27/03/2016
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BUHARIST.
Dear Buharist!
On several occasions, I have tried to put myself in your shoe to comprehend your reasons of being an opposition or your reasons for fighting on behalf of the opposition, and I seem not to find enough reasons. Looking at all your choices for your expected CHANGE, from agents such as General Buhari, Bola Tinubu and the other musketeers like Rotimi Ameachi, contemplating Kwankwaso and the likes of the controversial Rochas Okorocha, recently quite but power hungry Mallam Elrufai and Pamparic Lai Mohammed, I am yet to see anything outside vendettas, selfishness, jealousy in their characters and a lack of direction in your decisions. If I were you, I would first of all in sincerity look out for their past records. How did or how have they fared in the past and present responsibilities bestowed on them? Did they give you signs that they will provide the expected change you seek for? Don't you think it is important that we take a proper look at the life and times of your AGENTS OF CHANGE? Let's look at the foremost leaders of the opposition and see how well you can justify your reasons for these expectations.
GENERAL MOHAMADU BUHARI
You are made to believe that General Buhari is a saint, or that the General is incorruptible; how can you prove that? Is the stories making the rounds enough reasons for you to think he has the capacity to cause change? Before I go far, let's sincerely look at his recent capacity as the chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund. What extra-ordinary qualities did he show as one that has the capacity to administer Nigeria as a country. As the chairman of PTF, how was your life affected? How was your community affected by the PTF funds given the fact that funds just like the SURE-P were funds saved from supposed subsidy from fuel? These funds was meant to affect the livelihood of every Nigerian equally? Can you point out one road or infrastructure that was built by PTF in your community? Did you get any scholarship from the fund? Or can you point to anybody you know that benefited from that scholarship scheme that is from either the southern part of Nigeria or the Middle belt area? Can you point to any bridge that was built in your village from these fund that is still standing till today? Apart from a few blocks in some universities, how many of those blocks are still being used in any southern Universities? Less I forget, can you point to any of the contractors that benefited from the large sum of over N181bn accrued the PTF? Even the road that was leveled at surface in your village, did you see a contractor from your village handling the contract? Those are questions I want you to ponder on.
Also note that from the funds, archived reports shows that rather, over N25,700,000,000 was syphoned by General Buhari’s in-law that the PTF under Buhari gave him the power to initiate, approve and execute all projects. Buhari claimed he was not aware that such a level of fraud was going on under his watch. Is he serious? If he could not watch as little as the PTF, how well will he watch Nigeria? Just asking.
Let us analyze this, Since the General has already been a Head of State in Nigeria, won't it be good if we compared notes on what he did and what he intends to do? Can you tell me one developmental project or program that Buhari did that had positively affected the economy of Nigeria? For me, I have searched and I am yet to find, rather I remember that he canceled the Metro-line project that was meant to reduce the transportation challenges of Lagos for Nigerians at large. He even went ahead to cancel this project even though he knew it was guaranteed by the Federal government. Are you aware that the Nigerian government keeps paying a certain amount of money to the Paris-Club as loan repayment for a project we never hard? Buhari did not care about you or me. If Buhari is a man that truly wishes development, at least he was slightly above 40 years old when he took the decisions to take Nigeria back, he was not a child, it was not a mistake. Like they say, "A fool at forty is a fool forever" what it means is that what you do not know at 40, you may never know in life. So how will Buhari suddenly change? Apart from the continuous beating and forcing Nigerians to all live as though they were in the barracks, Buhari in his administration enacted a decree that did not allow free speech that was not in favor of government. Do you think Buhari can tolerate critics? Today, if not for anything, just like in the developed world, we are free to express our thoughts and opinions towards government, negatively or positively. Is that not something you still want to enjoy? Would you want to be hushed or locked up anytime you say what you don't like? Am afraid you have not considered that to be a reality of what would take place if your mentor Buhari was President. Think about it.
My dear Buharist, I know you are told that General Buhari is not a corrupt person, so you believe he will lead a corrupt free nation within months, I understand your concerns. But can I ask you a few questions on that assumption? Who are Buhari's close friend and advisers? Are they also incorruptible? Do you remember Buhari said that all ACN governors were corrupt? Have you forgotten? So how come after he said so, have made them all his close allies, does that tell you the general has an integrity? Remember they say "Birds of the same feather, flock together". Do you also remember that General Buhari after working for General Abacha also claimed that General Abacha was not a corrupt man? Does that not make you wonder what corruption really means. So if Abacha was not corrupt only after Buhari worked for him, and ACN governors that were corrupt suddenly turned incorruptible because they are Buhari's friends, then you may need to reconsider your stands on Buhari's incorruptibility. There would be more to tell you on this, but am afraid we do not have the luxury of time. Considering these, am wondering why you would insist on voting for a man that his records have not reflected any form of expertise in leadership or skills. Have you asked Buhari what his academic qualification is that qualifies him to lead a Nation like Nigeria in this jet age? Seat down and listen to Buhari speak, does he express any form of intelligence or skills? How comfortable will you have a 73 year old man that can barely speak English as your representative? My dear Buharist, you all know that Buhari’s WACE is in doubt as he is yet to show he has it. I may not want to remind you of the religious and regional cards of the General, You know the story. Am sure you are happy to live in a secular country called Nigeria and will certainly frowned when your country is called, "The Islamic Republic of Nigeria" I rest my case.
