigeria's resurgence as a successful, strong, stable and proud nation. He needs to lay the foundation for progress. I don’t think he can solve the chronic economic and infrastructural decay and underdevelopment in Nigeria in the next 2 years but if he can lay the foundation for economic and social development by putting to an end, once and for all, the stealing of public funds and the mentality that ‘you go into Government to make money’ then it would be worth it. If OBJ does not stay, I doubt if any of the contenders to his office will have the will, desire or courage to tackle the biggest problem facing Nigeria today. It will be like starting all over again. It will be back to square one for Nigeria. May God (Allah) Help NIGERIA.  

 

I have not been paid by anyone to write this article. It is just my personal view and it is not meant to offend anyone’s religion, geopolitical zone, tribe, political ambition or status. Nothing personal.

 

 

 

J.E. Iyobhebhe

 

iyobhebhe@hotmail.com