TheCable

Some years ago, I was discussing football with a lad who was about eleven (11) years old. After going back and forth on the round-leather game, I ended up asking him, “What foreign club are you supporting?” To which he quickly responded, “I am an Arsenal fan!” I said, “Why are you still supporting Arsenal Football Club (Arsenal FC), seeing that they have not been doing fine in recent times?” With tears in his eyes, he said, “I don’t have anywhere else to go. I am stuck with Arsenal Football Club. This is why I ask my mom to give me house chores to do each time Arsenal is having a football-match, so I do not develop a heart problem.”

When I heard this, I almost laughed my heart out on the day I am ex-raying. I said all that to say this, about 90% of our electorate in Nigeria are like Arsenal fans. They are stuck with either Atiku or Buhari as Arsenal fans are stuck with Arsenal FC. They cry in their bedchambers—because they do know that they are being faultily and shoddily led, but they fake it on the outside, saying they are either “Buharists” or “Atikuists”! Before Arsenal fans tear me into pieces, I am also an Arsenal fan!

Many years of being impoverished by both the military and military men in “buba and sokoto” has really impacted negatively on the psyche and value of our people. Nigerians no longer care a hoot about excellence and high-value governance. They are now romancing mediocrity as a man would romance his newly wedded wife. And even when you have the guts to raise the bar of excellence, they would pounce on you as a lion, tearing you into pieces and screaming on top of their lungs, asking—who sent you to drag them out of the effect of inhuman leadership? No one kicks against saviors more than those they are trying to rescue! Nigerians electorate love their oppressors!

Long before last week Saturday, it was announced that Presidential election would hold, and date and venue were chosen and every aspirant was kept in the loop. Kindly note that Neither Buhari nor Atiku did not inform Nigerians and those who put the event together before Saturday that they would not be able to honor Nigerians, facing them, asking them (Atiku and Buhari) questions and sharing with Nigerians—on how they are taking the country frontward.

On the day that was set aside for the Presidential debate, PMB said he was busy campaigning and Atiku refused to mount the podium, because Buhari did not show up. Millions of both Buharists and Atikuists went on social media, defending their tin-gods—who can never be fallible. Many ‘educated’ Buharists even took us down memory lane that the PDP never honored any of the past Presidential debates and still won convincingly and compellingly. Also, they said PMB did not need to debate with four (4) political-dwarfs and also did not need to respect Nigerians, asking him questions and explaining to them how he has performed in leadership in the last four (4) years.  They tauntingly said that without debating that PMB would coast home victoriously as PDP did in times past. Nigeria is clearly back to her inglorious past!

A political party that did ride on the wings of “change” to power is back maintaining the status-quo! I thought the APC would bring to an end—every shenanigan of the PDP, but I never knew that the APC is an extension of the PDP. Both the PDP and APC are as a Siamese twin! It is clear that both Atiku and Buhari do not have the required capacity to lead us beyond our present marsh and bog. I do have any respect for those who do not respect me. Politicians are our employees and employees that dishonor those who employ them are supposed to be fired. This is what happens in sane climes—in the nations where value is highly cherished.

The PDP and APC got the concept behind debates wide off the mark. Debates are structured for prospective employees (politicians) to sell themselves and their noble ideas to their employers (citizens). They are not structured to attack the man in office, though the man in office is supposed to submit himself to be questioned by the citizenry on how he has led them in the last four (4) years and if he fails to impress them, he is supposed to be fired! Within the context of what happened on Saturday—both Atiku and Buhari were scared of their past. You know PMB has performed woefully in leadership in the last four (4) years and Atiku is part of the major political party that has brought us to where we are today as a people.

As an effect of what happened on the 19th of January, 2019, you would think that our electorate would burst into anger the following day (and sustain it till after 16th of February, 2019) for being disrespected by those who think they are bigger than all of us in Nigeria, and start considering one out of the three Presidential aspirants (Fela, Oby and Kingsley) who honored them, but reverse is the case. What pains me to the marrow is not what those who are untaught and illiterate are doing within the context of politics, what makes tears well up in my eyes is what those who emptily say they are educated are doing—both offline and online. It is very clear to me now that the canopy of our patriotism hardly extends beyond our myopic and selfish interests. We are only loyal to our interest and those who are protecting them, not necessarily the country.

As I begin to coast home, I like to say that it is a waste of time, organizing Presidential debates, on the condition that incumbent and sitting Presidents wouldn’t be attending them. Going forward, if the status-quo is going to be maintained, I move that it should be scrapped neat. And lastly, for the umpteenth time, if Nigerians do not punish both Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and President Buhari for disrespecting them, then they deserve how you are being poorly governed—by those they are both feeding and clothing. You cannot ignore a Presidential debate in a nation like America and not be punished for it.