As soon as once more the reality has been spoken, and as soon as once more the reality has been refuted. But once more the purveyor and proponent of the reality is being pummeled and castigated by the deniers of that very same reality – the peddlers of falsehood. They’d have us consider that Nigeria is a strolling, working paradise free from the socio-financial contradictions of our occasions.
It isn’t falsehood to say that Nigeria has nearly at all times been badly run, proper from independence by a gaggle of unwell-bred, unwell-motivated elites hell-bent on lining their pockets from our commonwealth and nationwide patrimony. Because of this, the fruits of their misgovernance has been devastating to us all; a prostrate economic system, a pissed off citizenry, unbridled corruption and a populace that’s fleeing day by day from a rustic that’s on the point of collapse.
In the midst of governance in Nigeria, the leadership of most of the previous ruling governments, populated by these teams of elites have all the time had the tendency, to pander to some degree of parochial sentiments akin to ethnic, geopolitical, and non-secular proclivities. However there was all the time a bar that they might not transcend, a minimal stage they might not cross for concern of endangering the Nigerian political house. Not even the navy with its centralized, no-query-requested command construction may do it. Thus, it was doable to have an Igbo and Christian navy officer as a navy administrator of Kano or Sokoto States, the heartlands of Islam and the north. By the identical token, the army may ship Muslim and northern army directors to Anambra or Imo states that have been majorly Christian states in addition to Lagos or some other southern states. Officers from the south-south and centre belt states additionally benefited from these workouts that showcased the cross-cultural affinities and relationships we’ve got with each other. That is regardless of the navy’s properly-recognized inadequacies and our apparent fault traces as an individual and nation.
That Nigeria is extra divided at the moment than at any time within the lifetime of the nation, save for the interval resulting in the civil conflict years, is not a matter of debate. We’re thus far off from the 1993 nationwide elections wherein the then Catholic Archbishop Anthony Olubunmi Okojie of Lagos led Christian Affiliation of Nigeria (CAN) wholeheartedly endorsed a Muslim-Muslim ticket for president and vice-president of Nigeria. That Nigeria is lengthy gone. Twenty-one years of the so-referred to as unbroken democracy has widened the fault traces and variations in our nation. To take care of their stranglehold over our individuals, the politicians have typically resorted to taking part in deeply divisive ethnic, geo-political and non-secular politics. No nook of this nation, no geo-political zone has been spared of this rabid model of politics that seeks to destroy relatively than construct, to wound, relatively than heal.
For the reason that Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto diocese, Hassan Kukah made his Christmas day intervention on the state of the nation by calling out the plain failures of this administration, completely different folks have taken differing positions. As regular, the federal government has mobilized its propaganda equipment to go on the offensive in opposition to Hassan Kukah. A part of that offensive is to as normal, deny the plain reality of the nepotism of authorities in a multi-ethnic/multi spiritual nation like Nigeria during which about ninety five% of the nation’s safety structure on the behest of the president, is within the arms of an ethnic group with a specific spiritual colouration. Appointments into varied positions within the nation have additionally adopted the identical sample. Certainly, Nigeria all of us look ahead to, Nigeria all of us dream about is one through which neither Christians nor Muslims nor Animists will dominate. Nothing endangers household concord within the residence than that of fogeys that present desire to some youngsters over others. Nothing endangers a nation greater than a president that reveals bare partisanship in favour of a piece of the nation over others. It will definitely breed mistrust, envy, in poor health will, harmful manoeuvrings, and finally, battle if not managed correctly. Inclusivity has to be the cardinal precept of the presidency.
That the Muhammadu Buhari administration has perfected the artwork and acts of nepotism is clear to these with consciences – those that see Nigeria as belonging to all of us, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, centre belters, south southerners, majority tribes and minority tribes.
Individuals who know the cleric from the Sokoto Diocese, know that Hassan Kukah’s credential as a genuine Nigerian is with out query and his dedication to the great ordering of Nigeria, unassailable. The Kukah of as we speak will not be a lot totally different from the Kukah that spoke out towards the army. dictatorship. He has by no means been identified to bow to the false rules of senseless, self-centred compromises. Moreover, he has stated nothing that different Nigerians haven’t stated in numerous phrases. Just lately, the Senator representing Katsina North in President Muhammadu Buhari’s house state, Ahmad Babba Kaita declared on the ground of the Senate that;
“President Buhari had failed to provide any end result to this point and that if pressing steps weren’t taken, insurgents may overrun the nation.”
Bishop Kukah is being accused of encouraging a coup within the nation for talking the reality. Ought to we then accuse Senator Babba Kaita of encouraging the insurgents to overrun Nigeria? It’s attention-grabbing to notice that the federal government spokespersons didn’t accuse Kaita of subversion.
Not too way back, Second Republic politician, Dr Junaid Muhammed, mentioned;
“So long as President Muhammed Buhari and the APC are in energy, Nigeria won’t ever know peace.”
He continued;
“He (the president) has failed woefully. Due to the hypocritical nature of Nigeria, tribal, sectional, and spiritual politics, all people is pretending in order that Buhari is seen to be doing one thing. He’s doing nothing. He can’t do something and any try and extend his tenure will solely depart Nigeria into an increasing number of nightmare…… His authorities is nothing however misgovernment, corruption and NEPOTISM.”
It isn’t recognized if this name by Dr Junaid Muhammed obtained the form of organized opprobrium that the Hassan Kukah assertion is at present receiving. And it’s coming after the declaration by the Northern Elders asking the president to resign.
The Guardian Newspaper has additionally written properly publicized articles of the president’s predilection for exclusionary politics. The Punch editorial of November twenty-third 2020 is equally scathing of what it sees because the president’s harmful sectional politics;
“….It’s a supreme irony that Buhari who preaches peace and non-negotiation epitomizes the dysfunction, disunity and futility of this ghastly contraption. He runs essentially the most divisive, most sectional and most exclusionary authorities in Nigeria’s historical past. He doesn’t consider within the unity he preaches…”
The reality and irrefutability of Bishop Hassan Kukah’s claims are clear to all Nigerian patriots and lovers of our nation. Despite the risks of the second; the insecurity, financial adversity, out-of-the-world corruption, and the unbridled misgovernance occurring, alternatives nonetheless abound (although closing quickly) to show issues round. Fact about our nation and political management has grown to be extra essential to Nigeria now than at another time. This reality should be used as an instrument of change, to confront the purveyors of falsehood who’ve virtually succeeded in bringing our nice nation to her knees. Nigeria wants extra Hassan Kukahs from the north, south, east and west. Kudos to the person from the Sokoto diocese. It shall be nicely with our lengthy-struggling nation.
