|
Time Will Tell...The PTDF Report, Presidency, Senate Et Al By Prince Charles Dickson Jos, Plateau Nigeria
Time Alone, Oh time will tell, think you are in heaven but you are living in hell...Bob Marley
Brass shines as fair to the ignorant as gold to the goldsmiths. ~ Elizabeth I of England
Apart from the third term agenda and the generally perceived failure of this administration very few issues have dominated our media space, national discuss like the present drama of PTDF which simply is a fallout of two men's greed, selfishness and self-centeredness. The whole thing is a slap on the face of sane Nigerians. Unfortunately I might court controversy by asking how many of us are really sane...?
I have read, listened and watched all that my faculty can take of the entire episode, I have followed the possible pictures, I have meditated on the impossible, which in reality as it is with Nigeria could be possible, and pardon me it all sucks. One truth though is that if we survive all this, we strengthen our democracy but on what foundation is the question that begs for answer. We have married the first information we received, and turned what comes later into concubines. Since deceit is always first to arrive, there is no room left for truth.
Whether one is an Atiku apologist or an Obasanjo sympathizer, there are facts that cannot be argued upon simply because it is there for the blind to see. Obasanjo is not perfect and has no right to play God, one...two, Atiku is culpable, let us forget the grandstanding and the latter day democrat standing, even Abacha did better. For his credibility he probably should have resigned...my thinking.
Either way, it is good that one man albeit with shaky credentials could stand up to Obasanjo and condemn a building they built together. This is the story of a child called Nigeria, the story of mixed interest. Someone called it a circus and I defined that circus as a place where horses, ponies and elephants are permitted to see men, women and children acting the fool...for us... the drama of Mr. President, his vice, the National Assembly, makes us the fools for it, this may be painful, but if it is, then it is the truth.
Now to the Senate, in the last eight years this body of both distinguished and disgruntled have played their part in the excitement of the entire process, sometimes, they have been a serious bunch and other times nothing but clowns, comedians with a wrong sense of their audience. Take for example the third term battle and then in another swing the bribe for budget scam. Take for example, calling INEC or the IG to order and then discussing the possible ban of "pomo" local cow skin delicacy.
If the Senate had done what it was supposed to do, the thieves in the Presidency would have had the fear of God but when the cat is out hunting the rats also are not left out. Today we are all crying the PTDF report. What really is there about the PTDF, how many Nigerians knew of the existence of PTDF, how has the PTDF bettered the lives of Nigerians, How many PTDF's are out there, how many frauds undiscovered?
It is alarmist but not totally out of it to say that a group of few Nigerians are out there toying with the future of an entire nation, both President and his vice. I have listened to Atiku's recent utterances and for anyone worth his senses I wonder if he does listen to himself. Same medicine applies to Baba, who in recent PDP Presidential train has become a professional dancer and rains abuses like showers during the rainy season.
What kind of Nigeria, what manner of democracy are we really building, what antecedent are we laying? With politics seen as a business where investment is as high as return, the people be damned and off course we all keep a straight face as if its all nothing. Nigerians are impoverished, the lack the basics of a meaningful life, the shoemaker, taxi driver, market woman cares less of a PTDF, ITF, ETF and all the F's which are no better than failures.
Even amongst critics and analysts, it is sad that the substance of the matter has been left for sentiments, either primordial ethnic sentiments or religious gaffes, in other cases, we have become praise singers, which is no harm but dangerous when one becomes a blind praise singer.
The PTDF Report is not factual, the EFCC Report is faulty, Atiku releases 10, 20, 50 Points that makes nonsense of the Report. So what is the truth, what is it that Nigerians need to know that we do not know? Are we so blind that we cannot see that both Obj and Atiku are two sides of the same coin?
Once upon a time, an IBB annulled an election that was adjudged free and fair and over a decade after, keeps playing Maradona and semantics about what really transpired leaving the truth to speculators and conspiracy theorists. Tomorrow too, it will become of the PTDF Story. It is pure assumption that if x is y, 1 + 1 will be 2, but when one recalls the third term agenda and the allegations of bribery, one knows with us 1+2+3 can equal 4. This whole saga has been all about scheming old crooks, charlatans, political prostitutes, leaders without morals, nor conscience.
While all the drama has moved a gear up with utterances from each camp, the Soludos keep reeling out statistics of progress, when indeed we know all is not well. I was at a first generation bank and watched as hawkers sold the new Naira notes to very willing buyers at a ten percent price...i.e, 9 pieces of new N10 Notes for N100 and we talk about reform. The new coins has not made prices go down, the new notes has not made the achaba local motorcycle rider get a wallet or has it stopped Mama Risikatu from squeezing the notes inside her mammalian gland. Prices have not gone down, this is March, most parastatals, and Ministries are still playing the politics and accounts of the new salary structure, instead of paying it and the market woman has increased her prices.
In most parts fuel remains scarce, electricity is just no longer erratic, it is just not there. The only consistent thing in the nation today is our inconsistency. Part from maybe an Utomi for President, the rest has just been verbal warfare, today "their mother", the other party replies tomorrow "them father". No one is talking Nigeria; all the issues have been politicized. We think or they want us to think that we are living in paradise when indeed we are living in hell...Time alone will tell.
It is now possible for a flight attendant to get a pilot pregnant. This is our Nigeria, I am not pessimistic, I only say it as it is peradventure that it would hit us hard enough to action, any form of positive action. We call it our lives but really is it our lives when a few toy with it at our expense. Is it our Nigeria when a few have it all, say it all and with their actions are ruining it?
I recently alluded to the corruption of some individuals and a reader asked for proof. Do Nigerians forget in a fast forward and learn in slow motion, yes and infact we do not learn...Atiku is a successful businessman, no wahala, with ABTI University...Obasanjo is a successful Poultry farmer, no qualms, we know where the farms where in 1997 and with BELLS University. What are we really talking about, indeed Brass shines as fair to the ignorant as gold to the goldsmiths, may the Almighty Allah help us despite ourselves
|