Many Nigerians were waiting for the bombshell that will be thrown when
Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly reveal the purported list of enemies of Nigeria - many were disappointed, he did not mention anybody's name. Instead, he told us what we (well-meaning Nigerians whose hears are not blocked by ethnic or religious sentiment) already knew. He classified those standing in the way of progress as follows:
1. Those who sell their votes
2. Legislators who rob the nation under the guise of constituency projects and those who use state machinery against hapless citizens were parts of the problem.
3. Those who use bullion van to distribute money directly or indirectly during the election period to convince poverty-stricken poor Nigerians to path with their democratic power - their vote.
4. Those who loot our commonwealth in whatever form or shape - collect bribe to give a contract, pad budget, misallocate money (money meant to build the health and education sector that was appropriated to renovate already renovated building), those inflate contracts, those who hire their kins into position instead of making it open to only qualified candidates, civil servants or police who collect a bribe to do their job, foreign contractors who give bribe to secure contracts, those who are billionaires in naira and dollars but cannot explain how they come by money, etc.
5. Those who terrorize us - Fulani kidnappers, Boko Haram, Armed bandits, politicians making laws that will gag citizens from exercising their constitutional right, etc.
6. Preachers who call looters saints and give them special seats in their church.
ETC.
Bakare said democracy cannot survive except the judiciary institution is strengthened - the fight against corruption will continue to fail if we desecrate the court and make nonsense of judges and justices who want to do their jobs. The same will happen if we turn blind eye to judges who corrupt their seats to favor themselves and their collaborators in government.
Pastor Bakare appealed to President to use the remaining three years he has left to strengthen institutions and to build a strong post-Buhari legacy facilitated by accurate succession. I doubt if Buhari will listen to this advice - if he did not listen in 5 years, why will he listen when there is nothing else left to lose? Posterity will judge everyone privileged to lead by how much they truly serve - we are not stupid, we know change when we see one - the type of change Buhari's government has delivered in 5 years is not what he promised and definitely not what the people expected.
Nigeria is a democracy, its people cannot be gagged from speaking out when the administration is failing - rather, they should be aired. The type of suppression of the common people we saw in Nigeria last year only happens in a country where the supposedly elected (who are often rigged into office) know the votes of the electorate does not matter - if not, no government will dare make laws or take positions that are not popular with the people because they know their doom is coming on the election day. Democratic institutions MUST be strengthened in Nigeria if we want to survive as a nation. The right people MUST put in position, and we need to approach all our problems with pragmatism - we cannot say we want to provide health and education for all and then appropriate peanut to these sectors. We need better leaders who know the pains of Nigerians because they are not far from them - they do not hide in Aso Rock and be calling the rest of lazy when they eat from a golden spoon every day.
1. Those who sell their votes
2. Legislators who rob the nation under the guise of constituency projects and those who use state machinery against hapless citizens were parts of the problem.
3. Those who use bullion van to distribute money directly or indirectly during the election period to convince poverty-stricken poor Nigerians to path with their democratic power - their vote.
4. Those who loot our commonwealth in whatever form or shape - collect bribe to give a contract, pad budget, misallocate money (money meant to build the health and education sector that was appropriated to renovate already renovated building), those inflate contracts, those who hire their kins into position instead of making it open to only qualified candidates, civil servants or police who collect a bribe to do their job, foreign contractors who give bribe to secure contracts, those who are billionaires in naira and dollars but cannot explain how they come by money, etc.
5. Those who terrorize us - Fulani kidnappers, Boko Haram, Armed bandits, politicians making laws that will gag citizens from exercising their constitutional right, etc.
6. Preachers who call looters saints and give them special seats in their church.
ETC.
Bakare said democracy cannot survive except the judiciary institution is strengthened - the fight against corruption will continue to fail if we desecrate the court and make nonsense of judges and justices who want to do their jobs. The same will happen if we turn blind eye to judges who corrupt their seats to favor themselves and their collaborators in government.
Pastor Bakare appealed to President to use the remaining three years he has left to strengthen institutions and to build a strong post-Buhari legacy facilitated by accurate succession. I doubt if Buhari will listen to this advice - if he did not listen in 5 years, why will he listen when there is nothing else left to lose? Posterity will judge everyone privileged to lead by how much they truly serve - we are not stupid, we know change when we see one - the type of change Buhari's government has delivered in 5 years is not what he promised and definitely not what the people expected.
Nigeria is a democracy, its people cannot be gagged from speaking out when the administration is failing - rather, they should be aired. The type of suppression of the common people we saw in Nigeria last year only happens in a country where the supposedly elected (who are often rigged into office) know the votes of the electorate does not matter - if not, no government will dare make laws or take positions that are not popular with the people because they know their doom is coming on the election day. Democratic institutions MUST be strengthened in Nigeria if we want to survive as a nation. The right people MUST put in position, and we need to approach all our problems with pragmatism - we cannot say we want to provide health and education for all and then appropriate peanut to these sectors. We need better leaders who know the pains of Nigerians because they are not far from them - they do not hide in Aso Rock and be calling the rest of lazy when they eat from a golden spoon every day.
Comments
Post a Comment