Not originally the work of the publisher (Grace Amos), this OPED has as its source, Prof. Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr. (Convener, COUNTRYFIRST MOVT.)
The ill-advised invasion of the Labour House defines the desperation of the Presidency through its security apparati to force the silence of the graveyard over the nation. Yes, any peace contracted without justice, and without addressing the substance of the agitation is at best pyrrhic. When you force protesters out of the Street, they will exhale anyhow, and the how is my worry.
I have read that some Senators are funding the protests. I have read that some Foreigners are funding the mayhem. I have read that the Opposition is behind the protests. I have read that those who want the overthrow of the present administration are behind this and behind that. I have read that sore losers ditto those who lost the 2023 General Elections are the ones fueling the demonstrations. And I have read the gibberish and tommyrot of those who attempted without luck to tie it to the Igbo and to IPOB. All the conspiracy theories pale to nothing when you juxtapose the issues with the stack reality before us.
Is there hunger, pain and anger in the land? If the answer is yes. What happens when you place it side by side with the humongous waste of our collective resources on projects that do not immediately address the hunger in the land? Why blame others when you run the biggest/largest Cabinet since 1999? Why blame others when in the face of strangulating poverty you spent 21 billion naira for the VP’s Residence? Why blame others when in the face of soaring inflation you spent over 80 billion in the purchase of SUVs for Lawmakers? Why blame others when in the face of traumatizing want you spent a whooping 150m Dollars to purchase and customize a new Presidential Jet? And why blame others when whereas the citizens have tightened their seatbelts to amazing discomfort, yourself, your Appointees and your government is enmeshed in kleptomania, profligacy, waste, Kakistocracy, and wanderlust?
How does it make sense to you that Gaslighting the people with policy Reforms that are yet to impact the people will assuage the anger in the land? Who told you Mr. President that your enemies are behind the protests? No, they lied to you. The Protest is funded by the failure of your government to stem the pervasive poverty in the land. The Protest is fueled by hunger and pain. The Protest is fired up by threats from your government and the words of nullification by governmental operators. And the protest is largely enabled by the scapegoating and gaslighting that pales to insignificance juxtaposed with the significant hunger, inflation, depression, want, joblessness and anger in the land. Mr. President please stop the red-herring and get down to work, the buck stops at your desk.
Those wielding Russian flags and those making the flags will have no business if the system were working. Those calling for a Military putsch though reprehensible will have no traction if profligacy, waste and wanderlust does not define your watch. And those calling for a Revolution will find it a hard-sell if things were working. So get to work and stop the scapegoating, Mr. President.
Let the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC be, let the young people be, call your overzealous Security Agents to order, stop the blame game, get off the ‘your enemies are after you’ mentality, fold up your sleeves, tie up your bootstraps, and pursue with alacrity a holistic overhaul of the policies of your government. Listen less to sycophants, surround yourself with those who can and will always tell you the truth. Distance yourself from those who see Nigeria from ethnic cocoon mindful of the fact that you are neither a regional or a religious President BUT the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And please pursue the process of RESTRUCTURING so that the Federal before the Republic will be true.
I hope and pray that you will listen, Mr. President and begin with immediacy the search for the black goat before it is dark. May the Almighty grant you the candour to heed the words of reason.
Over my head I see a New Nigeria.
I’m CHUKWUDUMEBI.
Prof. Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr.
Convener COUNTRYFIRST MOVT.
