Skip to main content

Of the lesser evil

For those of my readers outside Nigeria who are wondering what all the facebook arguments and counter arguments regarding the forthcoming elections are about. Here is a one minute summary. The to contenders for presidency are:

1. Muhammad Buhari 


The country remembers him as a straight, strict man that ran a very disciplined regime earlier in our history. By virtue of this very tight style, his government was unpopular. Granted that it was also a military government at the time with little or no democratic restrictions, some of his policies then appear to have been observatory. However, in all the leaders who have governed this country, nobody is regarded as having more integrity. Even his enemies refuse to take that from him. As if to buttress this point, he was partly responsible for the appointment of the most celebrated public servant - the late Dora Akunyuli of the NAFDAC fame who went on to be a shining star even in the worst administrations. If we go by the "show me who your friends are" saying, then he stands in good stead.

His only offence, going by opponents of his presidential bid, is that he is from the northern part of the country (most of the past rulers have been), he is Muslim (more than half the past leaders have been) and that he has an Islamist agenda in a world where isis is making it clear that islamization is indeed a real concept. For a key country like Nigeria, these are heavy concerns. He had tried to allay some of these fears by picking a Christian running mate from the western side of the country. 

2. Goodluck Jonathan


The incumbent. Expectedly, being a sitting head of state is a two edged sword. On the one hand you have the most Control of the political process. You also are the more secure choice for political investors. On the other hand, unlike your contender, your work in the years you have spent in office is the only campaign you can do to the citizenry. No matter what you say, people only look to your record in office. Jonathan has risen on good luck through his political career. He came to prominence as a deputy governor of a state. Then the governor had issues and was removed. Automatically he became governor whether prepared or not. Then he became vice president to the late Yaradua. That one vacated office too and that's how fate foisted this gentleman on us. Nothing wrong with that. However, the general expectation from a man who many didn't think deserved the position by merit, was that he would have no alliances or loyalties and would firmly serve without fear or favour. 

Today as he stands for re-election, his legacy is of a seemingly clueless individual surrounding himself with the most detested political characters in the country and driven by the sole desire to maintain power at whatever cost. He has released convicted corrupt ex public officers, appointed questionable advisers who have zero credibility by the nigerian people and other than the routine mundane workings of government, has left nothing significant behind. The country is again indebted, scandalized over and over by publicly noted official corruption that has largely gone unpunished and in its most insecure state in my lifetime. For context, Nigeria was debt free and had an "excess crude account" just before he took over. This is equivalent to going from being millionaires to filing for bankruptcy in 6 short years.

These two men have divided the country along ethno religious lines. While most of those from the south part of Nigeria would prefer to maintain the status quo, those from the north are driving the chant for change. While buhari only offers integrity and a no-nonsense government, Jonathan is having closed door meetings with anyone that has a door to close. The soul of the country clearly remains for sale to the highest bidder, and this, dear readers is my ultimate fear. Nigerians love themselves more than anything else, even more than the country. We are not like Americans who prioritise the common good over Self preservation and value patriotism. "All man for himself, God for us all" is more like it here. And against that mindset, only the man with the most money or control thereof, stands a true chance.

I'd like to know if I've not captured the situation correctly. Love to hear your comments.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

awards my big black...er...foot!

i'm hard pressed not to write about the nigerin blog awards but (i) it wont be fair to all my readers and people who took the time to vote for this blog (ii) i still don't understand my mental state when i decided to participate in it and (iii) i'm as bitter as a older wives meeting a new wife for the first time. to cut a morbid story short: i did not win a damn acknowledgement (much less an award). after all my toiling, having to degrade myself to the point of begging for votes from people who i really never wanted to know about my blog or read the contents thereof, after making people i hold in extreme high regard leave their daily activities and set out to vote for something so trivial, and aafter i waited ages for the darn result to be announced, i still didn't win a matchstick. i know there is something called graciously accepting the results of a competition when it doesn't go your way, but please. i'll probably never have a reason to spew out the diat

nigeria and the needless debate

okay so usually, i avoid topics bordering on religion, politics and sexuality...but this one is hard to ignore (and as fearless blogger, i must bite the bullet). i woke up this morning and my timeline was full of comments castigating the bloody waste of time and tax payers money that is the the new anti-same sex marriage law. the nigerian senate passed it into law a few days ago (14 years imprisonment etc). the honest truth is that everyone is cautious about this topic because it is like holding palm oil while wearing white. no matter what side of the fence you're on in terms of your sexual preference, you are bound to get stained if you as much as say the wrong thing on the matter - and anything you say can and will be wrong. if you disagree with the new law, you're clearly an undercover gay person and if you agree with the new law openly, you're a shameless homophobe. i guess this explains why interestingly, all of the people i know who are vocal against the new law - o

Of #MoreThanPlatitudes

Look at this picture. That's one of the children being rescued from a collapsed school building in Lagos, Nigeria. You don't have a be a parent and I won't pander to your better instincts. Tell me this is acceptable or should be allowed to occur again. The President sent condolence messages and the Governor visited the site then said the state emergency services will do all they can cliched response. the end. and people moved on. The heartbreaking pictures of the children pulled out half dazed with cement dust all over their little noses (Exhibit A) did not let me sleep last night. I have gone to drop a comment on the governor's pages on all social media platforms that we need #MoreThanPlatitudes 🚫❌ We need to hear what policy changes are triggered by the death of these babies. The Commissioner of Education must address Lagosians and set up a project team with the Commissioner for Works or Town Planning etc to undertake an immediate structural integrity test