Wonders shall never end. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  told Nigerians that they were going to hold a dinner to raise funds for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election, but it turned out to be a national embarrassment that a government that announced austerity measures, telling Nigerians to tighten their belt could pull together a whooping N21bn for the re-election of Mr.  President, many have described as incompetent, in total violation of the Electoral Act (2010).
Most annoying  fact is  that the donations came from quarters that have failed citizens of this nation in all ramifications. According to reports, naira rain at the Fund Raising dinner held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja saw the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Tunde Ayeni donating the sum of N2bn. He said  the sum consisted of N1bn donated by him and his partner, and another N1bn contributed by their unnamed friends. Where did Tunde Ayeni and his partner got the N1bn they donated? Who are his unnamed friends that contributed the other N1bn?  What is their source of livelihood? Do these characters  pay their taxes as at when due if their source of revenue is genuine? These questions are particularly important because we are dealing with a government that does not only encourage corruption and money laundering, but has record of rewarding these vices.
We are also stunned that the Electoral Act provides for political parties and candidates to spend a maximum of N1bn on campaigns, here we are with the Chairman of Jonathan’s fund raising party, alone donating N2bn in flagrant disregard to the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Also, players in the Oil  and Gas industry that have been ripping off this nation under the supervision of President Goodluck Jonathan and Dieziani Alison-Madueke doled out N5bn in support of their principal’s re-election. Now, the oil and gas industry in Nigeria stinks as the hot bed of corruption, a fact that has been proven by even the President himself through the Aig-Imoukhuede Presidential Committee, the Nuhu Ribadu Committee set up by Dieziani Alison- Madueke herself, the House of Representatives probe committee that investigated oil subsidy mindless thieving under the watchful eyes of Jonathan and Madueke, as well as the various Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Audit reports.
What with the continued crash of prices of crude oil in the international market? Why should players, in the face of a down-turn in oil revenue believe that the best philanthropy to do when the government has announced a set of austerity measures is to wish away a whooping N5bn to Jonathan’s re-election alone? What about the pollution of Ogoni Land for which the United Nations vide a UNEP report has long came up with a set of recommendations on how to address the environmental challenges buffeting Ogoni people and their land? What about several other oil producing communities in the Niger Delta how much have these busy body Oil and Gas industry players done to ameliorate their plight?It goes to show that those who converged on Aso Rock and their host have no other decent ways of deceiving Nigerians but to come up with unacceptable excuse of fund raising party for President Jonathan.
Surprisingly too, those in real estate and building donated a mouth-watering N4bn. So, where is the so-called due process unit of the federal government if those who benefited from the federal government’s building contracts across the country could afford to put together such a staggering amount for the re-election of Mr. President? Is it not for the business of stealing from the public till to continue after his re-election? How many Nigerians benefited from the housing programme of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration? Where are the estates located? How many public institutions have received face-lift since their coming on board? What is happening in our universities? Are they comparable to what obtains even in Nigerian private universities, let alone other  universities in the world as per international best practice? No doubt, those who live on rent, who collect all the government contracts and divert the funds to their private estates are the ones making such suspicious donations.
Nigerians were also told that Transport and Aviation donated N1bn to the Jonathan re-election campaign. The reasons why there was  focus of the government on rebuilding the nation’s airports has now been exposed. It speaks volumes and re-enacts the Oduagate saga. Little wonder Stella Odua who presided over the operations is today walking the streets a free woman. The secret of why she was not properly investigated and prosecuted over the N250million bullet proof cars scandal can better be appreciated now. The Peter Odili connection in the Aviation industry can also be better appreciated now. Why will he not continue to enjoy a perpetual injunction restraining the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) from investigating him forever as long as Jonathan remains the president of Nigeria? Nigerians understands all these obubuyeye, so Jonathan and the PDP must not attempt to fool any permanent voter card holder in the country because his antics are clear to all.
The epileptic power sector donated the sum of N500million. This is a sector that have guzzled over $24bn since the PDP made it a cardinal plan for improvement of power generation and distribution. Jonathan during his campaign in 2011 promised to end power outage in the country. He has shifted the goal post several times, as many times he promised, in the same number of times he failed to deliver till date. When they came on board,  electricity generation stood at 4,000 Mega Watts. Today, after four years of Jonathan, with the sale of NEPA to private friends, electricity generation for a population close to 200million people  is less than 4,000 MW. Nigerians are worse of today as most citizens celebrated Christmas in darkness. Majority resorted to self help with generators. Even the petrol to power their generators remains in short supply as long queues resurfaced  in most petrol stations. When compared to South Africa with a population of less than 80million people, which generates and distributes 40,000 MW of electricity, ours is just an apology. Were the PDP Federal Government leaders to  operate this way in Indonesia or China, they would have been tied to the stakes before now and shot for massive corruption. Yet, the power operators, donated hundreds of millions for darkness to remain in Nigeria and economy to permanently remain generator-driven.
The Road  Construction sector alone rolled in N250m. Why will the Abuja based multinational construction giant not roll in so much money when all construction contracts keep going to them and more than half of the nation’s local debt owed to them? What about the friends of Onolememen? Why will they not roll in millions of naira when it is all about kick back and front for wining all the contracts Council of State have been awarding yet, no single federal road have been successfully completed by the Jonathan administration, not even his Niger-Delta East West road. All roads the  PDP government  has commissioned are either half-completed or a quarter completed. A typical example is the Lagos Benin express way where only the Benin-Ore axis was commissioned by Jonathan for the purpose of election.
Surprisingly too, PDP Governors  Forum announced a donation of N1.05billion. Here are governors,  most of them have not paid salaries of their workers for between 2-4 months. The Cross River, Plateau, Benue and Kwara State Governments are owing their workers and pensioners several months of salaries. It is on record that no APC State Government is owing its workers. Yet, these heartless governors could bring millions of naira from their states to contribute to Jonathan’s re-election. This is sad.
There were more donations from questionable sources, but the questions Nigerians have been asking concerning this dubious donations and impunity of the ruling PDP to flaunt their ill-gotten wealth in the face of austerity measures announced by the government are being parried by cronies. How can this same government tell Nigerians to tighten their belt when their own is so loose? Why should these kind of people be allowed to continue to preside over our common wealth which is under the control of a few?
Nigerians must appreciate these issues and ensure that the PDP is voted out of power come 2015. Nobody should be speaking about ethnicity or religion at this point in time because this is what the elitist PDP has been using to deceive and divide Nigerians over the years. When they want power, they play the religious and ethnic cards up, when they grab power they turn their backs and start their business of ruination as usual. Government that is supposed to be for all is now for a few powerful and rich individuals. But Nigerians have an opportunity to throw them out in 2015 with their votes. This is a task that must be done.
Mr. Dan Owegie is a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State.

Related News