Electoral Violence And Promises

Although much has been said and written on the electoral violence that shook the foundation of our great country shortly after the announcement of the outcome of the recently concluded presidential election on 16 April, 2011, the wanton destruction of lives and property can hardly be quantified. The memory of that sad event will surely linger on for a long time to come in our minds.

It is also noteworthy that the Federal Government was able to respond timely by announcing a meagre monetary compensation of N5 million only for each of the ten slain NYSC members.

Frankly speaking, the announcement came as a rude shock to millions of people including my humble self. How? For goodness’ sake, can the Executive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be so economically stingy, mean and unrealistic as to announce with fanfare, a wretched sum of N5 million for the families of each of the deceased graduates who were mercilessly butchered while serving their fatherland and making their invaluable contributions to keep the nation together with a credible election so that people like him as the president and other numerous benefactors can be in power with the ultimate aim of amassing unlimited wealth as usual? Why should the deceased be treated as mere dogs? Not only is it a big shame, it is a great insult to parents in general.

By the way, what is the N5 million each meant for? It portrays President Jonathan as an insensitive leader which I am sure he is not. Then who advised him to offer so a meagre sum as compensation?

Probably a million naira each should have been adequate as compensation after all Nigeria is broke and the reserve is very low, not so? Haba!

What is wrong with us in this country particularly with the so-called leaders who are nothing but a bunch of pretenders, liars who derive joy in playing on the intelligence of the common man? The only lives that matter to them are those of their children and wives who frequently go abroad for even mere medical checkups and stomach disorders at the expense of the nation.

Can President Jonathan, as a graduate himself, give us a rough estimate of what it can cost an average Nigerian family in the present day Nigeria to train a child to graduate in any of our universities?

I used to assume that our president has some human milk flowing in his body and mind until he made that announcement to the embarrassment of not only the bereaved families but to all parents, and Nigerians as a whole. It has added insult to injury.

How does one quantify a life that was so brutally cut short at its prime age under such horrendous circumstances by a set of barbarians? Why should each of the ten bereaved families not be given at least a sum of N50 million as compensation which could have reduced their pains and agonies? On the whole, this should have amounted to a mere N500 million. What is N500 million compared with what the president alone spent to win the presidential election which we all saw? Who is fooling whom?

President Jonathan should please stop insulting our intelligence as a nation henceforth. Nigerians are more enlightened than he probably assumes and the earlier he realises that Nigeria is not a Banana Republic, the better for him so that he will know how to go about with the onerous task of governance in a country of 150 million people.

He should please learn from other nations who value the lives of their citizens more than any material wealth. He should also put himself in the position of the bereaved families.

Nigeria of today does not need pretenders and rulers. All we are asking for is a leader who has the political will to adequately address the yearnings and aspirations of the teeming poor masses who have always been at the receiving end of bad governments.

President Jonathan has a golden chance of making the difference by writing his own name in gold so that the ‘pan-Nigeria’ mandate given to him on a platter of gold recently will not be in vain.

The president should realise that it is not enough to fish out the big ‘guns’ behind this dastardly act who have always regarded themselves as the untouchables, they must be exposed and brought to book at least for once. The whole world is watching and waiting.

Last line, if the NYSC programme is not to be cancelled completely, to which millions of Nigerians will gladly subscribe, let the statute be amended so that members can serve in their own geopolitical zones.

Enough is enough!

•Kayode Falaiye, political commentator and current affairs analyst is based in Lagos.