There are many problems in Nigeria which against our hope is getting worst by the passing of each day, with no obvious solution in sight. Lack of jobs, food, security, electricity, infrastructures, what of stealing of public funds, oil bunkering, impunity, human trafficking and the host of others. All these and many more are fruits of a tree called corruption and the taproot of that tree is called indiscipline. In a nutshell, our problem is indiscipline and by extension: corruption.
We have all seen that the government of the day is paying lip service to the fight against corruption because the ring leader is too scared to step on toes. Instead he is benefiting from corruption and corrupt people.
2015 presidential election is by the corner. The context is obviously going to be between Buhari and Jonathan. They have started calling Buhari and his party names but we now know better. He who accuses should be able to prove. They are yet to prove all that they are accusing Buhari and his party of, it worked for them in 2011 but this time they can’t fool Nigerians except those who chose to be fooled.
My advise to Nigerians is that we must set aside religious and ethnic/regional sentiments and consider our collective destiny. Let us turn down those who are capitalizing on sentiments to get voters. Except those benefiting from this corrupt government the rest of us are suffering. We must decide to remain suffering or leave suffering.
Both Buhari and Jonathan have been tested, their individual records are there for all to see. Buhari was a commanding officer in the military, a military governor, a minister of petroleum, a head of state, a chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund. As a commanding officer he led troops to fight and drive away Chadians who attacked Nigeria territory. As a head of State he eliminated insurgents that operated the way Boko haram is doing now. As a head of state he waged successful war against indiscipline and corruption by leading by example. He remained the only head of state that did not allocate oil well to himself. He owns no house or land in Abuja or Lagos. As chairman of PTF he refused to take salary. His level of integrity and morality can intimidate any western politician talk of these morally rotten ones in the Nigeria ruling party. What can we say about Jonathan as governor and now President for six years. Well, the situation he left Bayelsa and the situation of things in Nigeria now can attest to that. The choice is ours, we must decide whom and what we vote for.
A Leader or a ruler.
A disciplined disciplinarian or a promoter of indiscipline, corruption and impunity.
A man from whom corrupt people flee or a man in whom corrupt people take refuge by way of presidential pardon, withdrawal of corrupt charges for political gains, protection from legislative probe.
A principled man or an all weather man. A man who fought corruption in words and action or a man who is only fighting corruption in words while supporting and promoting it in action and inaction.
A man who will rely on his integrity and moral sanctity to get votes or a man who will rely on religious/regional sentiments to get votes.
A man that has made image for himself or the one who relies on loquacious and disrespectful paid image makers to help patch his image.
A man who respects the least gentleman agreement entered into or the one that will ask for the written proof when it is time to honour the gentleman agreement entered into.
A brave man who flew down to the base of insurgents as commander in chief of the armed forces or the one that usually urinates on his trousers at the mere mention of Boko haram or militants, even as a commander in chief of the armed forces.
A proactive man or a man that waits till his wife sets up a panel of enquiry or a little girl visit from another country before taking a belated action.
A man with clear cut vision, mission and passion to lead or a mere child of circumstance who still feels he is in dream land.
A man who will give objective view of events and take responsibility or the one who is always quick to take praises for every good thing and blame the opposition party or the masses for every failure;
A man whose tenure promoted discipline and moral consciousness or the one whose tenure is promoting indiscipline and moral laxity.
A man whose tenure dwarfed corruption or the one whose tenure has made corruption a giant.
A man who confronts problems or the one that laments over problem and apportion blames.
We have suffered enough, our destiny is now in our hands let’s rewrite it. What PDP cannot do in sixteen years they can’t do in another four years. What Jonathan could not do in six years he can not do in another four years.
it is not about Christian or Moslem, it is not about North or South, it is not about old or young. It is about integrity, morality, uprightness, trustworthiness, pro-activeness, intolerance to corruption, discipline, strong will, patriotism, dedication, selflessness, decisiveness, bravery and sincerity of purpose. These should guide our choice between Buhari and Jonathan.