With 70 per cent of the nation’s population living under a-dollar-a-day;
economically factored, Nigeria has the poorest people of any nation in
the world today. With the rebased economy rating, Nigeria has
unparalleled HDI (Human Development Index) to revenue and economy ratio
of all nations. Poorest people, in the case of Nigeria, are derived from
or correlate with poorest leadership.
Is it not surprising that Nigeria, at the end of 2013, surpassed Mexico
in kidnapping, recording the cruelest and second highest single
abduction events in recent history? By the end of 2013 and the first
quarter of 2014, Nigeria surpassed Syria, Libya, Iraq and Central Africa
Republic (CAR) in deadly acts of terrorism and sectarian violence. The
Nyanya bombing was ranked the fifth worst bombing of its kind in world
history, post-1970, by the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI). The
Jos bombing, with over 200 reported dead in one attack, is second only
to 9/11 and the disputed Syria chemical weapons attack.
According to the report, “In combined values, with about 80,000 people
killed in four years of largely unchecked Boko Haram violence, and with
over 4,000 killed in the first quarter of 2014 alone, Nigeria has fast
outpaced other nations of the world in deadly terror. Nigeria’s
leadership in December 2013 secured the world’s top position rating in
insecurity and failure to protect life, and discourage terror. Current
rankings put Nigeria’s leadership second only to Hitler, after
surpassing Saddam Hussein, in the current century, in terms of
deliberate internal wastage of life.”
A recent report on global life expectancy by the World Health
Organisation (WHO) has rated Nigeria low in its report titled, “World
Health Statistics 2014”, and published few months ago. According to that
publication, life expectancy for both men and women is less than 55
years in nine sub-Saharan African countries, namely: Nigeria, Angola,
Central Africa Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Lesotho, Mozambique and Sierra Leone. The yearly report is the
definitive source of information on the health of the world’s people. It
contains data from 194 countries on a range of mortality, disease and
health system indicators, including life expectancy, illnesses and
deaths from key diseases, health services and treatments; financial
investment in health, as well as risk factors and behaviours that affect
health.
Speaking at an event in New York City, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, former U.S.
Secretary of State, said the Nigerian government under President
Goodluck Jonathan squandered its oil resources, and indirectly helps
corruption to fester in the troubled country. Her words: “They have
squandered their oil wealth; they have allowed corruption to fester, and
now they are losing control of parts of their (own) territory because
they would not make hard choices.” The former U.S. Secretary of State at
the function organised by the International Crisis Group also noted:
“The Nigerian government has failed to confront the threat, or to
address the underlying challenges. Most of all, the government of
Nigeria needs to get serious about protecting all of its citizens, and
ensuring that every child has the right and opportunity to go to
school.”
That is not all, according to Sarah Seawall, U.S. Under Secretary of
State, “Corruption prevents supplies as basic as bullets and transport
vehicles from reaching the front lines of the struggle against Boko
Haram.” Back home, former president, Gen Olusegun Obasanjo, in his
assessment of Jonathan’s performance in office posited: “I don’t believe
he has performed to the expectation of many Nigerians, not just me.”
While U.S. Senator John McCain, in his view, submits that Nigerians
don’t even have a government in the right sense: “We shouldn’t have
waited for a practically non-existent government to give us the go-ahead
before mounting a humanitarian effort to rescue those girls. Mr.
Jonathan, who leads a corrupt government that has little credibility,
initially played down the group's threat and claimed security forces
were in control. It wasn’t until Sunday, more than two weeks after the
kidnappings, that he called a meeting of government officials.” (New
York Times).
To worsen the nation’s situation, President Jonathan has proven himself
as incapable of running this country as his six years of administration
have been most disastrous to the country. Our hospitals have become more
of a consulting and mortuary centres; our federal roads are now death
traps, after billions of naira had been budged and wasted and looted. We
have an elected Government that hates democracy, but prefers
‘lootcracy’! Under this administration, the civil war years can be
described as haven, as Nigerians are killed in droves today, without any
solution at sight! Under this administration, Nigerians are so divided
in both tribal and religious matters! Salaries of civil servants are not
paid! Graduates are produced in millions yearly without any plan of
employment for them. Instead of allowing these unfortunate graduates to
live in peace, they are being defrauded by government agencies, while a
good number has lost their lives in their search for nonexistent jobs!
