May 30, 2010
With every passing day, Nigerians are once again marching towards another presidential election. They have seen three of them since the so called return to democracy in 1999 and the verdict regarding the conduct and outcome of those elections are too well known to be once again belabored here. As often, Nigerians are heading towards the elections filled with some hope that this time around their votes will count and in that process, they will finally be able to break the jinx and elect the candidate of their choice; a candidate who will listen to their yearnings, aspirations, hopes and fears.
A candidate who will understand the desire of every Nigerian to be a citizen of a country he or she can proudly call home and be prepared to die for. They would like to elect a candidate who understands that corruption is the only reason why nothing works in Nigeria. But before voters can elect the candidate of their choice, they must be given genuine options. This is where Nuhu Ribadu comes in.
I will deviate a little bit in order to provide proper context for my request to Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. I believe the British were less than honest in designing and implementing the plan for Nigeria’s independence by putting in place people, programs and policies that would protect the interests of the empire for as long as possible. But I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not believe the British are so cerebral to devise and implement a plan that will see Nigeria go backwards from the very first day of independence, and Nigerians will be so intellectually bereft not to figure it out or be able to do anything about it after almost 50 years. Nigeria is not the only country that was colonized and if we are going to validate our claim as some of the smartest in the world, we must be able to outsmart our former colonial masters as other former colonies have done.
What I know is that when the British openly departed Nigeria on October 1, 1960, Nigerians enjoyed more electricity and water supply than they do now. We had postal, rail, civil service systems that worked better than they do today. Let’s travel down the highway of nostalgia for a moment and reminisce in the knowledge that Nigeria once had a functioning scholarship board, legal aid board, social service system and many other institutions that have now been confined to the dustbins of history. Governments were even honest enough to run successful lottery corporations. Not now.
One thing that has grown in exponential proportions since independence is corruption. No sane person can challenge this fact. It is the one and only reason why things do not work in Nigeria. Period. All those items listed on the present administration’s seven-point agenda are there as problems to be solved because of corruption. Put another way, if officials and their collaborators cannot steal the money meant for education, transportation, security, agriculture and other programs or are swiftly jailed for corruption, they will have no other option but to do what is expected of them. Nigeria needs a genuine all out war against corruption. Again, this is where Ribadu comes in.
We all know who Nuhu Ribadu is by now and we all know his pedigree. We know his strengths, weaknesses and imperfections. We also know his approach to corruption which is the biggest monster devouring Nigeria today. He is not a saint because he is an ordinary man. My personal belief is that he is not corrupt. I believe he could have employed better enforcement and prosecutorial tactics in the way he went about fighting corruption under former president Olusegun Obasanjo. However, given the political environment in which he operated and former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s amoebaic commitment to the war against corruption, a free and fair presidential election will give Nigerians the opportunity to decide whether to forgive Nuhu Ribadu where he erred, achievement and elect him as their next president or reject him and his achievements because of the manner in which he went about fighting corruption. It is no longer news that the country is suffocating under the neck-lock of corruption. Rather than continue to complain, all those who love this potentially great country must now dedicate their energies to drafting Nuhu Ribadu into the race.