BOLA AHMED TINUBU
Dear Buharist, Even though I may not have much to say on Tinubu, but you have been made to believe that Tinubu is the face of OPPOSITION AND CHANGE, that is understandable. He has been there as an opposition since the AD days. Do you really see him as a man that will be fair in the provision of basic amenities to Nigerians? Am sure inside you, you do know that Tinubu is a personification of what is referred as "SELFISH and GREEDY" As far as Tinubu is concerned, he is doing business and will only take beneficial business decision at the right time. I will leave it at that. Have you also noticed that Bola Tinubu does not take criticism lightly as he recently had to take the AIT and NTA to court for making revelations about him? How many times have Jonathan bothered to even when you know he is being lied against? Is Tinubu a true democrat? Don’t we know about the selection process in the ACN and now the APC? Is that not the same thing that happened in the ANPP and CPC? Do we truly want democracy?
RECONSIDER YOUR OPINION OF PRESIDENT JONATHAN
Dear Buharist, take a quick look at your opinion of President Jonathan that you have been made to hate so much. Why do you want Jonathan out? Why do you hate him? What has he done that has made him so bad and hated by you? Why is he called CLUELESS or WEAK when convenient by the same people that call him A DICTATOR? Have you bothered to ask them why? Is it that you expected him to transform Nigeria to look like the US within this short time after over 40years of decay? Why did you not expect others to convert Nigeria to Britain in all those years? Why the sudden expectation? I leave you to ponder on those questions. Have you truly not noticed the progressive and steadied transformation that is going on? I know you expect a light-speed rail that is in operation in Japan, but why not first accept the rehabilitation of the narrow-gauge rail transportation that was abandoned for years. Or have you not noticed that we have improved to building Standard gauge double rail-lines that will soon allow our trains to sprint at over 200-250km/h? Have you forgotten the words 'Process and progress" or "A step at a time". Do you prefer that Nigeria was static as it was in all those years? And when you say there is no constant electricity, have you considered that for over 30 years, nothing was done to improve our power condition even when our population and consumption was growing higher until Goodluck Jonathan came in? Or are you just noticing that Nigeria has not had constant power for the past 50 years including the times presided by General Buhari when our population was barely 40million? Even if we have not arrived, but we have made visible progress. How about the Nigerian roads? I and you know that most of the federal roads in the country were all abandoned until this government came in and started a massive reconstruction of roads. Is that not a direction in the right path? What about our industries, when we were young, at least we saw a few industries and car assembly factories, but for the past 30 years, they all disappeared. Have you not seen them coming back? Even Nissan is here and producing, Toyota has arrived, they are already to rolling out their first set of cars. We even have our very own indigenous car manufacturing firm operation at its best. Even the textile industries are back on their feet. Even the Ajoekuta Steel Mill is almost set for operations. Did it happen by magic? NO, it was a vision from this government.
Dear Buharist, are you aware of programmes like the YouWin? Can you remind me if this kind of program ever existed in Nigeria and sponsored by the government to make Nigerians youths millionaires? Am just asking. Has any government come up with educational provisions for the Almajiris in the north until now even though all the governments then were headed by northerners except Obasanjo's government? And are you aware of the Housing project going on now to allow at least 60% of civil servants to own their houses? We had it before in the late 70s and early 80s, but Buhari's government retracted all the houses that were not fully paid for in 1984 from those civil servants and was sold afresh to military officers from his region. We only struggled to buy them back from the soldiers. At least am aware of what happened in the Federal Housing in Calabar. But it only took this government is bringing it back. Is that not progress? Are you not even proud of our Airports? Were they like these before this administration? Have you not seen the number of Airlines moving in freely and thereby not just crashing the price, but have massively provided employment? If not for anything, have you not noticed that the growth in our Agricultural sector has made food available for Nigerians and provided employment for farmers? Is that not progress? Is Nigeria not the 3rd investment destination of the world? Did it happen by chance?
