Restructuring is the Answer

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