Pebbles with Igbotako Nowinta.
“In a constitutional democracy, the rule of law is usually held sacrosanct, but in Nigeria, where democracy is still in the embryo, where the cabal that controls Nigeria is above the law of the land. They willfully obstruct, indict, threaten and resist the peaceful orderly democratic process to satisfy their insatiable interests, fugitives to truth. This is the character of the ruling class in Nigeria”- Quoted in Nowinta’s book- WHERE WE ARE (Page 131).
October 1st, 2014, as usual, the national ritual was held, even as President Goodluck Jonathan took time to address the nation in a nationwide broadcast. Like what a friend told me by noon on October 1st 2014, that “what do you expect the president to do than to do the talk?”
Really, Mr. President of the most populous black nation on earth did the ‘talk’. Well in all my years as a public affairs analyst, I have never really seen where ‘talk’ alone has brought unprecedented transformation to any country.
If one is to take a holistic appraisal of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential broadcast, in summary, the President had said we still have a country called Nigeria, with or without Boko Haram’s unfathomable bestialities.
This year’s independence anniversary reminds me of the title of Chinua Achebe’s last book: “There was a country”, before he took his last breath in Boston, Massachusetts , United States on March 21, 2013, at the ripe age of 82.
By the time the legendary Achebe was being lowered to mother earth on May 23rd,2013, in response to deafening issues on the state of the nation , which the book threw up at that point in time, President Goodluck Jonathan was compelled to declare that “There is a country.”
In saying “There is a country” at the grave side of departed literary icon, President Jonathan, as the number one citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was simply saying Nigeria must survive despite its multifarious challenges.
But, in the face of glaring stark realities starring at us unblinkingly in the face, do we really have a true country after 54 years of Nationhood?
If Nigeria must survive as a country, or gallop along without meaningful development impacting on the ordinary people of Nigeria, should we really be bold, proud and honest to say what we have is a country?
I was reading about the plans of Ghanaian President, Mahama to start distributing electricity to Nigerian very soon from that country.
Hope we have not forgotten that we used to supply Republic of Ghana with electricity shortly after we gained phony Independence?
If we have a true country, by now we should be correcting our numerous mistakes, instead of compounding them, even after 54 years of nationhood?
What happened in Ekiti State recently shocked me to discover that a word has not been heard from the presidency about the brazen anarchy that was unleashed on the Judiciary in that part of the country.
How on earth could supporters of a man (Governor-elect) for that matter have the effrontery to recklessly and shamelessly wreak such magnitude of violence and mayhem on some judges and the judiciary, if they have not been adequately informed that nothing will happen to them?
And truly nothing is actually happening to them, because they are simply untouchable.
Indeed, at 54, the level of impunity is mind-bogging. If we are in a sane or just society where the rule of law is held in high esteem or where the fear of breaching or flouting the laws of the land is the beginning of wisdom, a personality like Governor-elect Ayo Fayose, who is battling a case of corruption with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), would never have dared to re contest a post, such as the governorship race of a state where he was humiliatingly impeached by the then State House of Assembly.
It beats my imagination that a political party (that boasts of the largest membership in Africa) like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could condescend so low , as to allow a character like Ayo Fayose , with corruption case hanging on his neck, to emerge as its governorship candidate in a state of civilized people, like Ekiti.
It is ridiculous and incredible that such a ‘dirty guy’ with questionable past is waiting to be sworn in as the next Governor of Ekiti state come October 16th, 2014.
The way things stand today, the corruption case against him will never see the light of the day as the tough guy or ‘bully’ will soon be covered by immunity.
The implication of that is that he will smoothly do his four years as governor of Ekiti state.
If President Jonathan really wants to stand by what he said in Ogidi on May 23, 2013 close to the grave side of Chinua Achebe that: “All of us must work together so that our children will know there is a country”, all those who planned and executed the blatant assault and insult on the judiciary in Ekiti state must be fished out without compromise and punished accordingly.
The Ekiti Eleven (E-11) who want sanity to prevail in Ekiti state must be commended by challenging the mess and impunity which governor-elect and his supporters in and outside the state want to rob on us all.
If Fayose has a case to answer he must be made to face the music; if he has lied to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while filling his eligibility form about his dirty and nauseating political past (which some of us are abreast with anyway) he should be exposed and disgraced.
I don’t think we should sentimentalize this issue at all. If there is a country according to President Goodluck Jonathan, the likes of Ayo Fayose must be stopped from public office, no-matter how close they are connected with the powers that be in the country.
I just read about the Mo Ibrahim’s recent report rubbishing the anniversary claims of President Jonathan that he has reduced poverty by 50% and so on.
In a nutshell, what the Mo Ibrahim Foundation index of African Governance has said is that Nigeria is now ranked 37th out of 52 African countries in public governance .That is to say that corruption, ineptitude, impunity e.t.c have led the people to the greatest abyss ever, after 54 years of independence.
Where has politicization of everything led us in this country, where has the activities of men of low capacity and questionable characters led us 54 years after?
If ethnic, political and religious lunatics, such as we have seen manifested in the activities of Boko Haram, and if:“ all of us must work together so that our children will know there is a country”, President Jonathan must sacrifice Ayo Fayose and do the right thing about our present porous electoral system.
The judiciary must be saved from political criminals!
Nowinta wrote, WHERE WE ARE- A CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION IN NIGERIA
