Adekoya Boladale
A long time ago, in the days of Late Chief Solomon Lar, when the likes of Chief Alex Ekwueme and
Professor Jerry Gana were still in active capacity, the streets and roads of campaign arenas dazzled
with the colourful flash of red and green. The ground for political ‘toasting’ was usually covered with
deafening echoes of Power! Power!! Power!!! These were the days when Nigerians took pride in
beholding the roof-staff called umbrella, even though under a dysfunctional government the people
celebrated our nascent democracy and civil liberty. Days when the Hausa man only knew of ‘fi di fi’ and
the little boy on the street of Mokola and Ojoo in Ibadan shouts to high heaven ‘power na da, power na re’
-where is the power, this is the power.
Continue after the break...
But all these are long gone, all that is left are shattered memories of the once glorified biggest party in
Africa, the symbol of the PDP has long been rechristened ‘umblerra’ while the ground breaking echoes of
Power have been replaced with Change!
The All Progressive Congress (APC) claims to be the new platform for a new Nigeria; it parades itself
as the safe haven against maladministration, political oppression and monumental fraud which the
present government proudly wears as its badge of honour. No doubt our country, Nigeria is under attack
by the demons from hell parading themselves as politicians and political office holders. Our nights
and days have been taken over by kidnapping, impunity, terrorism, corruption and nepotism. The dual
evil mechanism of ethnicity and divide and rule are freely devised by these fifth columnists to the
unsuspecting citizens who continue to see them as patriots and leaders.
The All Progressive Congress seems at infant the best alternative to save our country from this curse with
its emergence called the ‘broom revolution’ which swept through the South Western states of Nigeria and
won sympathy of some federal constituencies and senatorial districts across the country. The party poses
as a divine solution to our long clamour for a political platform devoid of serial robbers and fraudsters.
After 100 years of forceful amalgamation and 53years of unproductive independence, Nigeria is indeed
ripe enough for change. Oh our hearts yearn for a government of the people one whose heart is made of
muscles and human blood cells rather than that of hyenas and scorpions.
All seemed perfect at first, patriotic Nigerians and even members of the Fourth Estate were trooping to
the newly found party. We thought we had found a saviour, we thought we had found El Dorado but alas,
it is not yet Uhuru. Suddenly the deception and ruse on which the APC foundation was built upon could
no longer continue to remain hidden. The true picture of what this new party represents became clearer to
all and sundry. Contrary to its much publicized progressive name and the echoes of Change, the APC is a
total opposite of what it claims to stand for. Events in the past few weeks has opened our eyes to the evil
laced around the new PDP called APC and concretized our fear that this new angel may after all be worse
than the beast we have been trying so hard to run away from.
For a party that seeks change one is taken aback with its sudden romance with the shylocks who are
the architect of our social economic tribulations. It is mind boggling on what mode of change this party
truly have in stock for Nigerians with the sudden labeling of Olusegun Obasanjo the widely known
corruption magnate as ‘progressive baba’, what progressive mind does Obasanjo possess? The ones used
in cornering public funds or the ones graciously used in allocating public corporations to family and
friends or perhaps the one that was devised in the Halliburton scam and Siemens scandal. As if that is
not enough, our ‘progressive party’ extended its dim-witted charade to General Ibrahim Babangida, Oh
no. In what appeared as a roll call of past criminals, Atiku Abubakar was also called upon while General
Abdulsalam was not left out. Obviously the status of the APC is not different from how the people put
it, ‘Association of Past Criminals’.
The height of this tour was the call on Obasanjo to come take over the affairs of the party. I am sure
General Buhari was not present when that statement was made or is this another ‘permanent interest
against good conscience’. I make bold to say that presently the APC has the highest number of criminals than any political platforms in Nigeria. It is now in APC that we have 'progressive' Sanni Yerima, the renowned libidinous Peadophile who takes pleasure in having sexual intercourse with children; I was just told he has divorced the 13 year old girl and set to marry another. Ibrahim Tofa is now a progressive, the man who co-planned the annulment of June 12 election. How then can APC preach change with collation of rogues and thieves, dictators and emperors, fraudsters and pretenders?
I am beginning to think there is more to the broom symbol, its interpretation is now vast and can mean
unity among thieves or maybe a mechanism to sweep our public funds. The party is worsening the situation with the unchecked graft activities in Lagos state where the state revenue service continues to operate under Alpha Beta consulting a firm owned by Tinubu, the conversion of various choice lands and properties on the Lagos Island worth over 100billion naira to personal use, allocation of public corporations to political godfathers and the unending corrupt activities been perpetrated through Hitech Construction Company owned by Tinubu is alarming.
The unending tax fraud in Ogun state under Ibikunle Amosun is also worthy of note, recently the
accountant turned Governor paid 40.2% of the state generated tax to a consulting company, 40.2%?
Wow! That's not all, the state continue to wallop in huge debt and financial misappropriation. One of the
projects embarked upon to siphon public fund is the 295million naira air-conditioned pedestrian bridge
which has continued to be under lock and key after commission, I wonder what air-conditioning has got
to do with walkways.
The state health and educational sectors are in comatose while a teeming number of the youths have taken to internet scam due to soaring rate of unempolyment. That is not all; the scam in the purchase 14 fairly used Armoured Carriers at 165million naira per unit as against the company price of 25million naira for brand new one still remain unsolved. The Governor continues to make 'ritual' payment to godfathers with juicy contract awarded to 'their' construction firms.
The situation is not different in Oyo state under Ajumobi. The miraculous Mokola flyover constructed
at a whopping cost of 3billion naira which was allegedly destroyed months after commission is quite
alarming, how much did it cost to construct the London bridge?. Another sight is the Keke Napep
ambulance. When real initiatives are not available, politicians choose to embark on absurdity.
Like their counterparts in PDP, the governors under the APC platform have not fared better in terms of
good governance. Their mode of governance falls short of the civil expectation and international best
practice.
For APC to be taken serious then this madness must stop. The impression of the party as a platform
for 'come and chop' politicans must be checked. The real electorates who have been neglected must be
reached out to first; the party must stop giving the impression that elections are 'arrangees', won on the
tables of godfathers and political jobbers. The youths who represent over 60% of voters but have been
pushed aside must be incorporated into the system. The masses are tired of another party made up of
men with big bellies, twelve wives and gray hairs. Money won't solve the issue at hand but adequately
convicing the citizens on the need to trust and vote for the party.
Finally the ethnic colouration should end; APC continues to parade itself as a Northern and South
Western collation against other ethnic groups. If election must be won fairly it must represent the interest
of every entity within the country. Adekoya Boladale a political scientist is the Convener, Advocacy for Better Leadership (ABEL), he wrote
via adekoyaboladale@gmail.com. Please engage on twitter @adekoyabee
Happy New Year to you all!
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