Re: Arewa needs generational shift

The rumoured presidential ambition of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is setting the stage for vicious calumnious campaign, especially against the person of PMB. In a series of vacuous pieces, authored at convenient intervals and designed to pave the way for realization of his purported dream for the highest office, hideous Machiavellian intrigues have commenced in earnest.

 

Political sycophants are either hired or hire themselves out to discredit the President, defame his character, and put him at the receiving end of their willful distortion of facts.

 

One important point should be stressed here that, every Nigerian is eligible to run for any office of their choice, provided they meet all mandatory constitutional requirements. Whether PMB will recontest or not, his party must conduct a presidential primary election in 2019, from which a winner will emerge.

 

Whether Governor Aminu Tambuwal is behind this absurdity or it is just crass political opportunism at work, only time will tell.

 

For the avoidance of doubt, this piece is essentially about examining some unwarranted claims, relevant to the topic under discussion, rather than depending Mr President.

 

I am particularly perturbed that, general elections are not just around the corner as the current administration hasn’t reached halfway through its tenure, but charlatans have started playing out their political fantasies.

Ideally one should ignore their antics, but it was Charles de Gaulle who said politics is too important to be left to politicians.

 

Of all the misleading political theories that abound in Nigeria, and that politicians and their henchmen employ over the years to hoodwink people, I find the concept of “generational hoax” as rather striking. In this old repeating tale, we are told that only politicians of certain (unspecified) age group possess the magical power that can steer us towards our political and socioeconomic disentanglement.

 

This fanciful notion had once pervaded our political arena before being faded into oblivion, it seems nowadays there are resurgent pathetic efforts towards its comical resurrection.

 

The writer of the above-titled piece gave the false impression that politically speaking, relatively young age is all that matters. But as a matter of fact, nothing is farther from the truth.

 

Take a glance for instance, at the list of EFCC ‘s criminal guests, you will note that, from prominent politicians, higher-ranking state officials to captains of private sector and members of business community, relatively younger people dominate the list. They outrival all other age groups in corruption, unethical behaviours, dishonesty, unpatriotic activities and all forms of serious criminal offenses that are detrimental to national interests.

From local council chairmen to commissioners, governors, federal ministers, and even presidents, Nigerian “generational crowd” has been well represented.

 

The immediate former President Goodluck Jonathan was 52 or so when he assumed office, but what a disastrous legacy he bequeathed hissuccessor?

 

Strip their arguments of this fraudulent “generational cover” standing before you will be a bunch of desperate political pretenders who constituted and still constitute part and parcel of a system that is the bane of, as in the writer’s words “descent into the doldrums of economic hardship and political despondency”. They bear the brunt of all our physical and psychological disorganization.

 

Nothing further complicates this “generational hoax” lack of age group specification. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 64, for instance, appears to be the only member of their much disdainful “old brigade” to survive their rampant attacks. He has been spared due to his outstanding political relevance.

 

Capitalising on some normal political differences and other trivialities, the writer, betrayed by his confused mindset, speculate about imminent collapse of political alliance in the APC as a result of “the rush and rash manner the alliance was conceived and implemented.”

 

Even with dethronement of PDP, the largest political party in Africa, and subsequently the slots of vice presidency and many key federal ministers to his credit, Bola Tinubu ‘s hard labour, according to the writer ‘s warped mind, bears no fruits. The “generational crowd” is now entreating him to form “a perfect alliance” with them that will fantastically fulfill all his political yearnings.

 

Can Bola Tinubu afford to endorse the inordinate ambition of these power hungry politicians who are blatantly discourteous to the elderly and boldly taunting elder statesmanship concept?

 

Assume for the sake of argument, the writer ‘s presidential dream becomes a reality, he will certainly vie for the second term and by the time he completes his two terms, Bola Tinubu will have been in his mid-seventies and conveniently joined the rank and file of “political leadership that ages without allowing natural due process of generational replacement”. He will come to terms with his new status of “surviving old brigade” with his dear friends as “recycled off-shoots” and subsequently endures what the Writer termed as “rebellious rejection of elder statesmanship”.

 

Mark my words, his shot at presidency will only take place in the otherworld. Will Bola Ahmed Tinubu accede to these “generational crowd’s” dupery? Will he gullibly turn a blind eye to his political vulnerability? Can the southern Nigeria afford “Arewa” three consecutive terms?

 

By the way, here are few posers for Adeiza and his like-minded friends in their clownish project; how your candidate’s performance outmatched that of any other “Arewa” governor? How his governorate in his state particularly better off than other “Arewa” states? Apart from attainment of personal glory and self-importance, what are your candidate’s peerless records among his “Arewa” peers such as El-Rufa’i or Masari?

 

From presiding over a lower chamber that consisted of few hundreds of mostly self-serving characters to conveniently moving into a state government house – courtesy of a benevolent godfather, I can’t see how these personal attainments make a person politically unsurpassable in any way.

 

Only “Arewa” that exists in the figment of their imagination can afford to surrender its future to these vested interests, driven by misguided quest to grab power at all costs to satisfy their personal aggrandizement.

As they keep lining their pockets from their sycophantic business patrons, I hope our political clowns will also keep on entertaining us.

 

Musa wrote this piece from Zoo Road, Kano.