Nigeria: It Is Time For Change.
Nigeria: It is Time for Change
By Abba Mahmood
At the opening ceremony of the 22nd Enugu International Trade Fair last week, President Jonathan promised to supply 10,000MW of electricity by the end of this year.
This indeed is as funny as it is ridiculous. He was speaking not only in his capacity as president but also as minister of power and presidential candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party that has promised to provide adequate power supply and has spent $16 billion on the power sector in the last 12 years but is able to only reach 3,800MW this year - less than what Nigeria was generating 13 years ago! It is time for change.
The simple truth is that the people are tired of the PDP. It is a party of treasury looters, serial betrayers and shameless liars. The PDP has failed Nigeria and Nigerians. Today, nothing seems to be working in the whole country. Power outage is worse than ever even in Abuja, the nation's capital. Out of the 93,000 settlements, villages, towns and cities in Nigeria, there is not a single one that has even drinking water - the most common and most basic human need after air.
All the nation's roads, schools, health facilities and other institutions are in deplorable condition. This is after getting more resources than all previous governments since independence combined. It is time for change.
To make matters worse, the party has fielded a presidential candidate - Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who has never contested any election in his name, who cannot honour any agreement and does not give any commitment. If anyone has been able to destroy the delicate balance that has sustained the PDP in power since 1999, it is Dr. Jonathan.
If anyone has worked tirelessly to kill zoning and the federal character principle, it is Dr. Jonathan. But the people are not fools. The more money the PDP spends for the coming 2011 elections, the more unpopular it becomes all over. Deaths, destruction and danger trail their campaign train all over. It is time for change.
When President Jonathan met with the other presidential aspirants of the party who incidentally are all from north, he refused, even out of courtesy, to agree that the 2015 presidential candidate of the party should come from the north. Similarly, when the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) met with him and proposed that they would support him if he accepted to back a northerner for the presidency in 2015, he refused to commit himself. In other words, no one should be under any illusion that he has contempt for any agreement or commitment. Even Vice President Namadi Sambo who is dreaming to succeed him in 2015 should perish that idea because he is not ready to back any northerner in 2015; he may end up backing himself. Even the south-easterners are just dreaming. If he succeeds to make himself president in 2011 he will equally succeed in 2015. Make no mistake about that. Indeed, it is time for change.
But there is a re-think all over the country. Many people have seen how inadequate President Jonathan is and how terrible his party's records are.
Although the PDP has the largest war chest, the largest billboards and the largest media coverage, that party also has the largest deficit in terms of popularity and ideas on how to move the nation forward. They use very unpopular people in their campaign just to make matters worse.
For instance, one of the arrowheads of the Jonathan campaign is Alhaji Hassan Adamu, Wakilin Adamawa, who has never contested for any election. When Obasanjo charged him to establish the Federal Ministry of Environment, he did not deem it fit to employ a single indigene of Adamawa in that ministry, even though he was representing Adamawa State in the federal cabinet. It is time for change.
The party has shown clearly that it does not have any positive plans for Nigeria. That is why they refused to participate in the debate last week. President Jonathan has the time to attend the D'Banj music concert but he has no time to come and tell us his agenda on power, Niger Delta, education, unemployment or corruption! It is a big tragedy.
Instead, the PDP government relies on excessive abuse of state power, thinking they can intimidate the people and manipulate the electoral process as they were used to, but the presidency is not PDP's come April 9, 2011, God willing. Everyone is simply tired of the PDP's bad leadership and bad governance. They have nothing to offer this country and the drift must stop. It is time for change.
General Muhammadu Buhari is, no doubt, a tested and trusted leader. But, at 70 years of age, and having occupied the posts of governor in 1975, minister of petroleum in 1976 and head of state in 1984, among others, he has indeed paid his dues and should now be an elder statesman.
It is time for him to take a bow and be in the vanguard to support the broom revolution to sweep away the misrule, mismanagement and disaster called PDP.
It is a matter of simple arithmetic that the second largest party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a party that is most organized, most cohesive and has fielded the presidential candidate that shares Buhari's values of integrity and credibility, should be supported by General Buhari. If the PDP government has anything on Ribadu they would have brought it out by now.
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu will take off from where Buhari and others stopped and take Nigeria to greater heights. It is definitely going to be a broom revolution in Nigeria this year, and that is why every household has a broom. It is obviously time for change.
God save Nigeria.