We now have a government of deceit, which major achievement is making
our nation a laughing stock before the international community.
A government that has succeeded in making us a mockery before the
international community and African leaders; which major achievements
are trumatising and transforming the nation into darkness as well as
digitalising corruption to such a level where a whopping sum of $10
million can be said to have developed wings, and unaccounted for.
The latest in the series of global ridicule to which the scandal-prone
Jonathan Administration has subjected Nigeria to is the recent
impounding of a whopping sum of $9.3 million cash, against every norm of
international transaction; allegedly for the purchase of arms by the
President Jonathan government. The South Africa Government is currently
investigating the shameful act, alleging that this is just a monetary
laundering exercise.
My good friend, Hon Nebukadineze Adiele, while commenting on this latest
scandal stated: “Notwithstanding whatever excuses that Nigeria is
making today, the transporting of $9.3 million into South Africa alone
is a criminal act of money laundering. It violated the various monetary
policies of the entire world: it violated currency laws in Nigeria,
South Africa, U.S. (it is its currency), and any nation whose airspace
was passed as the money moved. That the money was for illegal arms
purchase is another violation of the laws of the entire world. It
violated almost every anti-arms trafficking laws of Nigeria, South
Africa, and all the nation's whose airspace was entered throughout the
journey. It was also a violation of any international treaty entered
into by Nigeria, with respect to arms control or illegal trafficking in
arms. Through this transaction, Nigeria has disgraced itself and
President Jonathan has (once more) brought his incompetence to the
international stage.”
Capturing the present state of our nation under the present
administration of President Jonathan aptly, Senator David Mark, most
successful president of the upper chamber, affirmed that Nigeria is at
war. His words: “The escalation of violence and the heinous crimes daily
perpetrated by insurgents and terrorists, including the declaration of a
Caliphate, has reached alarming proportions. Regrettably, the Boko
Haram sect, these harbingers of death, have become more emboldened and
daring, killing innocent Nigerians and destroying property at will.
“From abductions, kidnappings and bombings, the situation has now
degenerated to capturing and occupying some parts of Nigeria. In what is
obviously intended to humiliate us as a sovereign nation and test our
resolve, the terrorists have brazenly hoisted their flags to confirm
their assault and affront on our collective will as a nation. The Boko
Haram sect has in no unmistakable terms declared a total war on Nigeria
and Nigerians. Their ideology is alien to our culture.”
But sadly, after few days Senator Mark made this remarkable statement,
he was among the shameless PDP leadership that nominated President
Jonathan, who has demonstrated incompetence as a hobby, to fly the PDP
flag during the 2015 general election. So, who is deceiving who?
Ironically, Nigeria is certainly more divided under this (democratically
elected) administration than ever. And only Divine intervention can
enable us survive the visionless and clueless leadership that now
pervades our nation. Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Aminu
Tambuwal, last Thursday, observed that Nigeria was moving backwards,
saying: “There was never a time the nation passed through the challenges
it is currently facing, especially in terms of insecurity, corruption
and other vices that have been on the increase in this country.”
For leading Nigeria to its present comatose state, one cannot be far
from the truth if one says that President Goodluck Jonathan is a
colossal failure, in terms of his leadership style.
Notwithstanding the foregoing woes backed by facts and figures, a
notorious group that calls itself Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria
(TAN), which I prefer to call Tragic Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), led
by a notorious subsidy thief, and made up of scammers, rouges, vampires,
vultures, scavengers, looters, plunderers – all seeking the continued
ruination of Nigeria by the most corrupt and inept regime that has ever
infested Nigeria, headed by clueless President Jonathan in order to
continue the looting spree and impunity associated with this
administration.
Correcting the Abnormality Caused By GEJ Over PDP’s Zoning
The fact remains that the founding fathers of PDP in their wisdom,
enacted in its constitution with a Gentleman’s Agreement, that power
should rotate between the predominantly Muslim North and Christian South
every two terms. General Olusegun Obasanjo, from the southern part of
Nigeria benefitted from this arrangement for eight years (1999 to 2007).