My dear Buharist, don't allow people to deceive you about these government, it is about the best that has happened to Nigeria. If you doubt me, GO AND BRING YOUR NOTES LETS COMPARE. LET'S MAKE REFERENCES TO WHAT OTHER GOVERNMENTS ACHIEVED AND WHAT THIS ONE HAS ACHIEVED. Is that too hard a request to make from you? If you say there is insecurity in the Northeast of Nigeria, please was it caused by this government? Has the insecurity not been finally quelled now? Do you know the Nigerian former military rulers refuse to equip our military simply because they were scared of coups after the Gideon Orkah’s sophisticated coup attempt on IBB? Have the north not been killing Christians and southerners before now? Is it new? Just that the scale was increased because some people decided to make Nigeria ungovernable. So should we all run to our shells because some people said some people can't be President in a country that belongs to all of us? Is that what you support? If not, why have you decided not to see the progress going on? Oh, I forgot, you are told the government is corrupt, please can you remind me if this corruption just started. Or maybe you should point out one of these corrupt practice that you can prove or that you are aware of. Is it the case of the $20bn? That was not true, no such money missed, if such an amount of money misses, the entire Africa will go bankrupt. So it is not true. So what is the corruption? That Nigerians offer bribes to get contracts, is it new or is it news? Please ask those that are saying there is impunity in corruption these days to show you one prove, or that it is new. Don't be misled, those people are just there to turn your mind against good. They want Nigeria to go back to the way it was so that they can continue to be richer while you remain poorer.
My dear Buharist, once again am writing this letter to you because I do not think you are a paid or a perpetual hater of Mr President. You may assume that being an anti-Jonathanian is a way to follow because there are others there. So you may say and believe everything that is told you in your camp. I can assure you that it is not all of you that have the same conviction. In your camp, there are the following Anti-Jonathanian or Buharist groups;
1. THE HATERS (ANYTHING BUT JONATHAN)
These are the ones that never liked President Jonathan from the first day he declared his intention to run for President in 2010. They are the typical haters. Those ones will support anybody against President Jonathan. They started by Supporting General Ibrahim Babangida in 2009. They later shifted their loyalty to Atiku Abubakar when IBB was disqualified as the Northern consensus candidate. By the time Atiku was defeated by President Jonathan in the PDP primaries in 2011, they shifted their loyalty to either Nuhu Ribadu of the ACN or CPC's General Buhari. When Buhari lost the elections, since then, they moved their loyalty to the APC at the inception of the APC. Their own is anything but Jonathan. Is that your position too? You find a lot of this group in the social media. They will all move their support to General Abacha if he resurrects and emerges the flag bearer of the APC.
2. THE LOSSERS (aggrieved)
These are those that were directly benefitting in previous governments and expected to be part of this government but lost out eventually. Most of them expected some appointments but were not recognized. Their frustrations led them to hatred. And all they could do is blackmail. These ones are the ones that reveal security information to the masses as a form of blackmail because they still have a few of their loyalist in government. They have either turned themselves to activist, comrades or key figures of the opposition. Am sure you can identify one when you see.
3. THE FRUSTRATED, DESIROUS AND JEALOUS
These are the ones that believes that those that are supporting President Jonathan and the government are being paid. They made several efforts to receive some gratifications in form of money or be given some soft appointments as they falsely believe some have benefited. Out of frustration and show of anger, they decided to turn against their original passion. For these group, with a little regular change, they will all shift their loyalties back to President Jonathan. Also note that these class of people will always vote for Mr President at the end of the day. All they are doing is to be noticed. Some of them have been noticed and are now the paid hands of the opposition against Jonathan.
4. THE BORN TO RULE
These are a special group of people. They are not interested on who comes in as president as long as he is of the tribe of the born to rule. These set are those that believe that since the economic power of Nigeria is in the south, they believe the leadership power of Nigeria must be in the north. They are those that are ready to kill anyone that is not of that opinion. They were the ones that majorly killed southerners and non-Muslims during the 2011 post-election violence. A lot of them are also on the social media and will always try as much as they can to make you believe the government is not being responsible. Some of them, though educated or semi-illiterate, will always make efforts to be discussing issue based debates just to have your attention. Do not let them influence you. Not even you will be saved in an event that Buhari loses an election when you are found in their midst. They cannot be converted. Their minds are made up not just due to their childhood orientation, but due to the religious, ethnical indoctrination they have been recently fed with.
5. THE OBSERVERS AND CONFUSED
These is the group am directing this letter to. You are susceptible and vulnerable to propaganda, be it right or wrong. You enjoy being noticed as an opposition. So you believe anything you are told without making verifications. You love the bandwagon. And another characteristics of you is that since childhood, you have been made to believe that government is not good, so you have decided to stand on the side of those who are against government. I understand you. But I wish to ask that you take a time out and compare this government with the past governments. Compare notes and see if there is progress. If you find any, please feel free to declare your support and loyalty to President Jonathan. He indeed means well for Nigeria.
Thanking you in anticipation as you review your decisions.
Best regards,
Donald Ekpo
for; Jonathanians