By Abba Mahmood
At the opening ceremony of the 22nd Enugu International Trade Fair last week, President Jonathan promised to supply 10,000MW of electricity by the end of this year.
This indeed is as funny as it is ridiculous. He was speaking not only in his capacity as president but also as minister of power and presidential candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party that has promised to provide adequate power supply and has spent $16 billion on the power sector in the last 12 years but is able to only reach 3,800MW this year - less than what Nigeria was generating 13 years ago! It is time for change.
The simple truth is that the people are tired of the PDP. It is a party of treasury looters, serial betrayers and shameless liars. The PDP has failed Nigeria and Nigerians. Today, nothing seems to be working in the whole country. Power outage is worse than ever even in Abuja, the nation's capital. Out of the 93,000 settlements, villages, towns and cities in Nigeria, there is not a single one that has even drinking water - the most common and most basic human need after air.
All the nation's roads, schools, health facilities and other institutions are in deplorable condition. This is after getting more resources than all previous governments since independence combined. It is time for change.
To make matters worse, the party has fielded a presidential candidate - Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who has never contested any election in his name, who cannot honour any agreement and does not give any commitment. If anyone has been able to destroy the delicate balance that has sustained the PDP in power since 1999, it is Dr. Jonathan.
If anyone has worked tirelessly to kill zoning and the federal character principle, it is Dr. Jonathan. But the people are not fools. The more money the PDP spends for the coming 2011 elections, the more unpopular it becomes all over. Deaths, destruction and danger trail their campaign train all over. It is time for change.
When President Jonathan met with the other presidential aspirants of the party who incidentally are all from north, he refused, even out of courtesy, to agree that the 2015 presidential candidate of the party should come from the north. Similarly, when the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) met with him and proposed that they would support him if he accepted to back a northerner for the presidency in 2015, he refused to commit himself. In other words, no one should be under any illusion that he has contempt for any agreement or commitment. Even Vice President Namadi Sambo who is dreaming to succeed him in 2015 should perish that idea because he is not ready to back any northerner in 2015; he may end up backing himself. Even the south-easterners are just dreaming. If he succeeds to make himself president in 2011 he will equally succeed in 2015. Make no mistake about that. Indeed, it is time for change.
But there is a re-think all over the country. Many people have seen how inadequate President Jonathan is and how terrible his party's records are.
Although the PDP has the largest war chest, the largest billboards and the largest media coverage, that party also has the largest deficit in terms of popularity and ideas on how to move the nation forward. They use very unpopular people in their campaign just to make matters worse.
For instance, one of the arrowheads of the Jonathan campaign is Alhaji Hassan Adamu, Wakilin Adamawa, who has never contested for any election. When Obasanjo charged him to establish the Federal Ministry of Environment, he did not deem it fit to employ a single indigene of Adamawa in that ministry, even though he was representing Adamawa State in the federal cabinet. It is time for change.
The party has shown clearly that it does not have any positive plans for Nigeria. That is why they refused to participate in the debate last week. President Jonathan has the time to attend the D'Banj music concert but he has no time to come and tell us his agenda on power, Niger Delta, education, unemployment or corruption! It is a big tragedy.
Instead, the PDP government relies on excessive abuse of state power, thinking they can intimidate the people and manipulate the electoral process as they were used to, but the presidency is not PDP's come April 9, 2011, God willing. Everyone is simply tired of the PDP's bad leadership and bad governance. They have nothing to offer this country and the drift must stop. It is time for change.
General Muhammadu Buhari is, no doubt, a tested and trusted leader. But, at 70 years of age, and having occupied the posts of governor in 1975, minister of petroleum in 1976 and head of state in 1984, among others, he has indeed paid his dues and should now be an elder statesman.
It is time for him to take a bow and be in the vanguard to support the broom revolution to sweep away the misrule, mismanagement and disaster called PDP.
It is a matter of simple arithmetic that the second largest party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a party that is most organized, most cohesive and has fielded the presidential candidate that shares Buhari's values of integrity and credibility, should be supported by General Buhari. If the PDP government has anything on Ribadu they would have brought it out by now.
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu will take off from where Buhari and others stopped and take Nigeria to greater heights. It is definitely going to be a broom revolution in Nigeria this year, and that is why every household has a broom. It is obviously time for change.
God save Nigeria.
Labels: Abject Corruption, Banana Republic
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 1:11 PM
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