The 2007 presidential election witnessed power shifting to the North,
but after the death of President Umar Yar’Adua, a Northern Muslim, then
Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, a Southern Christian, took over as
acting president.
The former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, said he was present
at the meeting where Dr Jonathan, then acting governor of Bayelsa
State, signed the agreement in 2003 that the North would produce the
president between 2007 and 2011; and that Jonathan, who was the deputy
governor of Bayelsa State, signed as number 43. But sadly, President
Jonathan went ahead to scuttle this policy designed by the founding
fathers, by contesting the 2011, which he won. And after spending six
years in office by 2015, he is still offering himself to contest the
2015 presidential election, which if he wins, will make him to rule the
country for ten years; against the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria that stipulates that nobody should rule the country exceeding
eight years.
Throwing light on the above, former Governor Abdullahi Adamu, one time
National Secretary of PDP’s Board of Trustees (BoT), in a recent media
interview, stated that President Jonathan’s running for the 2015
presidential election, is absolutely reneging on an agreement. According
to him, at a meeting with party leaders at the Conference Room of the
Office of the First Lady, Presidential Villa, the President agreed not
to seek re-election, after conceding that it was the turn of the North
to produce the president on the platform of the ruling party, following
the demise of former President Umaru Yar’Adua. According to him, at the
meeting, which he attended in his capacity as the then secretary of the
PDP’s BoT, virtually all the PDP governors then were present. The former
governor recalled: “I was there. I was the secretary of the Board of
Trustees of the party. The president himself was there. Some state
governors were there. Samuel Ogbemudia was there. Virtually all the PDP
governors were there. Mr. Jonathan would be violating the agreement if
he decides to enter the presidential contest, which holds in February
next year.”
Undemocratic adoption of President Jonathan for the 2015 elections by the PDP Leadership
In the Guardian News Paper Published on July 29, 2011. President
Jonathan, said and l quote “l won't stay in office beyond 2015" Not
minding the massive failure in all sectors of our economy, the
immorality and the political implication on our nation of President
Jonathan contesting the 2015 general elections; the various echelons of
PDP Leadership have adopted him as the party’s sole-candidate for the
2015 presidential election. With this development, Nigerians have no
option than to rally together and ensure that this evil calculation is
not allowed to see the light of the day as extra day after May 29, 2015
with PDP Leadership at the centre will be hellish for all of us.
The son of Nigeria’s First Republic Prime Minister, Dr. Abdul Jhalil
Tafawa Balewa, captured the illegality of this plot thus, “What type of
democracy do we have? Is the PDP a communist party? Where is the place
of internal democracy? What Nigerians need and where they want the
country to be in future are paramount issues. We need to put our ideas
before the people and allow them to decide”.
Implications of GEJ Contesting the 2015 Poll
Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, former Archbishop of Lagos and first
president of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other Nigerian
leaders knowing that President Jonathan is an embodiment of failure in
leadership have spoken against his third term bid but Dr Umar Ardo, an
Adamawa State PDP stakeholder, captured aptly the ineligibility of
President Jonathan in the 2015 general election in an open letter to the
National Chairman of PDP. He wrote: “Any person of average intellect
who read the 1999 Constitution (as amended) along with four key
judgments of the Supreme Court (INEC Vs Boni Haruna; Peter Obi Vs Chris
Ngige; Ladoja Vs INEC, and INEC Vs 5 PDP Governors), would easily
conclude that President Jonathan’s eligibility to contest for another
four-year term in 2015, or at any other time thereafter, under the
present constitution is impeded. This argument is premised on the fact
that what constitutionally applies to the governor on the issue of
eligibility or otherwise to contest elections is ipso facto applicable
to the president.
“In those judgments, the apex court had established the relationship
between the governor and his deputy on the issue of succession (Boni
Haruna); determined the holding of office in a term at four years (Peter
Obi); affirmed that a governor can stay less but not more than four
years in a term (Ladoja); and declared that tenure of the executive in
office is a cumulative maximum period of eight years, and not a day
longer (five PDP governors). By 29 May 2015, President Jonathan would be
five years 23 days as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If
the president contests and wins the 2015 presidential elections or at
any other time later, he will exceed the cumulative tenure of eight
years maximum period as interpreted by the Supreme Court. Therefore such
a contest will be unconstitutional.”
