It makes millions of jobless, hungry, and hurting Nigerian youths sick when Joe Igbokwe deliberately set out to mislead the public in an effort to sell expired presidency of President Muhammadu Buhari. Joe Igbokwe's article Do They Know PMB Is Working For Them? Published in SaharaReporters February 13, 2018, could easily pass for Satanic Verses at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari presides over a misery-laden country where Nigerian masses groan under the weight of abject poverty, chaos, and crisis, insecurity, fear, and uncertainties.
In his article, Igbokwe as a mouth piece of All Progressives Congress (APC) party was evasive as to how Buhari is working to transform the lives of abandoned and forgotten youths with concrete, visible, and verifiable proofs. As is often the case with propagandists, they have to maintain the illusion of objectivity. Igbokwe sounds like a thumb-sucking apologist for the failed government of Buhari.
Igbokwe attempts miserably to clothe the incompetence, incoherence, and nepotism of Buhari's administration with new meanings. He tries to relegate Buhari's neglect and exclusion of the youths to the realm of self-laudatory fable. The question is not "do they know PMB is working for them?" Rather, the question should be: Do they know PMB is not working for them?
Three years out of the four-year term of Buhari's administration, a great number out of 41 promises contained in APC Manifesto signed by the then candidate Muhammadu Buhari have not been initiated let alone being implemented. His signature program – corruption – is in shambles and in retreat. It would take too long to go through the 14-point manifesto.
He failed to initiate action to amend the Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties, and responsibilities to states in order to entrench true federalism. He failed to end immunity for elected officials from prosecution as promised. He failed to make full disclosure in media outlets, of all government contracts over N100m prior to award and during implementation at regular intervals. He failed to create states and local governments police.
He's too distant and aloof to ensure unity, peace, and progress to make for stability and prosperity in a diverse multiethnic nation like Nigeria. He couldn't provide incentives for Nigerian doctors and health practitioners working abroad to return home to strengthen the healthcare industry and provide quality care to those who need it. He continued to encourage by personal example, medical treatment abroad of elected public officials at the expense of Nigerian tax payers.
Do they know Buhari is breaking his back by maintaining the moribund system and sticking to the status quo that continues to make the country a “shithole,”? Do they know that his economic policy have turned unemployed young men armed robbers and young women prostitutes? Do they know Buhari's nepotism marginalized them, robbed them of their future, and make them second class citizens in their own country? Do they know Buhari is not in a hurry to make life better for them by dragging his feet on sweeping changes that could have brought reform and relief to them?
Do they know that Buhari ran in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015 to carry out the Northern Agenda instead of the Nigerian Agenda that would have greatly benefited them? Do they know Buhari opposed devolution of power, local and state government police, a new revenue formula based on derivation, and other progressive ideas that would have reformed the lopsided federal system which heavily favors northerners? Do they know that Buhari shields all the corrupt members of his inner circle who are mainly Hausa-Fulanis?
Do they know that Buhari is not working for them when he's too paralyzed with fear and indecision to craft a job creation bill that would have created millions of jobs for them? Do they know Buhari wasn't prepared and ready for the challenges and responsibilities of the presidency? Do they know Buhari is a weak president who could hardly move the nation forward with confidence, hope, and faith? Do they know Buhari is morally insensitive and politically complacent to their sufferings and sorrows? Do they know that by Buhari's inaction and indecision they have been degraded, humiliated, abused, and imprisoned by poverty, fear of today, tomorrow's insecurity, and a hopeless future?
Do they know Buhari is an unaccountable chief executive who ignores court orders and rule of law when it suits his purpose? For example, he's yet to obey the Supreme Court ruling that names of looters and amount refunded be published. Do they know Buhari administration eschews accountability, commits heinous acts in secret, tolerates widespread corruption? Do they know Buhari generally embraces a totalitarian attitude in which the leader can break the laws whenever he feels so?
Do they know Buhari retreats from acting whenever the Hausa-Fulani cabals whine incessantly? Do they know that Buhari budgets N2.2 billion to monitor critics on social media that won him the presidency? Do they know N4.9 billion is earmarked for maintenance of electricity in Aso Rock? Do they know N1.4 billion is set aside to clean and fumigate office of the national security adviser?
Do they know Buhari and his attorney general Malami couldn't agree which thief to prosecute? Do they know corruption in Nigeria has gotten worse since Buhari became president? Do they know under age voters are being registered in the north that would give the election away to Buhari even before we cast our votes?
The artificial government of Buhari is encouraging evils destructive to the lives of our youths.The practices and indulgences his administration foster are steadily incapacitating the physical and mental strength of our youths. It has place on them intolerable burden of intemperance, crime, unemployment and wretchedness. This is how Buhari is working for our youths.