…we just lost Edo State…
It is rumoured that the dinosaurs perished, to extinction, because they could not hear, see, nor sense, the great walls of ice cascading towards them. They were just entombed for thousands of years…so, will the All Progressives Congress ( APC, the National level ruling political Party in Nigeria) stand rooted to the spot and watch it’s death. The APC is anchored on TWO people. Just 2,as in 1,2 : Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu. There is no clearcut successor. There never was a clearcut successor. The story of the APC is a miniature of the story of the Nigerian Nation. But, a badly copied script. At least, in the Nigerian Story, there were identifiable leaders from each region. Today, those minions( whom I called “pretend sane”, in my last post, trudging and elbowing people from the corridors of Aso Villa ( that’s the seat of the Nigerian government) have “cleverly” shoved Bola Tinubu and Adams Oshiomole into oblivion and completely erased Audu Ogbeh and Senator George Akume, the two most prominent leaders of the Middle Belt ( the North Central Zone) from the political map. But, how deluded and blind! The simpletons forgot the popular saying, ” cut off your nose to spite the face.” In Mar of 2019 and repeated two months ago, my post, The Enemies Within, I wrote that those destroying the APC were within. Many top Government appointees are backstabbing each other. Ordinarily, with the narratives,at our disposal, should APC have lost Edo State?
Today,the chickens are rushing home to roost;rather early in the day. APC held States are falling into the once comatose(circa 2015- 2017) People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ) enclave. The PDP is not the proverbial phoenix. No. It is the child of subterfuge and hibernation. The Greeks of yore, in desperation, thought up the ultimate subterfuge:The Trojan Horse. Now, military strategists of tomorrow will look at the simplest of tricks, the PDP in its bid to survive, sent some of its choicest members into the fold of the APC. Such a simple trick. Blinding in its simplicity: Openly infiltrate the highest echelons of the APC – with your money.Destroy its fragile and non- organization. And bring us back to power. The States are falling back into the fold of the PDP – Benue, Edo, Oyo..and without needing a soothsayer, Ondo; and there’s nothing the APC can do about it. The APC? Laughable! There’s no APC. I once wrote that there were TWO Political Parties in Nigeria. How naive and overly optimistic. There is only one Party. The People’s Democratic Party (The PDP). Increasingly, the President is being encircled. Oh! PMB will survive to 2023. Then, he will bow out. Then, the PDP will slide back to power; and all those “APC Chieftains and stalwarts” – former PDP Governors,former PDP National and State Legislators,even LG underlings, will troop back,in mock decamping ceremonies. Don’t think Saraki failed. Don’t think OBJ failed. Don’t think the PDP is weak. The military call it “strategic regrouping”. By penning disorganising “letters”; by tweeting endlessly,they weaken the support of the APC; especially, in the face of such bumbling indecisions and “strongman tactics”,where reason should hold sway. Although, the missteps are too numerous to list, here are a few unbelievable ones: The household palliatives should have been given through bank accounts/ and either the Voter’s Card or National Identity Card. The insistence on a Social Register ( put together by the UN and “consultants” and “monitors”) – who sit in Abuja, Lagos and Makurdi – and cook up data of the “poorest of the poor”. Will any family accept such a tag? At least, not in the Middle Belt.Not in the Southwest; not in the Southeast; definitely, not in the Northeast – among the proud Kanuris or in the Northwest – the truly aristocratic tribes, will agree to such tag. So, among which group are there people accepting to be called ” poorest of the poor”? In fact, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State should be ashamed that there are people in his very “enlightened” State that he can proudly call “poorest”. 