Browsing: Column

As September 22, 2018 nears us by the eyelids, therefore, we need to interrogate where we are coming from before taking a decision on our next course. Conscious of our recent experience in Rivers, Kano and Kaduna States, we also need to peep into the fortunes of our desired paradise and the profiles of our candidates in order to avoid falling victim to the nominal, hot-and-cold “political dealers” who always explore the people’s gullibility for vicious, ridiculous, hippomaniac and megalomaniac purposes.

Egbon Tola Adeniyi and I have come a long way. I have been exposed to his writings since the 1970s and he has been part of the shaping of my intellect since then. His writings, in flawless prose, were and are still a delight to me and his numerous readers.

The explanation does not just add up because the more the state government tries to point its fingers elsewhere, the more the rest of the four fingers are asking it to do a little bit of self-examination. By saying the abduction occurred because the military withdrew troops from the area is like playing a broken record, which sends out some fuzzy sound but fails to strike a rhythm.

Most times, I am restless in my solitude, when I imagine, some of us think, we do not even have a history. And so, we ignore its alluring richness and potency to impact on today’s transiency.  It’s like we exist only for today, which is anchored on nothing necessarily, but our peculiar idiosyncrasies’-most times, defined by partisan camps, ethnicity or religious persuasions. 

“So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a window gathering sticks, and he asked her, ‘Would you please bring me a cup of water?’ As she was going to get it, he called to her, ‘Bring me a bite of bread too.’ But she said, ‘I swear by the LORD your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of a jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.’

I know the organizers have collated the votes and this will lead to the emergence of the official Silverbird man of the year. However, my man of the year are also the gallant men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces who paid the supreme price to protect us from terrorists and those who desire to divide us.

In more direct language, what I am trying to draw attention to is how in recent times, despite the fact that we are under a democratic dispensation, there has been a seeming militarization of the political space, by the incumbent political administration at the centre

Majority of our youths are badly deformed by material aspirations and good life value video projection of Davido, 9ice, Wizkid, Teckno, Patoranking, Sarkodie, Olamide, Wande Coal and Ade Gold so much that if this nation should swing the political leadership pendulum to them, then we are doomed to a more savage banalisation of the political space never seen in this nation

What a short memory they have got, forgetting that he became president because of President Goodluck Jonathan’s refusal to being an ally to the imminent bloodbath awaiting Nigerians as President Buhari had sworn; “If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, the dogs and the baboons will be soaked in blood.”

From the benefit of hindsight, the Confidence vote was to buy Zuma some time and see if he could turn the fortunes of the country around and in turn rekindle the fast ebbing faith of the people in the party. However, like a hungry lion roused from its slumber, the people of South Africa would know no rest until they found some succour. For them, a hope for succour was in the form of Zuma stepping down from the exalted seat. Like all responsible party in civilised democracies, the ANC did not delude itself as to the consequence of remaining in support of Zuma. They acknowledge the power of the people far above the power of ANC at the polls. They knew that loyalty to Zuma would ultimately spell doom from them during the general elections to elect new National Assembly and new provincial legislatures.

There’s need for concerted efforts by able-bodied and intellectually-gifted men and women of this nation led by a strong, dependable and reliable leadership to take us out of this self imposed journey into the doldrums, and Atiku Abubakar will do that. He has passed the test of leadership at all given times