3rd July, 2012
By Joe Igbokwe.
Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC and other opposition political parties in Nigeria had the ample opportunity to rid Nigeria of PDP’s infested leadership irresponsibility in 2011 but failed in actions and deeds to seize the moment. A very big opportunity put in our laps for grabs by the forces of history to affect the much desired change was blown to pieces, leaving the marauders, predators, and serial looters to wangle their ways back to power and continue to pillage our common patrimony. A special arrangement specially organised by God for leaders of ACN and CPC to create the future we all desire was thrown to the dogs because we did not realize that there were certain decisions we have to take for ourselves and carry the cross if need be.
Now 2015 is approaching and leaders of ACN, CPC and some other interested parties have the chance again to fail or to succeed. The wind of change is blowing again, the signs are there for all and sundry to see, the problems that will require serious-minded leaders to address are staring us in the face. 13 years of inept and very corrupt leadership has led the country to the brinks and the vacuum is there for us to leverage on to influence the cause of events in 2015. We cannot afford to fail this country now that the need is greatest. Our country has been stolen and plundered in the past 13 years and woe betides all of us if we fail to chase these plunderers out of Abuja.
Nigerians must realize that the only reason Nigeria is not working is because we are not working. We have not made the right choices, we have not asked the right questions, we have not taken any affirmative action, we have not spoken truth to power when we should speak boldly and damn the consequences, we have not fought our leaders to a standstill. We play politics of the stomach, Amala and Ewedu politics, Ugba and Okpoloko, we have played politics of rub my back and I rub yours.
Fellow Nigerians, God is watching us, the world is watching us and Nigerians are watching us. All over the world the leaders exist in every country to utilize both human and material resources available in that country to transform lives for the better. In Nigeria, the reverse is the case as the more resources that come the way of Nigeria, the poorer the people become and this has been a study in contrast, which is so peculiar to Nigeria.
I am told that section 14 of the 1999 constitution says that security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. In the past 13 years I do not know whether the PDP-led Federal Government understands this section of the constitution. I do not know whether PDP leaders realize that power goes with the responsibility to deliver or whether they perceive power merely as an instrument to gain full access to the state treasury and nothing more.
I am told again that the rampancy of corruption in Nigeria is a function of low Intelligence Quotient in all of us. Now, is it true that all the 160 million Nigerians including all the Doctors, Engineers, Accountants, Lawyers, Architects, Builders, Scientist, Professors, Bishops, Imams, etc. have low IQ? If we parade the best brains in Africa and I believe it is true, then, we have no reason to be bedevilled by corruption and insecurity, we have no reason to fail.
In the past 13 years it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that PDP leaders do not understand what leadership entails. They have no developmental orientation; they have no history of development in Nigeria. Rapacious greed for power is their stock in trade. PDP has been presenting an image of unity in the face of tragedies in Nigeria and this dubious unity finds best expression in the looting of Nigeria and impoverishing a well endowed nation. We must be bold enough to stop this mess.
We have suffered the rules of idiots for 13 years and this is the time to get rid of them. 2015 presents another great opportunity to rise above primordial sentiments to retrieve our stolen country. We can only do this if our religious leaders can stop speaking from the corners of their mouths. We can only achieve this if eminent leaders can stand up and say enough is enough. We can only get the change we all desire if we speak with one voice that PDP has outlived its usefulness in Nigeria. We can do this if the leading opposition parties in Nigeria close ranks and eschew selfish interests to unite to push off this embarrassing party and its array of fraudulent governments and start the process of recovery for a well endowed but serially raped country in 2015. Nigerians are watching with keen interest!
•Igbokwe writes in from Lagos.