On 24th December 2015, about seven months into President Buhari’s reign I had mused in this space ‘Buhari’s first Christmas’. I urge readers to Google it and read and see how nothing fundamental has changed in the administration positively and appreciate why writing on the last Christmas was necessary. What actually informed the topic then was a look back at a statement issued on 24th December, 2014 by the then spokesman of the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), who is now the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammad which he titled, “This is your last Christmas in bondage.”
In the statement he had painted a gory picture of the situation against the ruling government of President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), hear him: “Many cannot travel home due to fear of kidnapping, ethnoreligious crisis and insurgency, depending on which part of the country they are from. Many cannot celebrate due to the effects of the economic downturn, as manifested in weakening Naira and falling oil prices, both exacerbated by widespread corruption.”
The statement went further to assure Nigerians that 2014 Christmas will be their last celebration under the bondage of insecurity, corruption, unemployment, widespread hopelessness and poor leadership. Mohammed ended the reassuring statement with a huge promise that an APC government will begin to positively impact on the citizenry within its first few months at the helm, to such an extent that Nigerians will have a better Christmas celebration in 2015. By their first Christmas seven months into their reign, they were just able only to constitute a lackluster, ordinary list of the federal cabinet that it took them seven months to search. The signs were already emerging then, that the government might not be anything near what it sold to Nigerians for which they gave them the mandate.
The system was already collapsing under their watch and the hope they promised to be on the horizon was everywhere elusive. At its fourth Christmas, the nation was already fatally injured. It has been declared the headquarters of the poor persons globally. It has also emerged as the country with the largest number of out-of-school children. The federal currency has gone from N186 to a dollar it was at first Christmas to N364 at the fourth. The fuel price has jumped to N145 per litre from N97 it was at first Christmas. And despite the party criticism of fuel subsidy while in opposition, it has spent trillions of Naira on the same subsidy at fourth Christmas. Even the security situation that there was much mouth making because of the military background of their flag bearer, Gen. Buhari, the country’s rating has since worsened enough to make us emerge in terrorism index as the third most terrorized nation in the World.
The insurgency has grown from Boko Haram it was at first Christmas and has given birth to other evils, the herdsmen and its twin brother the Zamfara bandits. The number of casualties has also tripled. At fourth Christmas, the education system has virtually collapsed with universities shut. The power situation they promised heaven on earth has not only worsened with the minister in charge, Babatunde Fashola on the eve of their fourth Christmas telling Nigerians that government should not be held responsible for the deteriorating power situation in the country. Ahead of the fourth Christmas also in five days’ time, virtually everything has collapsed. Nigerians are wondering why, asking questions what went wrong. They are pondering to know why and what has happened to the ruthless General who promised to bring the terrorists to their knees within weeks.
The people are still searching for an answer as to what really went wrong that their once incorruptible man holding sway is there and corruption is seen climbing higher and higher the ladder. Even government or the ruling APC have not been able to decrypt what really is the problem.
But last Thursday, December 13, 2018, at the 2019 debate of Vice Presidential candidates, a prelude to that of the presidential candidate on January 19, 2019, an answer came in a wittiest manner
The Vice Presidential candidate of the main opposition party, the PDP, Mr. Peter Obi captured the situation in most impressive display of native intelligence when he impugned that the APC administration in their anti-corruption fight has switched off every government activity and says advisedly “you cannot close shop to pursue criminals” meaning very correctly that President Buhari and his party, the APC, literally shut governance in chase of perceived criminals they suspect stole from it. Even though the APC Vice Presidential candidate, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, quickly displayed some smartness in his ability to clap back by saying that the criminals could have emptied the inventory in the shop, but Nigerians know as a fact that there are still some inventories in their shop and that even those chasing the rogues have themselves been part of the pilfering.
For Osinbajo, the debate was a hard night to remember as the once erudite scholar found himself stammering and always asking for a response. When you have to defend a difficult situation even your brilliance would be stretched as was the case with the Vice President that debate night. If therefore Nigerians were to witness one of their most difficult Christmas this year as a result of poor governance from the APC administration, it is because the shop is shut as criminals are being chased. One could imagine a caveat like this, ‘sorry Nigerians, there would be no Christmas festivity this year 2018, the shop is shut as we are chasing looters and taking stock, please bear with us.’
The ruling APC has actually designed to anchor their campaign for 2019 general election on the issue of corruption. This is because they successfully labelled the PDP as rotten with corruption and they got away with it in 2015. But they have a gargantuan task on their hand this time because water has passed under their bridge. The breeze has blown and the anus of the fowl is in the public domain.
The hitherto incorruptible beings are being seen in their true images. Curbing or fighting corruption is no longer a campaign toast because the APC has transformed itself into heaven for the unclean. Nigerians have watched as public rogues struggle to enter the APC for cover. The anti-corruption bodies have shamelessly transformed themselves into an agent for the protection of persons with questionable characters so long as they can come over. But whatever be the case, we must not allow the beauty of Christmas pass us because we have at a time, an insensitive and confused government on the throne. Even at battlefronts ceasefires are negotiated by both parties to celebrate the great birthday. Nobody, not even a bad government can stop Christmas because as Gladys Tabor captured it: “Christmas is a bridge.
We need bridges as the river of time flows past. Today’s Christmas should mean creating happy hours for tomorrow and reliving those of yesterday.” Merry Christmas to all!
Comments
Post a Comment