Below are my reasons for challenging Nuhu Ribadu to join the 2011 presidential contest:
1. although there maybe, I am unaware of any other Nigerian t this point in time who has the name recognition, record of achievement and genuine political following and adoration to actually wrest power from the current political establishment;
2. his entry into the race will turn what appears to be a fait accompli for the ruling class into a real contest of ideas and a consideration of records of achievement of candidates by the voters;
3. his entry into the race will definitely shake up things and create euphoria the type of which was only witnessed during Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential candidacy;
4. whatever his faults maybe, he would appear to carry the lightest political baggage and owe the least political debt of all possible presidential candidates. I believe there is a positive relationship between the level of cronyism and the weight of a candidate’s political baggage/indebtedness;
5. quoting the late Mahatma Gandhi, Ribadu has challenged Nigerians on several occasions to be the change they desire, this is the time for him to lead by example by heading the clamor for change;
6. whether he knows it or not, there are millions of Nigerians for whom this skinny soft-spoken and affectionate 49-year old former police officer represent hope and are prepared to take a chance on him with the vote and money unless a genuinely better candidate comes along;
7. having complained about the lack of political will in fighting corruption to a standstill, the best way to obtain that political will is for him to provide it by becoming the next president of Nigeria;
8. for the millions of Nigerians from all tribes, religious backgrounds and geo-political zones who stood with him during his darkest hours, Ribadu must discharge his obligation to them by making the choice that will benefit them the most and that is by running for the presidency of Nigeria;
A Nuhu Ribadu presidency will be expectedly antagonistic to the powers that be but so is every attempt to reform a decadent system. The powers that be can only vote once (let us assume for now that President Goodluck Jonathan will be true to his words and that the votes will count in 2011) and there are millions more powerless voters in Nigeria than there are powers that be. Wal-Mart became the biggest and richest retailer in the world by catering to billions of poor people, not the few rich. A Nuhu Ribadu presidential bid may result in the re-opening of the recently dropped asset declaration related trumped up charges against him and further attempts to physically eliminate him. But that would expose the true intentions of the government and put everyone on notice regarding the elections. We, including Nuhu Ribadu, have blamed the generation before us for not sacrificing for us, this is Nuhu Ribadu’s opportunity to sacrifice for the generation that would come after him. A lot of ordinary Nigerians are looking to see if Nuhu Ribadu will open himself up to the same accusation of not sacrificing for the next generation by ignoring the yearnings of his people.
There are a few people around Nuhu Ribadu who may be nursing presidential ambitions but there would appear to be missing pieces in their puzzle with respect to the 2011 elections. Those pieces maybe in place for future elections but Nigerians cannot wait. Nuhu Ribadu does not appear to have the missing pieces problem. Friends and ordinary Nigerians who crave change must recognize “the urgency of now” by recognizing the potency of a Nuhu Ribadu presidential bid in 2011 and encourage him to hearken to the call of the people and the country. There maybe no better time for a Nuhu Ribadu presidency than now.
There is always a time in the history of every man and every nation, where those who have the abilities required for a job but do not want the job must be pressured by the people to accept the job for the good of the people and the country. That time is now, the man is Nuhu Ribadu and the country is Nigeria. Nigerians must now commit themselves to the task of bringing enough pressure to bear on Nuhu Ribadu to get into the 2011 presidential race.
A candidate who will understand the desire of every Nigerian to be a citizen of a country he or she can proudly call home and be prepared to die for. They would like to elect a candidate who understands that corruption is the only reason why nothing works in Nigeria. But before voters can elect the candidate of their choice, they must be given genuine options. This is where Nuhu Ribadu comes in.
I will deviate a little bit in order to provide proper context for my request to Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. I believe the British were less than honest in designing and implementing the plan for Nigeria’s independence by putting in place people, programs and policies that would protect the interests of the empire for as long as possible. But I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not believe the British are so cerebral to devise and implement a plan that will see Nigeria go backwards from the very first day of independence, and Nigerians will be so intellectually bereft not to figure it out or be able to do anything about it after almost 50 years. Nigeria is not the only country that was colonized and if we are going to validate our claim as some of the smartest in the world, we must be able to outsmart our former colonial masters as other former colonies have done.
What I know is that when the British openly departed Nigeria on October 1, 1960, Nigerians enjoyed more electricity and water supply than they do now. We had postal, rail, civil service systems that worked better than they do today. Let’s travel down the highway of nostalgia for a moment and reminisce in the knowledge that Nigeria once had a functioning scholarship board, legal aid board, social service system and many other institutions that have now been confined to the dustbins of history. Governments were even honest enough to run successful lottery corporations. Not now.
One thing that has grown in exponential proportions since independence is corruption. No sane person can challenge this fact. It is the one and only reason why things do not work in Nigeria. Period. All those items listed on the present administration’s seven-point agenda are there as problems to be solved because of corruption. Put another way, if officials and their collaborators cannot steal the money meant for education, transportation, security, agriculture and other programs or are swiftly jailed for corruption, they will have no other option but to do what is expected of them. Nigeria needs a genuine all out war against corruption. Again, this is where Ribadu comes in.
