By Ehi Ekhator
I was sitting on my own “jejely” when i read
such a variety of promises by the Presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
He guaranteed me that he was there to settle the
issues of the nation, adding that “if anything went wrong, he would take
responsibilities and FIX IT”.
Few days ago, notwithstanding the non-verbal
communication of frustration by the President, he approached Nigerians to begin
the change, which he (Buhari) guaranteed the country.
This is coming
barely a month in the wake of propelling the same oppressive law that placed
him in the world map as a dictator when he initially ruled.
He relaunched
“war against indiscipline” which led to the brutality and unjust treatment of
the Nigerian army on the plebs in 1983-85
Haven't fizzled in that, he raised a bill asking
for the National Assembly to give him control so he could change the economy
over night. Another move that has been turned down or conceivably will be
turned down by the legislators who trusted that such power could render the
Assembly disable in its course of doing its duty.
On the 6th of September, 2016, the Minister of
Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and the Director General, National
Orientation Agency (NOA), Garba Abari put forth a rash and unreasonable
statement preparing Nigerians to “entrench the values of accountability,
integrity and positive attitudinal change” an objective the government intended
to achieve through a campaign called “Change begins with me”
This sudden move has demonstrated my past point
that President Buhari is incredibly confounded. It likewise demonstrates that
the President as well as his administration (including his ministers) are all busy
with what to say so as to persuade Nigerians that they are competent. Change
starts with me? Truly?
If anyone should launch that crusade, it should
be Nigerians idea asking the government to start the change. Everyone wants
leadership by example. Lai Mohammed is a repulsive liar who needs to change
himself, and Buhari has never quit announcing what he is not. He ought to enter
the change mantras with his heart and not his words.
According to Lai Mohammed on the said campaign: “About three to five years back now, the role
models in the society were people of doubtful character.
Money was
worshipped; nobody cared where and how one got the money; these were the
misplaced value that we are tackling now.”
In an attempt to
shift blames as always, Mr. Mohammed continued “We believe that what is wrong
with Nigeria is not limited to the elite, the political class and the civil
service; if we want that change, therefore, it must address all the issues and
target every strata of the society.”
Then
Abari added: “The Fight against corruption must not begin with the government;
people must be in the vanguard of fighting corruption.
“Our
schools, roads, hospitals should have been better than what they are now, but
corruption has stalled their development.
“What
would you say about a woman who uses chemical to forcefully ripen banana and
sell it to the public; what about a woman who would use a padded `mudu’ to sell
rice.
“A
petrol attendant who would claim not to have change so that the buyer would
leave the change; all these are corruption,’’ Mr. Abari said.
Nigeria
problem has an inseparable tie to the first class citizens, and Abari must be
taking lessons from Lie Mohammed to paint such a grimy wall wonderfully. What
this administration declined to account on was the responses of Nigerians,
including their purported fervent supporters.
Who
does the government award the inflated contracts of the schools, roads and
hospitals to? The tomato seller or the suya man?, the banker or someone like
Lie Mohammed?
Mr.
Abari is interested in a woman who uses chemical to forcefully ripen banana and
a Petrol attendant who alleged not to have change when he could not advise his
boss, Buhari on how much he has tied to his Presidential fleet.
The
Nigerian President has around 10 Presidential planes that value millions and if
sold would produce colossal sum in billions, if not trillions to address the
money related circumstance of the nation.
The
expenses of keeping up every private jets is in millions and Buhari who is
attempting to compensate himself for the 30 years he didn't travel, held these
to himself, then encourages Nigerians to begin a change?
Addressing
the people during the launch of the disgraceful campaign on the 9th
of September, Buhari said,
“Our citizens must realise that the change they want to see begins with them,
and that personal and social reforms are not a theoretic exercise. If you have
not seen the change in you, you cannot see it in others or even the larger
society.
