The frustrations of Nigerians over PDP’s track record of ‘trying’ to solve the nation’s socio-economic woes coupled with the widespread uneasiness and skepticism about Yar’adua’s ability to match words or rather political babblings with definite actions should be a wake up call to the opposition politicians in this country.
Even the most politically unenlightened are now fully convinced that Yar’Adua was not in any way prepared for the job before Obasanjo and the PDP imposed him on the people just to undo Atiku. And as if that was not enough the PDP in a desperate attempt to explain the president’s near-zero performance recently informed Nigerians that Yar’adua has taken the first two years of his administration to do nothing but study the problems of Nigeria and would require another six years to solve them. What an insult to the sensibility of the Nigerian people!
Look at what is happening to the so called electoral reform! Anything short of transparent electoral process in this country will continue to produce people that are ill-prepared, sick not only bodily but in mind as leaders of this nation. The question is: how long can we continue to tolerate aimless and clueless administrators. For how long can we wait in darkness and no potable water? How long can Nigerians tolerate the few PDP cabals that have taken the entire nation hostage?
Everyday that passes strengthens the argument that the Yar’adua-led government has no clue or maybe lacks the political willpower to address the most important and pressing socio-economic issues confronting this country. Of course how can the President tackle the problems of corruption in government when despite all the talk about transparency and accountability and zero tolerance, corruption in his government even around the President’s personal aides and associates is on a dangerous increase going by what we read and hear daily?
In definite terms, what has the Yar’adua government done to create jobs? Despite the huge earnings from the excess crude accounting, nothing has been done to create employment for our graduates rather corruption continues to thrive as an industry in all strata (Presidency, executive and National Assembly) of the government.
The increasing crime rate (armed robbery, assassinations) and insecurity across the country has gotten to the height that rogue politicians and the privileged class have resorted to hiring and heavily arming private securities to guard and protect them. Meanwhile, nobody in government thinks about the ordinary law-abiding and hardworking Nigerians that do not have the privilege of living on stolen wealth.
How can the President and his PDP address the disgraceful and near-useless public school system in the country when all their children attend schools abroad including Ghana and South Africa?
How can the President address the problems of deteriorating or rather disappearing infrastructures; demoralized and corruption-ridden public service, when he looks the other way as crucial infrastructural contracts are awarded to unqualified and incompetent cronies and even family members?
To say that there is an urgent need for credible opposition in the nation’s polity is an understatement. We need credible opposition not just to fight the President and the ruling party but to provide checks and balances in the system. More so to convince Nigerians that things can be done better and also faster.
Atiku Abubakar has repeatedly alleged that there is near absence of governance in the country and that the PDP as it is toady lacks the capacity to drive meaningful development. How true! But it is not enough to raise an alarm and leave it at that. The former Vice President should come out and take a firm stance to galvanise opposition to check the near-zero impact of government and governance on the lives of the citizens. He has the experience, capacity and doggedness to stand up against the ills of the PDP-led government and Nigerians need and will support people who can stand up for the interest of the nation.
Other opposition politicians should join Atiku to muzzle efforts and insist on change. They should speak out ‘in spirit and in truth’ against the current visionless and unpopular PDP government in Nigeria. The current situation where everybody in political conscriptions outside the PDP assumes and calls himself opposition leader even when most of these funny people sneak back to Yar’adua in the night to canvass favours must change for this country to see any meaningful development. It is either your in opposition or you are not. No fence- sitting.
Atiku and all the scattered opposition across the country should use the goodwill they enjoy at the national assembly to influence policies that would move the nation forward and better the lives of the Nigerian masses. The former vice president should use his political strategies to ensure we have good and accountable governance in this country. At this time in the nation’s democratic journey we need people with expertise in dodged politics to rise up to talk for the voiceless Nigerian masses who have decided to leave their fate to destiny.
Though opinions may differ, a recent article comparing the travails and faith of the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in the hands of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the newly elected President of South Africa Jacob Zuma in the hands of Thabo Mbeki was very interesting.
Jacob Zuma was persecuted by Mbeki and dragged through all sorts of tromped-up charges just to humiliate and stop him from contesting the 2009 presidency. Atiku also went through all sorts of frivolous charges to humiliate and stop him from contesting the 2007 presidential election.
And just as Zuma in South Africa, Nigerians were really vexed by the glaring persecution Atiku suffered in the hands of Obasanjo and this actually made him the most popular and widely accepted politician and frontline contestant for the presidential slot as the 2007 elections approached. But just because of the charade called the April 2007 elections, the nation was presented with a winner that could best be described as an imposition. Time and chance may repeat the South African experience. Who knows?
SENIOR FYNEFACE, PORT HARCOURT GRA II ([email protected])
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