Editorial note:

(The following constitutes a personal account from a concerned elderly Nigerian lady, which had been sent in about a week ago)

 

From what is playing out on TV, I believe the main reason for postponing this election is borne out of PDP’s fear of losing the election. Probably, they needed more time to intensify their campaign and try to convince the general public. They observed that APC was gaining so much attention from the public despite all the campaigns of calumny. As much as possible, they are trying to promote the President, probably buy and pay keke-napep, motor park, some churches, drivers. I believe they are playing for time and wasting our resources.

 

I hear some persons make comments like, “I like Buhari” amidst reservations like, “…but what I hear about him”. Women of my time, who were young ladies at the time Buhari was military head of state know who Buhari is and what he represents, discipline and love for one’s country. However, ‘drug-pushers’, money-launders, thieves, cocaine barons, who are the high-society men given national awards now in Nigeria, hate him with a passion and would do anything to bring him down for fear of probably facing prosecution, but it beats my imagination how people can be so desperate for power that they can use anything to achieve their goal even using human lives to play politics. I am really disappointed at the fact that a President, who said he is a one-term President, can turn around to desperately be seeking a six year tenure. This proves the façade in his actions; he didn’t probably have the confidence he would be re-elected – power is really intoxicating.

 

How desperate can we be? Let’s take a look at the journey of desperation so far:

 

(1) The Gloria, who was shot for carrying drugs. This was a lady who traveled on board an aircraft with a dead baby stuffed with drugs (cocaine). Who was that child? Having died (in whatever circumstances) freshly, the intestine and organs of the baby must have been removed like that of a chicken before stuffing it and packaging full with cocaine. Unfortunately, luck ran out on her when an air hostess noticed the baby did not move all through the journey. The air hostess raised alarm and she was arrested. Who on earth could justify (or attempt to rationalise) such gruesome act? Gloria died a good death with just a bullet, but can you imagine what that child experienced before its death? Think also of the mother, probably grieving somewhere for her child, maybe till date (“a dead child is better than a lost child”, that’s what the elders say).The likes of this woman have sent thousands of our youths into the bondage of madness, we all know how drugs destroy lives.

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(2) The President once asked the crowd in one of his campaigns, “Do you want to queue for two hours just to buy a tin of milk?” And the crowd shouted “No”. Buhari encouraged and made it a policy that when you get to a place to shop or a bus-stop, stand behind the next person; don’t push him or fight. He introduced order (travel to Dubai and see what Buhari tried to do) but our President wants to stick to the old ways; encouraging electorates to be unruly, disorderly. Disorderliness, clumsiness, survival of the fittest. Buhari also made it a policy that if you were driving and you stopped to allow other cars pass on, then other cars should stop.

 

Today, we talk about Rawlings of Ghana as a man who restored confidence in Ghana; find out what he did. How I wish Buhari’s government lasted four years, I believe he would have removed most of these bad eggs in our midst before handing over to a democratically elected government, we would have had a better Nigeria.

 

No pain no gain.

 

(3) I watched with dismay on one of our stations one of the stage-managed nonsenses I’ve ever seen. It was some supposed Boko Haram victims, singing the praise of BH, telling us how warm and nice Boko Haram has become! I told them I will not change to Islam and they said I should go, if I like I should go and join those carrying green and white! They forgot the act, the military was supposed to have rescued them. (how desperate can we be, am sure within the next 3 weeks we might see the Chibok girls. May God help our ignorance as people’s lives are used to play politics (let’s note as it has been said, “my people perish for lack of knowledge”). It is sad and I weep for my country.

 

Our Nigerian leaders are like the ostrich bird, who buries it’s head in the sand, when it sees an impending danger and forgets that all the other parts of its body is showing.

