The shameful comic show on who is more corrupt depicted in APC’s hypocrisy and PDP’s legendary stupidity points to the worthlessness of the Nigerian electorate. As corruption eats away the fabrics of Nigeria, the nation seemed darker and smaller, yet, these corrupt men display their swaggering buffoonery on national TVs and walk with their heads high, not bowed; hands thrust into their pockets, not covering their faces in shame. Christ, is it that easy?
The shameful comic show on who is more corrupt depicted in APC’s hypocrisy and PDP’s legendary stupidity points to the worthlessness of the Nigerian electorate. As corruption eats away the fabrics of Nigeria, the nation seemed darker and smaller, yet, these corrupt men display their swaggering buffoonery on national TVs and walk with their heads high, not bowed; hands thrust into their pockets, not covering their faces in shame. Christ, is it that easy?
The political leaders in the APC and PDP have been like a beautiful-poisonous butterfly that sucked us in their corrupt acts. Our worst nightmares took on flesh as we watch them make a mockery of corruption on national and social media. List and counter list of chronically corrupt men that should be behind bars are rather flashed around like gold. What a joke us, gullible Nigerians.
How could one explain the swaggering buffoonery of Buhari’s administration that rode into power with the promise to rout corruption in the Nigerian system? The failure of President Buhari to reign in on corrupt elements in the APC and his kitchen cabinet has emboldened the dreadfully corrupt elements in PDP to join his administration in making a mockery of governance. The endemic corruption in the Nigerian Judiciary has not helped in the anti-corruption fight. Defense attorneys have exploited this weakness to either buy judgment or prolong cases indefinitely.
As a result, these crooks in PDP and APC have reduced Nigeria to ashes. After soiling the ground with their excretion, they perched above from where they smile wickedly down at us as we thread blows among ourselves on social media. Like mumu, we are oblivious to the fact that we are the victims in this mockery of governance by these men. Shame on us!
These APC and PDP men making a mockery of corruption are heartless. They see corruption as a national culture, now, it is an obsession. The darkness created by their corrupt acts is incandescent. So, we were again, captured by the Transparency International. We watch them lie again, distorting the facts on the ground so that nobody saw the nature of what it concealed. But we all know, always had known.
I pity the Vice President Pastor Osinbajo anytime I hear him threatening to expose the corrupt activities of Goodluck Jonathan and PDP. Here is Osinbajo, “The corruption of the previous five years destroyed the economy”. Yet, President Buhari is hosting, courting, caressing, and kissing Goodluck Jonathan, Sambo, Maina, and Usman Yusuf of National Health Insurance Scheme.
The APC and PDP zealots see no problem accepting that one is as corrupt as the other. That’s why Femi Fani-Kayode, Sambo Dasuki, Babachir Lawal Abba Kyari, Joshua Dariye, Stela Oduah, Tinubu, Metu and others could embezzle billions, yet their party treats them, their companies and associates as if he were some deity. This mockery of anti-corruption fight in Nigeria by PDP and APC is yet another proof that rather than curb or stop corruption, the political class prefers to create an equilibrium on a corruption scale so that they can continue looting with impunity.
It is easy to start off with moral standards, strong conviction and determination to bid down corruption. But it is difficult to live to these good intentions unless the leaders are strong and determined to deal with all transgressors and without exception. President Buhari may have had an intention, but has clearly demonstrated lack of commitment and determination to make a lasting impression on the fight against corruption. President Buhari’s selective “war” on corruption is now a rapport with the crooks in PDP and APC.
When the present administration came to office, they made a great play of their total honesty and dedication. Three years later, everything remains the same (or did I hear you say worse?). Favoritism, nepotism, covert and overt corruption has infected high places. Now, the whole society has degraded as opportunists who masqueraded as Democrats and achieved "helicopter" wealth by embezzling public fund are shamelessly giving Buhari and Nigerians “waka” sign.
The current drama in the fight against corruption clearly demonstrated the present administrations lack the right mental attitude in tackling the endemic corruption and corrupt practices in the government circle. The irrelevant dramatization of the list of ‘looters’ is not the end of corruption in Nigeria. It is not even the beginning of the end. Buhari and EFCC should note that no matter how many arrests made, no matter how many are charged to court, high profile convictions is what counts.
The fight against corruption by APC and Buhari’s administration has been judged and found wanting. We are all sick of the TV drama that comes to total nonsense. Elbert Hubbard once said that nothing great has ever been achieved without much enthusiasm. The enthusiasm in our current fight against corruption should and must be demonstrated through the trial and sentencing of corrupt government officials and their collaborators, no matter how highly placed they are. Neither APC nor PDP can give us this enthusiasm. That’s why we should kick them out in 2019.
I have been asked severally, how? How can we bring APC and PDP down to size? The first step is to reject the notion that we are worthless by not being part of the comic show being displayed by APC and PDP. We also need to establish the feeling that we are one people sharing a common destiny. We must reject the politics of religion and ethnicity. Then, we should be furious and remain furious until these crooks in APC and PDP are shoved out in 2019.
The deplorable effect of carefully orchestrated comedy on serious acts of corruption on the psyche of the next generation in Nigeria is too dangerous for silence. If a deaf person does not hear the Harmattan blowing, will he not feel cold? Will the next generation of Nigerians who are feeling the cold effect of corruption rise together and teach APC and PDP some lesson? Will anything change in 2019?
The resounding answer is, yes! If only we can coalesce around a 21st Century leader with honesty as a habit and economic blueprint to unlock our economy. Yes, we can reassert our worth by electing a generating of leaders that will put their lives in jeopardy to rescue and change the Nigerian society, not to enrich themselves as our current leaders are doing.
This is a clarion call on Nigerians to reject APC and PDP, ‘shine’ our eyes and support an energetic presidential candidate of a new coalition. Together, we can.
You can email Churchill at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @churchillnnobi
