It is not customary of me to write piece with such lengthy title but I am short of better ways to name this piece. Nigeria is a country blessed with good brains but I make bold to say that educating the head without equal emphasis on the integrity of the heart will only produce clever demons. We have only produced clever demons who are Nobel prize winners in corruption, mass looting, unpatriotic tendencies and maradonic prowess in diversion of public wealth for personal gratification.
I have watched with keen interest the political realignment and calculations after the well talked about open letter written by Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo to General Muhammadu Buhari. The regrouping of these old stock got me wondering what they mean by third force and if party or people are the problems of our political system. As 2019 draws close, a dumb and lame idea is been sold to us that party rather than people will solve our problem. Instead of purging the system of these old stocks that looted our common patrimony out of the system, they are regrouping and strategising change of nomenclature.
The APC reappointed all the retired and broke politicians after the youth gave it overwhelming support in 2015, PDP have no plan for new participants in the game at all.
The third force will only be a constellation of aggrieved politicians who lost out with the APC and PDP.
I have come to realize that when the European left Nigeria, it was handed over to the youth. From that time till 1998, people of 50 years and Below held sway to power. They ruled Nigeria when they were full of life and energy and things worked at least better than now.
These same sets of people have refused to mentor youths to take over. They have refused to go.
On the other side of the Gist, the political artillery failed the people whom it is supposed to protect.
The unscrupulous utterances, lukewarm and lackluster attitude of the government towards issues of national importance is heart rending. The nepotistic, ethnic coloration and religious bigotry attached to governance calls for caution.
Never have this country been divided in this country like we have been since 2010 to now. The beneficiaries of divided systems and ethnic loyalty rather than national patriotism have banked on our ignorance and emotional attachments to tribe. When it comes to sharing of our common patrimony, they get united and we become the victims.
We must be informed that while our political class whip up sentiment and employ all desperate measures to manipulate us to their benefits, we must be aware that hunger knows no tribe, death has no religion, poverty has no political party, before all these constructed separateness we were all human having same blood and flesh. Breathing same air and having same sense organs. Let us be aware that when politicians say “we are ready to die” they don’t mean themselves personally or children. They mean their money and you and me who won’t take caution but jump at doing their biddings for peanuts.
The political artillery will fail the political generals this time, we will take back our country.
Elections draw near, instead of changing the wine, we will be tempted to change the jar. Yes old wines taste better but old wines could get sour. The ever tensed and desperately power drunk politicians and the political class will employ all machinations it can garner to hoodwink and deceive Nigerians to elect them again. They have failed us and it is time to fail them.
– Igomu Ojogbami Benedict
igomuojogbami@gmail.com
As asked of me by Adukwu Isaac Dominic
