Against all sound reasoning, permutations and calculations from all those who wish Nigeria well that the leadership of PDP will rise above mediocrity, and impunity in choosing its flag bearer in 2015 presidential elections, the never do wells gathered last week to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan as the candidate of the party. To make matters worse, the leadership of PDP said there will be no Presidential primaries since President is their sole candidate who cannot be challenged. I consider this an act of desperation, a celebration of impunity and it supports Senator George Akume’s assertion that “the chain of ethical liability is unbroken” in Nigeria
In 1999 Nigeria generated about 4000mw of electricity and nearly after 16years we are still under 4000mw. Now, are we making progress that we need to sustain this continuity? Security of lives and property was 90% efficient in 1999 and today that great progress has been eroded, trivialized, decimated and desolate. We have lost more lives to carelessness in the last 16years than under military from 1985 to 1999. As I write this our nearly 300 Girls are still in captivity. Boko Haram has killed more than 3000 innocent Nigerians. Now are we making progress in the areas of security to warrant this continuity mess? Matters were not helped when the president has been changing Service Chiefs at the drop of a hat as if one is changing slippers. When you have such instability in the nations Security architecture then everything is lost.
Recently, the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS announced a job vacancy for 3000 people and nearly six million Nigerians applied. NIS tried to do an open aptitude test in public spaces and the bizarre arrangement backfired. Nearly 30 Nigerians died as result of stampede that greeted the awkward and primitive arrangement. Not only that the recruitment turned tragic, we at once exposed our low and miserable lazy attitude and conduct to world and our image nosedived and morals approached zero level. Again in the face this mounting unemployment situation can Nigerians believe this continuity brigandage?
From the Presidency to the National Assembly dominated by the PDP, from the Petroleum Industry to the Aviation Industry, from the Ministry of Works to the Civil Service as a whole, from the Defense Ministry to the External Affairs etc, its corruption and impunity all the way. A quantum of Nigeria’s budgetary allocations every year end into the private pockets. Recently they took a private jet belonging to Pastor Oritsejafor and loaded it with 93million dollars for onward delivery to South Africa for an unknown transaction. If not for the prying eyes of the South African Security personnel’s nobody would have known anything about it. Even as I write this there has not been any serious explanation on how we got to this sorry pass that we have to traffic and abuse the United States dollars. Now in the face of this outright provocation can you subscribe to this continuity madness in the 21st century?
How can we be talking about continuity in the face of abysmal miserable performance in the midst of plenty? Why must PDP continue to talk about continuity when all our infrastructures across the country have broken down with no hope to fix them in sight? How can we still be talking about retaining a non performer and an incompetent leader in a nation of nearly 160 million people? Do we know that a day is very important in the life of a country, like Nigeria talk less of when you have to waste four or eight years in the hands of a totally helpless and hopeless leader? How can the leaders of a very important country in Africa continue to travel abroad for mere medical check up when we have the capacity to build at least six world class hospitals in six zones of the country? How can we continue to lose students to quack universities in Ghana when we can build world class universities in Nigeria and invite other Africans to come here to study? How can we continue to take the insult that none of our universities can be rated high in Africa talk less of the world? I can go on and on.
Hello Nigerians, we just have to get up and go. I do not know about you but I cannot trust President Jonathan with another four years of mediocrity and impunity. I cannot trust President Jonathan with another four years of incompetence and timidity. I cannot continue to stomach this foolish idea that President Jonathan is what Nigeria needs now to get to the Promised Land. I cannot continue to be led to believe that in a nation of 160million people President Jonathan is the best we can throw up. The President has tried his best and he has to be voted out for the Nigerians to breathe fresh air.
Besides his inability to provide leadership to Nigeria in hours of need, his inordinate ambition to continue beyond 2015 remains the greatest threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria as a political entity. Our diversity and political arrangement for peace and unity of this country does not support this. Through actions and deeds President Jonathan has divided Nigeria along religious and ethnic lines, he has pitched his Ijaw people against other Nigerians through patronage and lack of political will to call his people to order. He has not shown love to other Nigerians to prove that he is the president of all. President Jonathan has not been able to prosecute one high profile corrupt person since 2009. We have not been lucky in the department of leadership since PDP came to power in 1999. The world mocks us that we assume that somebody is in charge of Nigeria when nobody is really in charge.
Given the sordid pictures painted above I submit that the endorsement of President Jonathan to continue to rule Nigeria beyond 2015 is an endorsement of mediocrity. Nigeria can do better than this. Case rested!
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Joe Igbokwe is the Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress, APC, Lagos State.
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