 

(4) Mr Umaru Diko, the so called billionaire. This is a man who stole billions of our money and thinks he can escape. Buhari proved that if you stole and think you can get away even outside this country, he would get you. Forget the international powers; they are one of the reasons why we are still down. When a country wants to ‘clean up’, they come up with all kinds of propaganda. If you are not mature enough, you fall prey and they will continue to rise above you and be your superpower, marching you under foot. The one thing that reduces a nation to is corruption; we’ve been here before. Which lord wants you to rub shoulders with him? As their friend, can they push Dubai and China around like they do Nigeria? I love them but sometimes they need to mind their businesses in certain issues. Australia is asking for two Cocaine-pushers from Indonesia to be set free. They carry Cocaine to destroy my people and you don’t want the country to carry out the law, which they know exists. These drug-pushers are agents sent to destroy other nations. Another alternative, Australia should sign a treaty with the Indonesian government to transfer one hundred drug addicts and five drug-induced mad men to Australia, nationalize them. With this condition fulfilled, a year later can see the freeing of one of their men. The condition can be doubled if they want the two men freed.

 

(4) Hitherto, I have nothing against the President, but am totally disappointed in his desperation for wanting to stay put; and the fact that he can call black white and white, black. If your house is clean, you have a gun, cutlass, knives; then, why are you afraid of a man with a walking stick? If the President had pivoted his campaign on what he has achieved, what he will continue to do etc, then, he would have won my respect. Any foundation laid on corruption is like building a house on sand.

To postpone elections as already done, in order to display what you have done so far, like you are doing now on the television, to buy people’s minds? That would have been your focus before now instead of slandering a man who means good for this country. By now, we would have moved forward. Using delay tactics, wasting our money, is playing on the intelligence of millions of Nigerians. He got into power by the grace of God; now he is using his own power, even if he wins, he will just be like other men, callous, desperate at all cost, so sad for someone power was given effortlessly on a platter of gold.

 

I have observed PDP; they are the ones who create trouble and turn around to point accusing fingers; insulting Buhari, using his pictures, causing trouble in most states like a man beating someone and crying at the same time. War does not start by keeping quiet, it starts by opening our mouth. We have to be careful how we insult and slander people. Nigeria is not mature enough for these abusive forms of campaign; it should be stopped. Abroad, they use diplomacy; freedom of speech does not give you the right to slander anyone.

 

What is the difference between the man who destroys with the mouth and the one with the gun? Every battle starts with the mouth. I think because of the maturity of APC, they have tried to contain the excesses of the other. I am not a politician but I am in tune with all that happens and I hate lies, backbiting, cheating and above all slandering. We should love Nigeria more than ourselves and personal desires. The international committee have predicted crisis and PDP is gradually leading us into it. I guess the plan (B) is that if they don’t win, the military should take over. What they forget is the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know. Supposing a military man like Rawlings (good devil) takes over and decides to make Buhari’s work easier by removing all these bad men in our midst; then, we will remember Buhari the president we never had. Good men become heroes only when they die in Nigeria.

 

Nigeria must not forget too quickly that PDP has been in office for sixteen years. It was when they saw APC embarking on state projects and saw many people decamping to APC, that they managed to spend one million and share billions among themselves. Before then, they just shared the money which was even the slogan people coined for them. PDP!! Share the money! How easily we forget what the President is doing now. Was contract awarded out by his previous government years back, the money stolen, the thieves are still working with him but he is too afraid to call for the contract files. If you love life you can’t lead people. The day you sign to become a President is the day you sign your death warrant. If you are selfless, then you can try; enemies are more than friends, if you do the right thing.

 

Most times, people don’t notice a failed state or country until mass retrenchment starts, salaries not paid regularly, infrastructural decay etc. These are the effects of corruption in the land. 1980s naira was higher than dollar; today 200 naira is to a dollar. 315 naira is to a pound. Nigeria is supposed to be one of the richest countries in the world. If every child born in Nigeria has 1 million deposited in a trust fund, we will still have surplus money. Instead of every Nigerian thinking of nation wealth, we are engrossing personal stolen wealth.

 

Buhari has made a good impact in our lives. He introduced order in Nigeria. He was the first president to recognize actors and actresses, using them for campaigns and adverts at that time; this is what our President is currently doing. It’s a shame that some nolly-wood actors and actresses can insult him because of money, not aware that this man is the origin of why they are recognised now. I respect the likes of Omotola Jalade who has refused to be bought. I remember the advert about Andy checking out then, which was in Buhari’s time, produced by the late Enebeli Elebuwa. Yet, they come out and ridicule themselves whereas they are supposed to be role models not people that sell their souls for money. It is my very opinion that as it stands, Nigeria needs CHANGE.