2nd, the Military and Boko Haram and the word “decimate”. What political gain could the Presidency have seen to allow the military organize a “full dress ceremonial parade with a ” captured Boko Haram flag” and convinced the President to attend? I’m sure with hindsight, the President, a Major General. A fighting General- who pursued marauders to the very gates of Ndjamena, Chad, must have asked himself. Why? Here we are, 5 years to the day of that “decimating ceremony and surrender flag” still ” neutralising “scores” and “dozens” of Boko Haram and even more painful, the “Advisers” told the President to pay the ransom for the Chibok Girls and Leah Sharibu and her colleagues. So, if you’ve stepped out, why withdraw? We’ve paid for the first group, why can’t we be bold to pay the balance? and 3rd example, even a JSS student, just starting Economics class, will know that Demand and Supply are Siamese twins. So, why is there such strong and overwhelming demand for US Dollars? Where have all those FG palliatives Stimulus, loans and Aids gone to? All our industries, large, medium and small are not showing any signs of independence and growth. I thought by now, we would be getting updates on our own CoronaVirus vaccine. Why are our labs and pharmaceutical companies, waiting for Trump? Of course, we know that the PTF-COVID19, is being outrightly sabotaged by many State Governors. Those who think they are “governors of US States(applies to the Southwest States) ; and those Governors, who see themselves as “defenders” of their “region” or those Governors, who believe that they should be included among the “rightly guided ones”. Delusion. Only FOUR human beings qualified. That was over One Thousand,Four Hundred(1400) years ago. In comparative terms with the Developed Countries, I score our PTF-COVID19 very high. As stated in previous posts, the PTF, except for a few hitches, like allowing a few air travels – within and outside, it held the reins very tight.
There is this unending demand for dollars. Who is buying and why? How are goods coming in, despite all the closures? I saw the billions of Naira the Customs Department is declaring in this Covid 19 era. From what source? 4th, the use of the word,”irreversible” by the President’s speechwriters is unforgivable. Whether he reverses the decision to increase the pump price of fuel and electricity tariffs simultaneously, the damage done, by the word, “irreversible” is incalculable. In the light of subsequent realisation by the FG that the Cart should/ is always behind the horse, is the same “strong stance” not badly weakened by the President’s instructions to the Labour Minister, to discuss with the Organized Labour? This attitude, unfortunately, is replicated in most States. I believe the Organized Labour is a partner. Governments should try and reason; and pick the brains of the Labour, before making announcement – and later, retracting!
I said the missteps were many. Do I need to mention Festus Keyamo and his much touted, but, totally disorganized 774,000 jobs Scheme? They were meant for “unskilled, itinerant workers”. But, alas! there are more Graduates than the original plan. Of course, stretched to its elastic limit, the phrase, “unskilled, itinerant workers” fits the thousands of unemployed graduates. Abeg! Abeg! Don’t dare mention the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry, I will just start howling and bawling.
Magana Jari Ce
The good news and cheering is that our Bashir Ahmad is getting married. He is the amiable, fresh faced, not yet tainted Special Assistant to the President. Don’t mind them, Bashir and Neemah, fill up the Nursery. Let the nannies cry yearly. insha’Allah.
Gidan Kashe Ahu 2
Although the Benue Governor is a friend and God-fearing, I must ask him for two clarifications: 1. Was Gana, at any time, part of his grouping of “well-meaning Nigerians”,whom he is asking the Federal Government, to allow to own the mighty AK-47? 2. Why the rush to open schools? I thought the State Government is OWING teachers many months of salaries? And I live in the village, I haven’t seen any semblance of preparation for resumption. Ok, maybe a publicity stunt ? Or Makurdi Central.Think Comedy Central Channel!
Gidan Kashe Ahu 3
I’ve waited for TWO weeks for the organizers of the Benue Rebirth Movement ( BRM) to give us the criteria used in selecting a National Advisory Council (NAC). A Struggle as Important as the fight for the shifting of the Governorship stool to Zone C, the Idomas, should not be seen as a pageant, nor, to achieve popularity. While many other groups agreed to merge, there’s no hard and fast rule that other groups in existence, should not continue with the struggle :The goal is the Idoma Governor of Benue State in 2023.Next week, I will analyze the Struggle.
Thanks for reading.
If you enjoyed reading this Post, thanks; but, if you didn’t, na you Sabi!
myopinion-justbeinglimanblog 