Prof. Ọlọjẹẹde Oyeniran Abiọjẹ
The worst shame of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB), as Nigeria’s President, is that his government is still talking about fuel subsidy, fifth year into his rule, characterised by worst carnage, worst human rights violations, worst corruption and worst economy. He adds protection of the Fulani herdsmen terrorists to the unjustifiable war against the Boko Haram Islamic sect-community of men, women and children that did not attack anybody until attacked. He doubles himself as the self-appointed Petroleum Minister, and is recovering looted funds without any accountability. Yet, Ahmed Bola Tinubu worked for the reelection of GMB; the most brutal President Nigeria has ever had, the same way he supported truncation of rotational presidency by Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, who radicalised Boko Haram into a fully blown terrorist organisation.
Those who are praising Tinubu for demolishing people’s houses and shops in the names of “shanties” and “road expansion” will suffer their own trauma, one way or another. The bloody consequences of the truncation of rotational presidency by Jonathan will trail all those who supported the truncation. Tinubu sees nothing wrong with GMB’s brutalities and lack of accountability. He accepted to climb a horse (Jagabanus) prepared for him by GMB’s fellow villagers. Tinubu behaved like the elephant in a Yoruba fable, addressed as The King To Be, and deceived into the pit dug for him. Those who are drumming for Tinubu to succeed GMB will get plenty of money, like the GMB-Osinbajo supporters, and if they succeed in making him the President, Nigeria will continue to experience carnage and economic destruction, coupled with demolition of people’s houses and shops, to make Nigeria to be as beautiful as Lagos, with huge debts, open defecation, shortage of pipe borne water and lack of sympathy for the less privileged.
Tinubu saw nothing wrong with the Pastor, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, going round some markets, to distribute raw cash for the reelection of GMB. And that is the hero of those eulogising him as the best person to succeed GMB. Above all, I remain convinced that anybody or people who oppose legalisation of rotational presidency cannot mean well for Nigeria, in terms of political order, sustainable peace and progress. How can a nation like Nigeria know peace and progress under unbridled survival of the fittest, rather than regulated survival of the fittest? Nigeria has gone from civil war, to many years of military rule, to annulment of the freest and fairest presidential election, to the arbitrary attack on Boko Haram, leading to wanton destruction of human lives and economic resources, 2009 till date.
In what way will Tinubu (Jagaban) presidency be different from Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Jonathan and GMB that he has been supporting? He even led the reelection campaign of GMB, notwithstanding the latter’s misrule, with the Fulani herdsmen terrorists raping, killing and sacking agrarian communities, crowned with mushrooming insecurities, skyrocketing debts and worsening economic situation.
Why must Nigeria stick to unbridled survival of the fittest and might is right, rather than a sustainable political order? Both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party want to get the richest presidential candidate to give them millions of naira to play with.
But where does the good of the nation come in? Like in the cases of Omoyele Sowore and Kano State, the Judiciary is not doing badly as the last hope of sanity. The Legislature is about 98 per cent chop-I-chop? Nigeria can benefit immensely from laws that will promote political order and criminalise politicisation of religion under any guise.
Prof. Ọlọjẹẹde Oyeniran Abiọjẹ wrote from University of Ilorin.