“In other words, before you ask ‘Where is the change
they promised us?’, you must first ask, ‘How far have I changed my ways? What
have I done to be part of the change for the greater good of society?’
“The campaign we are about to launch today is all
about the need for us to see change, not merely in terms of our economic,
social progress but in terms of our personal behaviour on how we conduct
ourselves, engage our neighbours, friends and generally how we relate with the
larger society in a positive and definitive way and manner that promotes our
common good and common destiny, change at home, change in work place, change at
traffic junction, change at traffic lights, etc.”
When Buhari came into power, information leaked out
that the President was planning on selling some of his Presidential aircraft
but in a swift response, his aide quickly debunked the speculation, adding that
the President will make a public announcement if such move was to be taken.
“If anything like that was being contemplated, the
presidency would issue a statement through its official channels to announce
it”
This response was a disappointment as Nigerians were
very motivated hoping things would change from the President. The Presidential
fleet was one of the things that bothered Nigerians during previous
administration led by Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking on the campaign for change, a Nigerian
blogger, Japhet Omojuwa said “Change begins with selling the presidential jets.
Only a genuinely rich country should think of having up to 3. We have about 10
jets”
The Nigerian Air Force One aircraft is the largest in
Africa and the third largest in Nigeria after Arike Air and AeroContractors.
The annual cost of maintenance is pinned at N12bn and
the current market value is over $100m (N31,558,500,000.00), A falcon 900,
another one of the President's planes costs over $35 million; Gulfstream IVSP
worth over $40 million; Gulfsream V has a market value of over $45m; Cessna
Citation is over $10m and the Hawker Siddeley is over $15m.
So, as a
Nigerian, convert the remaining cost of the jets like the first one and see how
much President Buhari tied to his luxury life.
For a man who has all these and refused to dispose
them then suddenly approach Nigerians for a change campaign is the most
exceedingly terrible and most unsafe misdirection ever.
After being attacked by angry Nigerians, the same
Garba Shehu who debunked the selling of the jets a year back has at last said
the President is anticipating offering a portion of the fleet.
If we factor in a greater than 100% price hike in
commodities, then the total annual cost of maintaining each of the presidential
jets would be over N20bn in a country where the common man could barely feed on
one square meal a day.
Dear Buhari, Lai Mohammed, Abarai and others change
starts from you and not me.
· Do you know how much it cost every time you travel out
of the country?
· The cost on the Presidential fleet and your travelling
allowance including that of your entourage?
· The hotel, feeding and other incurred cost during the
process?
· How much have you returned to the country since you
have travelled over 24 countries in less than a year?
· How many Nigerians have you shown your pay slip to so
we can actually confirm that you cut your salary into two?
· Why did your Party? APC instruct a man like Abdulmumin
Jibrin who raised alarm on the National Assembly budget padding, never to talk
to the media again?
· How many among the Principal Officers of the House of
Assembly have been investigated and perhaps, prosecuted since the budget
padding?
· Despite the numerous petitions written to EFCC against
the former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, why wasn’t he
investigated?
· You classified Nigerians into 95% and 5% respectively
because of election and your appointments have shown same. Does this look like
a man not living in the past, anger and revenge?
· Nigerians know your Minister of Information as a
master of lie and you gave him a reward for lying you into aso rock, could that
need change too?
· What’s change when you can’t even take a single step
to prove to those who elected you that they weren’t deceived?
In
2019, Nigerians will change the change if the change does not start right now. As the secret aide to Buhari, here is what
Buhari is trying to say.
· If
you were eating three square meals before, change it to two or one.
· If
you have two wives, divorce one and keep one.
· If
you have a car, sell it and use bicycle, since he is now planning to reduce his
Presidential jets.
· Just
as he announced the cutting of his allowance, you should reach out to your
employer to cut your salary in halve.
· If
you have the latest Samsung phone, sell it to buy Nokia 3310.
So
you understand when the President launched the campaign, he means well for you.
;)
Phone: +447459853859
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