Nigeria and Buhari
January 9 2016 By Abiodun Giwa
Many Nigerians are confused. They say that they are unsure about the direction of the country's political and economic journey. They voted for change. They thought they got the change. But the confusion on the ground from the fight against corruption, dwindled income from oil and governments' measures affecting money circulation point to a drastic change, but not the kind of change that they voters have expected. The ruling party's apologists say that the government is on the right path.
But impoverished voters are saying that they want hunger and misery banished from their lives and the lives of their children.. They say that they have had too much of that in the past and that they want something new that is the opposite of hunger and misery, which have always been part of their lives. But the government says it has to instill discipline and accountability before it can still to deliver on its campaign promises, and the government has continued to ask to be given time before it will begin to deliver on its promises.
The government has not denied that it has promised the electorate a change but it is saying that the change cannot be fulfilled without some certain modalities like collecting money stolen by former government officials, especially those the new government succeeded. The government apologists say that means the government would have to first of all fight a successful war against corruption for it to have the money to deliver on its promises. But many members of electorate said the government never gave that during the electioneering campaigns.
Meanwhile, the only fight against corruption currently being managed is over the money said to have been meant for military wares to fight Book Haram, but which has been diverted by the former ruling government chief security officer to President Goodluck Jonathan. The distribution of the money by the former CSO has reached virtually all hands including a major section of the media. Almost every have been tainted, and those names have not been mentioned as having collected money cannot be sure that their names will not soon come on the list.
For the first time on Friday, the media reported that that a close associate of President Muhammed Buhari has been questioned by the country's anti-graft agency, and that the presidency said that it would not intervene in the interrogation of the former military officer, said to have been the president's confidant from their days in the military, the opposition and now in the ruling party.
The report said it is the first time that a ruling party member is being questioned. All along, the torch has been target at the opposition members. The result of the lopsidedness in the investigations that seem to criminalize opposition members and exempt ruling party members is the cross carpeting of a large number of opposition members to the ruling party. A female member from the opposition party who is reportedly struggling in a court over her senate seat has crossed over to the ruling party. Another notable politician in the East already being investigsted has crossed to the ruling party.
The reason for the carpet crossings amid the trouble of being in the opposition is that none of the ruling party members known to have misappropriated money in the past has been questioned and the ruling party's well wishers like Olusegun Obasanjo are of course free man despite their questionable wealth. Many Nigerians say that the Dasuki's phenomenon and the sharing of money among top government officials isn't a new thing and that it is why many Nigerians have been impoverished, because money that should be used to develop the country and make life meaningful for majority of Nigerians have always gone into private hands.
Buhari first came in 1984 with a promise to right the wrong, but he was himself overthrown because he became part of the problem, rather than appeal than rallying the entire country, he went after those he described as corrupt. he berated them and the came after him. Many people consider him fortunate for having a second chance, a second chance to right the wrong, but people are already saying that his acts this time around is no different o his first time. They say he is after those he describes as corrupt, leaves his promises to the people unattended and the same fight between him and the those he describes as corrupt has again started.
They say the act of the angels and the corrupt going after each other is a case of two elephants fighting and that at the end of the day, It is the people that suffers the brunt. People are saying that it is not impossible for the ding-dong and the cycle in the country's political life to happen again, because it is a case of survival of the fittest and those that are being berated today may also fight back and Buhari's effort to bring his promised change will become a mirage. The worst many people say they expect is for Buhari to go after all the past government functionaries known to have become billionaires from being government officials and not just his immediate predecessors in opposition to his government, and while doing that to also give attention to the fulfilment of his election campaign promises.
But impoverished voters are saying that they want hunger and misery banished from their lives and the lives of their children.. They say that they have had too much of that in the past and that they want something new that is the opposite of hunger and misery, which have always been part of their lives. But the government says it has to instill discipline and accountability before it can still to deliver on its campaign promises, and the government has continued to ask to be given time before it will begin to deliver on its promises.
The government has not denied that it has promised the electorate a change but it is saying that the change cannot be fulfilled without some certain modalities like collecting money stolen by former government officials, especially those the new government succeeded. The government apologists say that means the government would have to first of all fight a successful war against corruption for it to have the money to deliver on its promises. But many members of electorate said the government never gave that during the electioneering campaigns.
Meanwhile, the only fight against corruption currently being managed is over the money said to have been meant for military wares to fight Book Haram, but which has been diverted by the former ruling government chief security officer to President Goodluck Jonathan. The distribution of the money by the former CSO has reached virtually all hands including a major section of the media. Almost every have been tainted, and those names have not been mentioned as having collected money cannot be sure that their names will not soon come on the list.
For the first time on Friday, the media reported that that a close associate of President Muhammed Buhari has been questioned by the country's anti-graft agency, and that the presidency said that it would not intervene in the interrogation of the former military officer, said to have been the president's confidant from their days in the military, the opposition and now in the ruling party.
The report said it is the first time that a ruling party member is being questioned. All along, the torch has been target at the opposition members. The result of the lopsidedness in the investigations that seem to criminalize opposition members and exempt ruling party members is the cross carpeting of a large number of opposition members to the ruling party. A female member from the opposition party who is reportedly struggling in a court over her senate seat has crossed over to the ruling party. Another notable politician in the East already being investigsted has crossed to the ruling party.
The reason for the carpet crossings amid the trouble of being in the opposition is that none of the ruling party members known to have misappropriated money in the past has been questioned and the ruling party's well wishers like Olusegun Obasanjo are of course free man despite their questionable wealth. Many Nigerians say that the Dasuki's phenomenon and the sharing of money among top government officials isn't a new thing and that it is why many Nigerians have been impoverished, because money that should be used to develop the country and make life meaningful for majority of Nigerians have always gone into private hands.
Buhari first came in 1984 with a promise to right the wrong, but he was himself overthrown because he became part of the problem, rather than appeal than rallying the entire country, he went after those he described as corrupt. he berated them and the came after him. Many people consider him fortunate for having a second chance, a second chance to right the wrong, but people are already saying that his acts this time around is no different o his first time. They say he is after those he describes as corrupt, leaves his promises to the people unattended and the same fight between him and the those he describes as corrupt has again started.
They say the act of the angels and the corrupt going after each other is a case of two elephants fighting and that at the end of the day, It is the people that suffers the brunt. People are saying that it is not impossible for the ding-dong and the cycle in the country's political life to happen again, because it is a case of survival of the fittest and those that are being berated today may also fight back and Buhari's effort to bring his promised change will become a mirage. The worst many people say they expect is for Buhari to go after all the past government functionaries known to have become billionaires from being government officials and not just his immediate predecessors in opposition to his government, and while doing that to also give attention to the fulfilment of his election campaign promises.
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