Nothing else will be far from the truth than this truism, but NEC, BoT,
and the leadership of PDP are well aware of all these facts. But in
demonstration of their hatred for our nation, they are ready to wreck
our Constitution, in their drive to achieve the misguided vision and
mission of their party.
Options, Way Out of PDP’s Evil Trap
Are Nigerians actually tired of these evil cabals that have hijacked
governance in the country? If yes is the answer; how to correct these
anomalies associated with the poor leadership of our country by PDP lay
in their hands. The fate of our country can only be ratified and put
back on track if Nigerians rise and get PDP sacked by 2015. If not, the
woes ahead on all of us may not be described. We have done too much
talking!
The Next Question: Is APC Leadership Ready to Bail out Nigeria?
All Progressives Congress (APC), to the understanding of some of us, was
divinely formed to find solution to the abnormality that PDP has become
and the quagmire state we have found ourselves as a nation. If this is
the case, the challenge before APC, therefore, is enormous; and
Nigerians will hold the leadership responsible should they for any
reason fail to rescue our nation from the 16 years of ruination of our
country by the inept leadership of PDP Government at the centre.
The Obasanjo Solution
I have read the statement of our statesman and leader, General Olusegun
Obasanjo, in his recent reaction to the PDP nomination of President
Jonathan as its sole candidate, entitled, “Obasanjo To President
Jonathan On Second Term”. He said: “Your word must be your bond.” With
respect to Gen Obasanjo, the fact remains that he created the monster in
President Jonathan, and should find how to get this puzzle sorted out
and save our nation from the doom that awaits her should this man
succeed against all odds to be re-elected by 2015
APC Presidential Candidates
One is happy with the no zoning policy adopted by the leadership of the
party and with the presidential aspirations of Gen Muhammadu Buhari,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, Governors Rotimi Amaechi of
Rivers State, Adams Oshimhole of Edo State, Okoroacha of Imo State and
Kano Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso, without post-primary crisis. Also, to add
Tambuwal’s under the platform of APC; I am sure that any of them can
send the present inept leadership of PDP to the cleaners. But the
challenge is that should there be any crack in this team, the plans and
plots of PDP will easily sail through. In this regard, I wish to appeal
that a sort of college be formed among these aspirants; to include our
governors and BoT members, to select a candidate from among them, so as
to avoid any sort of crack. This will enable us forge a united, virile
campaign that will send this enemies of Nigeria out from power. But
should any of these candidates, for any reason, decide to break this
accord, and PDP succeeds, then we all should wait to see the true
President Jonathan.
Conclusion
Many of my friends have come against me asking why I should be
postulating this position against a fellow Southerner, but I will take
consolation from the stand of the great Irish political philosopher,
statesman and the father of conservatism, Edmund Burke, who died in July
9, 1797. He may have had the messy state of our nation in mind when he
stated, and I quote: “All that is needed for the forces of evil to
succeed is for enough good men to remain silent.”
The point that I have been in the centre of the struggle for a better
Nigeria is not in doubt, prompting the penning down of this article. So
it will be sad should anybody dare suggest that I was either influenced
or motivated in writing this article for any other consideration, if not
for patriotic reasons.
The fact remains that should APC loose out in the 2015 general election,
but God forbid, the true colour of President Goodluck Jonathan will be
revealed to Nigerians. And the heat may be unbearable. The ball is now
in your court to do that which is necessary to rescue Nigeria from the
imminent doom that awaits her, should we fail in this mission.
Let me; therefore, conclude this thesis by asking you all to listen to
what the most outstanding African, both dead and living, Nelson Mandela,
said about our present predicament: “It is better to lead from behind
and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when
nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then,
people will appreciate your leadership.”
•Eze Chukwuemeka Eze was the immediate past National Publicity
Secretary of the defunct New PDP. He can be reached via 08038199163 or ezemediaconcept08@rocketmail.com