Why a new government must come

There are indices we can check to confirm the veracity of our figures, and that is why I escalated the fraud that was perpetrated in 2011 when INEC figures showed 85% voter turnout in states like Imo and Rivers, as against 28% in Ogun. Even some northern states only managed 40%. That election result was […]

There are indices we can check to confirm the veracity of our figures, and that is why I escalated the fraud that was perpetrated in 2011 when INEC figures showed 85% voter turnout in states like Imo and Rivers, as against 28% in Ogun. Even some northern states only managed 40%. That election result was written, carefully twisted to achieve a certain purpose. In human behavior, such huge variances are simply impossible.
Father Mbaka’s video, which speaks specifically about the malaise in our society, and the woeful failures of the present government, the last time I checked, had garnered about 300,000 hits; a very high figure by Nigerian standards. People are watching. For each hit, let us take it that 10 enlightened votes have somehow listened to, and seen the video. That same sermon has been made into DVD and is being sold in rural areas where the internet does not work. Like him or hate him, Mbaka has done what he NEEDS to do, as a man of peace. The rest can keep stoking hate but they will not succeed. It is now evident whose heart is evil and who wants progress.
I can call this coming election solidly for APC. Mbaka’s video has recorded an embarrassing (to PDP) 85% likes as against 15% dislikes. It was slightly worse for the haters of our motherland earlier on. It used to be 89% to 11% before our traducers, who prefer the status quo because of what they are benefitting, or because they cannot find it in their hearts to forgive, or in their minds to imagine a better, working Nigeria, started rushing to express their disgust with Mbaka. But try as they have, they cannot even make a dent. By God’s grace, Dieu Volente, insha Allah, this country, Nigeria, shall be free. We deserve to be. We can do far better than we are presently.  By God’s grace, on February 14, the day of love, Nigerians will experience for the first time, the joy of changing a government democratically and all forces of evil in Nigeria, all those hoodwinking us with their fraudulent products and fake scary visions, will be silenced.
Why would anyone even call for a continuation of this government and leadership?  What is there to sell about PDP today? All I see is woeful failures. Someone is playing up a few roads and some noise-making locomotive trains in a season of anomie? The point is have we achieved 10% of our potentials? We have frittered away tens of billions of dollars, now we seem to be beating about everywhere trying to justify where the money went! Even in better countries, running into this kind of economic quagmire is enough to sack the best of governments. Do you know how many are being owed salaries today across Nigeria? Or how many are on strike? Do you know that corruption has reached insane levels and some civil servants demand for 70% of gross? Do you know the amount of forgeries they do to get money out of the system?
Do you know how many trillions of old people’s pensions have been embezzled? Have we forgotten the police pension saga, and the one at Prisons? Could we ever forget the fuel subsidy N2.7trillion fraud of all frauds?  Are we aware of how much of money we lose in the health sector? Even monies donated by foreigners for the treatment of some of our most debilitating diseases? Are we aware of how much hang in banks upon which interest is being worked for the big men? Are we aware of how NAPEP money was utilized, not to reduce, but to increase poverty? Are we aware of how many hundreds of thousands of crude oil barrels we lose daily, despite paying to an ex-militant to guard our coasts?
Can we ever forget the import duty waiver fraud by which connected big men ride roughshod over Nigerians? All you do is make a donation to the ruling party and walk away with Trillions in unpaid duties!  Are we aware of how much customs now collect in the borders and let even drugs and guns come in unchecked? How did Boko Haram become this bad and arms and ammunitions flood Nigeria?  Are you aware of how many funny foreigners – Chinese, Indians, Nigeriens, Chadians, Malaysians, Mongolians, and crazy European and American secret agents enter Nigeria daily without visa, while immigration turns the other way and collects money? Do you know how Nigerians suddenly become wealthy without adding any value anywhere and they start to build mansions all over the place as if birds were building nests?  Do you know how much we lost in the power sector? Can we forget the fraud called ‘bailout’ by which the poor are taxed so that the rich may enjoy? Banks, private oil companies and so on were bailed out you know? Are you aware of what has become of our educational sector? Don’t we know that many can no longer continue their education today? Can we forget so soon, how many old professors demand sex from 18 years old girls for marks? Or money from boys? Has our educational sector not been totally disemboweled?
It is more than amazing what is happening with our 2015 budget. Visit the ministries today and the atmosphere is mournful. Could Madam Ngozi be so deluded that she keeps hoping against hope that crude oil prices will stay up when the whole world knows it is still on the way down? Where is the prudence and caution in the management of our resources? It seems a major budget cut is now in the offing.  What about the supposedly smart people in the Budget Office, the Planning Commission? Where did our intellect go?  All this, in a country where a certain House of Representative member lost N750million to a fraudster recently, claiming that the alleged fraudster promised to get him the PDP nomination for governorship of Delta State! How did we ensure all of Nigeria’s resources concentrated in the hands of a very few while the rest are staring at hunger and financial meltdown, with devastating effect on our children?  And some people say they want a continuation of all of this? God forbid!
Luckily, we are hearing from the places that matter. It is more than significant, that ex-president Obasanjo would not meet with the serving president except there were two prominent pastors present. The old man is tired of the many games of the incumbent apparently. There seems to be a profound character flaw which makes the man obfuscate the truth, barefacedly and compulsively, and to hang around with fishy people. How did we end up here?
But let us not be deluded. If Almighty God would hand us victory as a people, the task ahead is great and demands all chip in and sacrifice. Yes, sacrifice. We can complain all we want about how some have stolen the country blind, but we also were culpable because we ignored, or sometimes supported them because they were our kinsmen and kins-women.
Corruption will not be easy to fight except fundamental changes are made in the society. If education is still comatose and very expensive on the other extreme, people will keep stealing to send their children to school.  We need all the sound advice we can get as a country. More next week.