Okenyi Kenechi
Nigerians have been cringing at the joke that took place in Kogi and Bayelsa some Saturdays ago. They have been asking critical questions like how can the electoral processes be this prone to manipulation where those who dish out the most despicable of violence return as winners.
They seem to have quickly forgotten the violence and riggings that trailed the February and March general elections and how the president refused to assent to the amended electoral act unless it will be used after his re-election. In search of a solution, Nigerians were served a bigger problem that they do not know how to deal with.
After closely monitoring the 2019 general elections, I only laugh at those who express dismay at the way Bello was returned.
There is no country as you want a country to be. There are slave masters and their slaves. Slave masters of the old used whipping and amputations to deal with their subjects. The present ones use guns and a so-called constitution to perpetual eternal violence on the consciousness of the people.
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A people get the kind of leaders that they deserve. Such open-face robbery can only take place with the active participation of the people who do not know the implication of their active participation because they lack proper education.
Every government right from the time of military invaders screams at the top of their voice that they will tackle corruption while openly encouraging the same. Or is the use of security agents to snatch election materials, not corruption?
Nigeria’s problems are not corruption per se as the rulers want us to believe. Nigeria’s problems are the lack of knowledge of what a good society looks like; where rights are respected, court orders are obeyed, where rule of law exists, there are basic amenities like good roads, hospitals and standard schools for quality, not quantitative education.
Is it not sad that after 50 years of independence, Nigeria still generates 3000 kilowatts of electricity; something that is not enough for some offices in other countries? How can a nation develop like this?
Let me refresh your mind a little… On the 23rd of February 2019, at least 30 persons were killed in Abonnema by the military. Up to date, no one has been held responsible for those killings. What we saw was politicians going on national television to rationalise why such killings became necessary. Are we animals?
There are few takeaways from politics in Nigeria – people die to elect those who would lead them. The leaders encourage people to die to ensure they get to power. This is like an animal kingdom that we watch on Nat Geo Wild where violence rules supreme.
Another take away is that poor people help politicians to rig, kill and maim their fellow poor people. And by poor people, I mean poor police and military officers and poor ordinary citizens.
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Someone asked why it doesn’t happen in Europe and America, not even in China. And I replied “value”.
A leader who values people thinks of better ways to improve their lifestyle. He travels to other places and takes good things he observed back home. That was how places like Dubai developed. That was how M I Ọkpara led Eastern Nigeria to its ever plan to full industrialization. That was how Obafemi Awolowo revolutionized education in South West.
A leader who has no value for the citizens only remembers them at each election circle.
Nigerians have been abused to the level where they have lost dignity for themselves. Yes. They praise politicians for paying salaries. Politicians will owe them their entitlements for years and still get re-elected. There are no consequences for political bad behaviour.
They do not even want you to complain so they introduce obnoxious bills like hate speech and social media regulation bills to make the decimation total.
It was Lord Denning who said: “Freedom of speech means not only freedom for the views with which you agree but also freedom for the views which you hate and deplore.”
A few days ago, the Senate passed a bill to increase VAT from 5 to 7.5 per cent. Nobody coughed. Before that, the CBN had introduced a policy of levying accounts 3 and 2 per cents for deposit and withdrawal when in excess of 500k. Nobody coughed.
Recall that at the twilight of Obasanjo’s tenure, he increased VAT. The current APC national chair led Labour staged national protests. I wonder what happened to Labour from 2015 to date.
Then they began collecting 50 naira from POS users at each transaction above 1000. The CBN said the process is to fast track its cashless policy. But how do you encourage cashless policy by charging people for going cashless? Nobody coughed, although there is a suit challenging that policy before a federal high court in Port Harcourt.
Ever since Buhari’s government agreed to pay the 30k minimum wage, they have been running from pillar to post looking for ways to tax the ordinary people hard without losing their own benefits.
Taxing the masses is not a bad thing but where are the palliatives?
In other places, such imposition of hardship on the people would have led to protests but Nigerians know better. If the protest is not funded by politicians, we won’t dare. Or didn’t they increase pump prices after the Ojota macabre dance?
That is why I pity Sowore and people like him who think that once they are arrested, millions of Nigerians will troop to the streets chanting Aluta Continua. Nigerians had more balls during the military regime with real khaki than this military regime with agbada.
Then you have a Senate President who tells the president that any Bill he sends to them will be given prompt attention. That is why the bill to increase vat scaled through without opposition.
Buhari said Saraki and Dogara stopped him from performing. But now we understand the kind of performance he meant, now that they got their man-Friday as head of the legislature and aeroplane driver as head of the judiciary.
Nigeria is a giant cotton plantation.
