TIMOTHY ESHI ESTENAMHE
It is generally believed that Nigerians are stupendously religious. Perhaps, this is the reason Nigerians put God first in all that they do. Whether they are ontologically or cosmetically religious is another kettle of fish. However, the church ceremonies that usher Nigerians into every New Year nowadays are usually frenzy and frantic. It all begins from the early hours’ rush of the last day of the waning year- it would seem everyone wants to get done with everything and anything that was not done ever since the year began. Business centres are jam packed; traders hike prices of goods to hew out huge profits. The bars and cabarets are filled to the brim with people massaging drinking bouts.
In a twinkle of an eye all these culminate in the Church with most of the worshippers dazed with ale and spirit, accompanied by discordant music at variance with symphonic style. It is tagged ‘’Crossover-Night’’ for denominations without a liturgy. Congregants are charged up by prayer points that provide soothing feelings from the disillusionment they have been plunged into by the rot in every fabric of the Nigerian society. Prophecies are yelled out unrestrainedly by prophets, some of whom have soiled their prophetic mandate with unimaginable scandals. The ‘pews’, of course, are eager to receive the anointing that would break a whole lot of yokes in the new year that could be stumbling blocks to a better life envisioned. The country’s lingering insecurity and economic hardship coupled with the inability of the government to provide solutions to these problems have made matters worse. Many Nigerians have turned to the pulpits for solace and hope for a better life and a better Nigeria; but we wish and hope some would not be exploited and brainwashed to the point of hallucination.
Yes, this is what Nigeria offers her citizenry after so many decades of her independence. Today under the current leadership of President Mohammadu Buhari, Nigeria has lost nearly every fibre of her glory. Nigeria has become a safe haven for bandits and other forms of criminal elements. Only after a prolonged foot-dragging that the federal government recently, through its Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, gazetted a court judgment that ordered the government of President Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists. These terrorists, as identified by the ruling of Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, confirms that the ‘’acts of Yan Bindiga, Yan Ta’adda and other similar groups in any other parts of the country are acts of terrorism’’. The tale of the recent display of banditry in Nigeria is shameful in the sense of the helplessness of the government. Scores of death and stories of human degradation are reported on daily basis, the dignity of the human person in Nigeria in the recent time has been reduced to mere chattels by these criminals.
The federal government in the ruling blamed these groups for the ‘’escalating cases of banditry, incessant kidnapping for ransom, kidnapping for marriage, mass abduction of school children and other citizens, cattle rustling, enslavement, imprisonment, severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, other forms of sexual violence, attacks and killings in communities and on commuters and wanton destruction of lives and properties in Nigeria, particularly in the North- west and North- central states in Nigeria.’’ Since the inception of the APC led government superintendent by Mohammadu Buhari, these atrocities have grown geometrically. Now that they have been proscribed what is next?
President Mohammadu Buhari must ensure his government rises above any coloration of sympathy with terrorists and should wield all powers to rid off the Nigeria state the high level of acts of terrorism that have become the order of the day. This government rode into power because of the promise that Buhari, being a veteran would be equipped with the knowledge and courage of tackling the reign of terror that was rearing its ugly face during the last administration. The ineptitude of the Buhari’s government towards defeating terrorism after seven years, leaves nothing to be desired. It was with disdain Nigerians swallowed the information of the president’s visit to Lagos for Chief Bisi Akande’s book Launch, ‘’My Participation,’’ when close to his nose, hundreds of people were plundered by bandits without a presidential reaction.
This president prides himself in the strides his government is making in building infrastructures like roads and railways. We must commend the president for continuing on the roadmap of the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s transformation agenda regime. But of what use would the roads serve when motorists and passengers are frequently ambushed, killed, maimed and kidnaped for ransom? Of what use would the rails be when train tracks are vandalized by bandits, passengers are attacked and trains are destroyed? Of what good will it serve when projects and facilities that huge debts have been incurred are destroyed by criminal elements, or perhaps are left in the state of desuetude because of fear of being attacked?
The New Year has ushered in a new agitation amongst the Nigerian political elite – some of whom over the years have held the neck of Nigeria to the ground with their knees – the 2023 elections. It is approximately sixteen months to the end of tenure of the present government. By this fact, 2022 is a defining year for those who will throw their hats to the ring for the race to occupy Aso Rock in 2023. What would be of interest to the Buhari – APC led government would be how to retain power and how PDP that is synonymous with failure, according to President Buhari, should not come to power again. The knee- jerk approach to security and in fact all facets of life in Nigeria will be worsened at these last days of this administration because of the focus on the forthcoming elections. Nigerians would witness intense political stumping and display of charade of achievements in the past seven years of the existence of Buhari’s tenure on various television channels.
The launch of the rice Pyramids recently in Abuja by the president captures the totality of this point and it is only one of many to come. Less and less time would be spent on crucial issues ordinary Nigerians face in their day-to- day life. This is why every day the activities of bandits are becoming rampart especially in the North. Every day the scenes of tragedy acted by marauding Fulani herders leave many with goring feelings. Every day we hear of communities being raided, scores of innocent people, mostly women and children, are scourged, maimed and mercilessly killed. It is heartbreaking that these issues are not taken with the utmost seriousness they ought to be handled. The most important thing in the APC agenda now is to secure their grip on the sceptre of power.
It is very clear that this government never was prepared to govern Nigeria, perhaps this is why it appears that the President does not have his hand around things in Nigeria. The President who only appointed his Chief Economic Adviser sixteen months to the expiration of his tenure shows the obvious. Little wonder then, Nigeria is in economic doldrums. Nigeria’s economic situation has deteriorated over the years. Aminu Tambuwal beautifully asserted that ‘’Nigerians have become numb and accustomed to bad economic news as exemplified by the inconsistent and differential exchange rates regime, high interest rates, unsustainable unemployment figures and borrowing spree…’’ This assertion best describes the economic realites in Nigeria today. Nigerian from all strata of life are growing disillusioned every day because of the high level of austerity in the land. In the midst of surplus natural resources citizens are groaning in abject poverty.
The recent New Year interview conducted by some members of Channels Television crew, Maupe Ogun Yusuf and Seun Okinbaloye, shows clearly that the president does not have the capacity to providing solutions to the problems of Nigeria. It is disheartening to see Buhari to always have to defend and talk about the success of his government in tackling insecurity when the contrary is the obvious. It is with disappointment you would listen to his take on the issue of massive youth unemployment in the country. He would rather blame it on the young people’s lazy attitude and over concentration in university studies and pursuit of university degrees. There are so many implications to draw from this mindset. We would leave this for another time. President Mohammadu Buhari is always too quick to urge the youth to go to the farms; many young people consider this mindset as gaucherie.
No doubt Nigeria needs to diversify her economy. We have been too comfortable with oil and it has made us lazy by concentrating only on oil revenues. We need to revamp the country’s other economic sectors like mining, agriculture, services, energy, human capital, overseas remittances, iron and steel, etcetera. However how would the young people revive the agricultural sector without incentive from government? What are the government policies in revamping the agricultural sector and others? Is it the arable land occupied by terrorists and bandits that would be used for farming? About seventy percent of farmers have withdrawn from farming because of the onslaught of bandits and Fulani herders. In the community where I shepherd, scores of women wail to the Village Head every day to report how Fulani herders plunder their farm land and eat up sprouting crops. Community Heads cannot do anything because these oppressors are a special breed of Nigerians. When they report to the police the case is turned against them.
The ministry of agriculture is so unpopular that people down south do not even know the minister of Agriculture. We remember with nostalgia the erstwhile minister of agriculture under President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the now president of the African Development Bank, his strides in revamping the agricultural sector before his tenure was thwarted by result of the 2015 presidential election. The president should be focused and be seen in having the interest of creating jobs for the teeming youth population. No one is asking him to employ every Nigerian to work in Aso Rock. It is the duty of government to create enabling business opportunities and environments to private sector so that they in turn create employment opportunities. The steel companies in Ajaokuta and Warri by now should have been functioning if not for maladministration, bureaucracy and corruption. When companies like these are functional in Nigeria, jobs would not only be available but the naira would gain strength with the dollar if not over it.
Peter Egielewa, the Director of Social Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi recently asserted that ‘’one beautiful thing about 2022 is that it just tells Nigerians that the horror under Buhari’s Government will end next year. It is such a great relief that the exit time of the Buhari-led government beckons.’’ Indeed, it is a big relief. However, care must be taken in other that 2033 elections would not be marred by rigging and other forms of electoral malpractices, to produce a government worse than the present one. The Electoral Act Amendment bill should be passed into law and the clauses that need to be amended to favour the electorate and not for a class of people should be quickly amended so that Nigerians are guaranteed a free and fair election that would produce a president that would not impoverish the bright of our collective identity as a nation. The various political parties have very important roles to play. They must first ensure that their primary elections, moribund, uncivilized, visionless, evasive and chauvinist aspirants are not their parties’ flag-bearers, as many candidates are throwing their hats in the ring for the presidential race already.
It is my Birthday! Thanks for your prayers and best wishes!