We all know who Nuhu Ribadu is by now and we all know his pedigree. We know his strengths, weaknesses and imperfections. We also know his approach to corruption which is the biggest monster devouring Nigeria today. He is not a saint because he is an ordinary man. My personal belief is that he is not corrupt. I believe he could have employed better enforcement and prosecutorial tactics in the way he went about fighting corruption under former president Olusegun Obasanjo. However, given the political environment in which he operated and former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s amoebaic commitment to the war against corruption, a free and fair presidential election will give Nigerians the opportunity to decide whether to forgive Nuhu Ribadu where he erred, achievement and elect him as their next president or reject him and his achievements because of the manner in which he went about fighting corruption. It is no longer news that the country is suffocating under the neck-lock of corruption. Rather than continue to complain, all those who love this potentially great country must now dedicate their energies to drafting Nuhu Ribadu into the race.
Below are my reasons for challenging Nuhu Ribadu to join the 2011 presidential contest:
1. although there maybe, I am unaware of any other Nigerian t this point in time who has the name recognition, record of achievement and genuine political following and adoration to actually wrest power from the current political establishment;
2. his entry into the race will turn what appears to be a fait accompli for the ruling class into a real contest of ideas and a consideration of records of achievement of candidates by the voters;
3. his entry into the race will definitely shake up things and create euphoria the type of which was only witnessed during Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential candidacy;
4. whatever his faults maybe, he would appear to carry the lightest political baggage and owe the least political debt of all possible presidential candidates. I believe there is a positive relationship between the level of cronyism and the weight of a candidate’s political baggage/indebtedness;
5. quoting the late Mahatma Gandhi, Ribadu has challenged Nigerians on several occasions to be the change they desire, this is the time for him to lead by example by heading the clamor for change;
6. whether he knows it or not, there are millions of Nigerians for whom this skinny soft-spoken and affectionate 49-year old former police officer represent hope and are prepared to take a chance on him with the vote and money unless a genuinely better candidate comes along;
7. having complained about the lack of political will in fighting corruption to a standstill, the best way to obtain that political will is for him to provide it by becoming the next president of Nigeria;
8. for the millions of Nigerians from all tribes, religious backgrounds and geo-political zones who stood with him during his darkest hours, Ribadu must discharge his obligation to them by making the choice that will benefit them the most and that is by running for the presidency of Nigeria;
A Nuhu Ribadu presidency will be expectedly antagonistic to the powers that be but so is every attempt to reform a decadent system. The powers that be can only vote once (let us assume for now that President Goodluck Jonathan will be true to his words and that the votes will count in 2011) and there are millions more powerless voters in Nigeria than there are powers that be. Wal-Mart became the biggest and richest retailer in the world by catering to billions of poor people, not the few rich. A Nuhu Ribadu presidential bid may result in the re-opening of the recently dropped asset declaration related trumped up charges against him and further attempts to physically eliminate him. But that would expose the true intentions of the government and put everyone on notice regarding the elections. We, including Nuhu Ribadu, have blamed the generation before us for not sacrificing for us, this is Nuhu Ribadu’s opportunity to sacrifice for the generation that would come after him. A lot of ordinary Nigerians are looking to see if Nuhu Ribadu will open himself up to the same accusation of not sacrificing for the next generation by ignoring the yearnings of his people.
There are a few people around Nuhu Ribadu who may be nursing presidential ambitions but there would appear to be missing pieces in their puzzle with respect to the 2011 elections. Those pieces maybe in place for future elections but Nigerians cannot wait. Nuhu Ribadu does not appear to have the missing pieces problem. Friends and ordinary Nigerians who crave change must recognize “the urgency of now” by recognizing the potency of a Nuhu Ribadu presidential bid in 2011 and encourage him to hearken to the call of the people and the country. There maybe no better time for a Nuhu Ribadu presidency than now.
There is always a time in the history of every man and every nation, where those who have the abilities required for a job but do not want the job must be pressured by the people to accept the job for the good of the people and the country. That time is now, the man is Nuhu Ribadu and the country is Nigeria. Nigerians must now commit themselves to the task of bringing enough pressure to bear on Nuhu Ribadu to get into the 2011 presidential race.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });