TheCable

Politicians in our clime really do not know how to build a rock-solid nation, but one thing they do so well—they are experts at rating themselves so high. Dogara rated very high (including on patriotism) the current House of Representatives while President Buhari rated them very low on patriotism. The truth is; neither PMB nor those who are being paid to speak for him has for once rated the administration of President Buhari “very low” on any aspect of our national life. He always rates himself very high. A few days ago, he praised his Ministers that they should walk very tall like “Cocoa House” for being part of the administration that snatched Nigeria from the claws of Boko Haram, but the truth is; Boko Haram is still very much alive and kicking—killing our people every day.

There is no Executive governor, who is leaving the office tomorrow—who has not rated himself very high. They have all done very well, but the people under their leadership are struggling to breathe under the weight of poverty and insecurity. Nigeria is the only place where the leaders are doing very well, while the people are swimming in the pool of poverty using back-float style. Democracy in our clime is weaved around deception. How can governors perform so well without impacting on the people positively? Remember, projects are done to enrich the pockets of those in the corridors of power, impoverishing and making lives unbearable for our people.

Our politicians are very good at rating others very low, especially those they do not like, but when it comes to themselves, they are very good at rating themselves so high, and gullible citizens also unwittingly dance to their cacophonous and discordant political-songs. The latest global poverty rating by the World Poverty Clock (WPC), has confirmed that over 92 million Nigerians are desperately poor, thus implying that virtually half of Nigeria’s population now live in extreme poverty, not just ordinary poverty. The World Bank says a person can be said to be living in extreme poverty if they live below the poverty line of $1.90 which translates to 693.5 naira per day.

The World Bank reports only touched on a very high percentage of those who are extremely poor without covering the population of those who are poor. There are poor people in Nigeria and there are extremely poor ones in our clime. When you do not travel round Nigeria, you would not know how poor and extremely poor our people are. And if nothing is done to speedily take the weight of poverty off the shoulders of our people, when the poor and extremely poor of Nigerians would revolt, the rich and their wives (and children) would not be able to drive their expensive cars and live in their expensive houses. If 92 millions of Nigerians are extremely poor, how many Nigerians can be said to poor? If you listen to those in the corridors of power, you would think every Nigerian is swimming in the pool of prosperity. Infact, if you listen to President Buhari’s valedictory speech, you would think Nigeria has become truly safe and prosperous.

Our people are now beginning to think on activating a self-defense mechanism, which is in line with the law of—an eye for an eye—that is capable of making everyone become blind in our polity. It is wrong to take the law into one’s hand in Nigeria, but our law is clearly not against self-defense! The way our defenseless people are being killed everyday makes one cheerless. And anyone who plays politics with the precious lives of our people is wicked, callous and heartless. When it comes to security of lives, in saner climes, they do not play politics with it, but in Nigeria, we play politics with every aspect of our national life.

Any administration that cannot protect its citizens is not allowed to be rated high. Banditry and terrorism are threatening our existence as a people. Also, our people are being kidnapped almost on a daily basis. They are paying through their nostrils before being released to be united with their loved ones. Some hours ago, I was told not to travel to some areas in the country, because our precious people are daily being kidnapped at those places. The Igbos and Yorubas were not vociferous and vocal on the issue of insecurity sweeping our people in the North into the abyss of premature death, because they thought Lagos and Enugu were far from Maiduguri. Now, they know better. Today, every part of Nigeria is not safe!

The current administration of President Buhari did say that some tribes are fighting themselves and in order to bring the crisis to an end, one tribe was singled out of all of them, setting up a radio station for that singular tribe, weaving it around the identity of same tribe, as if it is the only tribe we are having in Nigeria. Is that sectionalism or patriotism? PMB rated Dogara and Saraki low on patriotism, but the truth is; he too has been more sectional than being patriotic.