Reasons adduced for the postponement of the general elections notwithstanding, come March 28, Nigerians would file out to elect a new President for the country to replace the unimpressive and inept administration that is made up of elites transforming their pockets and piling fortunes for their children, grandchildren and unborn generation. The mindless thieving of our commonwealth by agents of the administration is a big minus for the Goodluck Jonathan administration. The administration is loaded with big, fat thieves who are hell bent on sucking this nation to death.
The monumental deceits of the oblivious government are evident. Few days to the postponed general elections, Petroleum Minister, Dieziani Alison-Madueke with so much pride announced a reduction in the pump price of petrol from N97 per litre to N87 as though they were doing citizens a favour. The permutation of President Jonathan’s Kitchen cabinet was that the announcement would make aggrieved Nigerians who ceaselessly clamoured for a reduction in the price of petroleum products, given the crash in price of crude oil in the international market, but were discountenanced by the uncaring government, would suddenly change their minds and vote for him. The game plan was that immediately after the elections, they would unleash the current scarcity and the biting reality would face Nigerians as being presently experienced all over the country, a situation that would propel a complete removal of subsidy enjoyed by the common man .
But when the security report became rife that whether the price of petrol was lowered or not Mr. President was as good as gone and that if the Presidential election holds on February 14, he would be floored by General Muhammadu Buhari, they hurriedly used the National Security Adviser to postpone the election with the flimsy excuse that the military could not guarantee the safety of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) if they chose to go ahead with the elections.
Now that elections were shifted without Dieziani-Madueke factoring the postponement into the petroleum price reduction deceit, the paper in the wall has fallen and the cracks exposed. What explanations does Dieziani Alison Madueke have for Nigerians this time around? What does the Washington Consensus Woman, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has to say? These are women that are killing this country under the supervision of President Jonathan. The Oil marketers explained to a bewildered nation that the cost of importing refined petrol is far higher than the cost the Petroleum Minister asked them to be selling which means that the so-called price reduction was political, targeted at the presidential elections. Is this the government that some brainwashed Nigerians say should continue in office? This certainly can’t be.
In the face of this barefaced deceit, it does seem as if the problem of electricity generation and distribution is getting worse by the day and President Goodluck Jonathan seems to have exhausted his bag of tricks and deceit on what to do to provide Nigerians with electricity. Citizens undeservedly rely only on generators and inverters to get electricity for their homes and businesses. With the high cost of petrol and diesel, how can traumatized citizens cope under this clueless government if he is given another four years to continue in the misdirection of the affairs of this nation? When will Nigerians enjoy at least six hours of uninterrupted power supply in this country? Certainly, not under President Goodluck Jonathan because he has failed woefully to fulfill his promise to Nigerians regarding the issue of electricity which is direly needed to catalyze and leap frog the nation’s economy on all fronts. But rather than do the needful, the Jonathan administration is busy rebasing the economy, deceiving Nigerians that the nation’s economy will be among the first 20 in the year 2020 which is just five years away. How can we become one of the 20 leading economies in the world in another five years when we are still an import-dependent country till tomorrow? How can we get there when we import virtually all our staple foods and toothpick? How can we get there when the manufacturing sector is operating below 30 per cent capacity? How can we get there where only one or two multi-billionaire industrialists are in control of the economy? Where is the middle class, talk less of the common man? What about our army of unemployed youths who would give them well paid jobs? Some graduates have remained for 10 years now without dignifying employment in a country richly endowed in resources by God.
The new decoy of President Goodluck Jonathan is that if he repels Boko Haram in six weeks, Nigerians would change their minds and vote for him. So far the military operations have been largely successful from media reports, but it is not yet an uhuru. Was it not the same President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP working behind the scene with Characters like Femi Fani- kayode, and Ayo Fayose that alleged that Muhammadu Buhari was the one sponsoring and keeping Boko Haram now that Jonathan and his military have woken up from their six years slumber these past two weeks, was it not the fear of defeat by the same Buhari that woke them from their sleep? When Nigerians cried that Jonathan was not living up to expectation in the area of dealing with the problem of insurgency, does the operations of the military these past two weeks not prove such Nigerians right?
We must tell ourselves the truth for Nigeria to move forward and catch up with the rest of the world. The present government has failed the people and an opportunity to get rid of them is beckoning and we must take full advantage of this opportunity. We must grab it with both hands. Nigerians cannot be fooled with the talk of religion or ethnicity anymore because these are the two key issues that have been used by the PDP to play Nigerians against themselves for too long. Nigerians must jettison ethnic and religious sentiments and vote for a man who have been roundly endorsed by the most credible institutions in the world. Muhammadu Buhari is the only former Head of State without a foreign Bank account. He is the only former Head of state that does not own mansions all over Nigeria. Even the PDP cannot point at any corrupt practice on his side, they acknowledged it openly in their previous advertorials when they pointed him as “the only good person among the APC leaders.”
All over the country, the coast is clear for Muhammadu Buhari to roundly defeat President Goodluck Jonathan come March 28th. He enjoys very popular support across the country and Nigerians are anxiously waiting with great enthusiasm to elect him as their President to lead the nation out of the doldrums and the right thing for President Goodluck Jonathan to do now is to begin preparation of his hand over notes ahead of May 29, 2015 when he would transfer power to the man Nigerians want to lead them.
Mr. President must resist the temptation of the war drummer boys. Those threatening brim stone and fire must understand that they do not have the monopoly of violence and they should demonstrate their patriotism by saving this nation of any form of conflict which will blow no one any good once it begins. The contestants should accept the outcome of the polls as INEC have assured all candidates of credible elections.
· Mr. Dan Owegie is a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State.