RESTRUCTURING IS THE ANSWER
The foundation of Nigeria has been destroyed. The structure
holding Nigeria is messed up. Things have fallen apart and the centre can no
longer hold. This is no time for pretence or cover up. A sinking person can
only be rescued when his hands are lifted up. We should accept the fact that
the polity is already poisoned. It is not the poisoning of the rocks,
mountains, rivers, etc. in Nigeria but that of the minds, brain, conscience and
hearts of many Nigerians which has altered the laws of the nation.
In his speech published on Premium Times of July 21, 2017,
the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said that the growing
cases of hate speech, disinformation and fake news in the country are being
orchestrated by those opposed to the Nigerian government to discredit the
government, destabilize the polity and make the country ungovernable.
Consequently, the special adviser to president on Media and Publicity, Femi
Adesina wrote on restructuring of Nigerian minds, published on Vanguard of
September 9, 2017. He said, “Some people spend their lifetime expecting thunder
storms and hurricane, so they never enjoy showers of blessings. Their addled
minds expect negative news, so they never enjoy good tidings. They are the type
that swallow poison and then begin to hope that it will kill the person next
door. Restructuring, restructuring, that is what such minds need”. He said
people throw all sorts of tantrums, like a child whose lollipop is taken away,
and attempt to rubbish the news on exit from recession. And that the same
people would canvass for a restructuring of the polity. I sincerely agree that
the minds of Nigerians need to be restructured but the mind through which the
above statement came from needs more of the restructuring because it is blinded
by selfishness. Actually, Nigerian
minds are polluted and need to be restructured but it is wrong to direct the
lecture to the opposition alone.
People are only agitating for a positive change that this
present government cannot guarantee. This is not about hatred for Buhari’s
administration. Even if many Nigerians hate him and do not want the country to
prosper in his hands, people who understand the times and know the truth know
that the present leadership in itself is a leadership of hate and that the
present dictator is the architect of hate speeches. Mr. President took hate and
bitterness along with him to the throne and should expect nothing but hate.
When a wood insect gathers stick, on its own head it carries them. Before he
became president, President Muhammadu Buhari never spoke well about former
President Goodluck Jonathan. In fact he wished the former president never succeeds.
As an elder statesman, he was supposed to encourage and advice the sitting
president then. He was supposed to criticize him constructively and educate him
on some political/national matters. But no! President Muhammadu Buhari out of
hate and bitterness made the following statements during President Goodluck
Jonathan’s time: “if the rigging of 2011 repeated itself in 2015, there will be
violence in the nation, ala, the dog and the baboon will be soaked in the same
blood”. (As far as I know, 2011 election was never rigged) As regards Boko
Haram insurgency and call for intervention, reported by Ameh Comrade Godwin on
Daily Post of April 3, 2013 President Muhammadu Buhari said again: “There is no
way he (Buhari) will be involved in the discussion on how to end the carnage
since he was not part of the problem. On the other hand, President Muhammadu
Buhari accused the government of President Goodluck Jonathan of killing and
destroying houses belonging to Boko Haram members while the Niger Delta
Militants get special treatment. This was reported on Point Blank News of June
2, 2013. The above bitter and hate statements shouldn’t be coming from an
acclaimed elder statesman who claim to love Nigeria. He is not a leader.
I do not know Former President Goodluck Jonathan personally
but the things that have been said about him, his transparent lifestyle and
attitude tells me that he is not the kind of person that can provoke somebody
especially a person who has been in leadership before him to make such
statements. Since the present administrator resumed office, he has been
pointing accusing fingers to his predecessor instead of making rights the so
called wrongs. According to Olusola Fabiyi on his article of August 14, 2017,
it was during President Jonathan’s time that Nigeria made progress on
Transparency International’s Annual Corruption perception Index. Nigeria
dropped from no 144 to 136 and has remained there till 2017. Why has there not
been any improvement in this present administration that has so much accused
the past administration for being so corrupt. In his speech, published by Daily
Post of September 9, 2017, Presidential Spokesman, Shehu Garba said that the
position of the president is that Nigeria does not need restructuring. That
what Nigeria need is peace to go about their various businesses. I wonder how
this peace will come about because I know that one cannot give what he does not
have. The ingredients that make for peace are lacking in our so called leaders.
Virtues like sense of responsibility, wisdom, intelligence, sound mind,
foresight, etc. that brings about excellence in leadership are all lacking in
our leaders. Laws are not being followed. They are only on papers and are
usually communicated through mere words by our so called leaders. So what magic
is our president going to perform that has not even worked on him? How will he
bring about peace in a country where there is no trust; a country where even
little children were made to run away from their schools by teachers in order to
avoid free medication because they don’t trust the government of the day? There
is no sense talking about restoring peace to a nation in chaos without trying
something different and better which is restructuring. I wonder what our
president is thinking to make such a statement. Does he still have some reasoning faculty left or is he blinded by his pursuit of a secret and selfish
mission?
We have a lot to do on restructuring of Nigerian minds that I
wonder how possible that can be when those that need it most are pointing
accusing fingers elsewhere. What else can we expect from leadership of hate,
bitterness and vengeance? It will not be an easy task to restructure Nigeria
with such a leader but the point remains that Nigeria needs restructuring. At
least of the polity for now, to re-establish trust, then, that of the minds
will gradually happen. It is time to try something new. We cannot be doing one
thing over and over again and expect a different result. There is need to
design a new structure for Nigeria; a structure that will give all citizens equal
opportunity to make a difference, a structure that will create room for
credible and matured leaders to come into politics, a structure that will wipe
out the hyenas and jackals (as Aisha Buhari called them) out of the seats of
power. This restructuring requires sweeping the animals out of the seats of
power.
If our present circle of leaders claims to love Nigeria so
much, then they should prove it by stepping aside to encourage credible
professors, lawyers, etc. of good record to take up the governance of Nigeria.
It doesn’t matter whether they have got the experience; after all, those with
many years leadership experience have failed us over and over again. There is
nothing hard about stepping aside for Nigeria to be restructured except for
selfish reasons. After all, they don’t wait to blink an eye before flouting the
laws of the Almighty God. They kill to win election or retain their position;
they embezzle and divert public funds for their own selfish interests, etc. Our
so called leaders don’t find it difficult to commit all these crimes so, they
should be able to give up the power tussle and accept restructuring. What I am
saying is that those occupying the executive and legislative positions in
Nigeria and the past Nigeria leaders should do well to withdraw from and stop
interfering in Nigerian politics because it is obvious they are possessed by a
kind of devil that is now polluting the citizens. If kicking them out is not
part of the restructuring, then, it will only be a failed exercise. Nigeria is
tired of them and their likes. Nigeria is no one’s personal possession and
therefore need to be restructured now.
Written by Olive Chinyere Amajuoyi