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| President Muhammadu Buhari going to New York, september 2015 |
Can we reflect on how and why a sitting president was defeated; something that has never happened in the history of Nigeria and even Africa. This is because people were frustrated, tired and hopeless. Millions of graduates were roaming the streets jobless, no electricity, no security and no vision for millions of Nigerians yet the politicians and members of their families are living in affluence to the detriment of Nigerians. And all these vices were attributed to corruption which is the fundamental issue that has hampered the progress and development of the nation. So, if it will take President Muhammadu Buhari the entire four years in his first tenure to fight and curb corruption, Nigerians will be good for it.
100 days in office has become a national issue. Also appointment has become the order of the day. We saw on television records of monies amounting to billions of Dollars syphoned by some state governors and these elites kept mute on them only to make noise about 100 days in office cum appointments.
Honestly, if President Muhammadu Buhari should appoint his siblings, children and wife provided there is electricity, good road network, security, employment etc. so be it. I used to buy three kegs of sixty liter fuel to power my generator every week, but today I do not use up to one keg of sixty liters a week due to tremendous improvement on power supply. This savings will go into other economic endeavors and will enhance good standard of living generally.
Hitherto we fill 25 liters keg of fuel at the rate of N3, 500 at the rate of N87 per liter due to manipulation of the meter by some petrol marketers but today we fill the same keg with N2, 480 in every petrol station still at the rate of N87 per liter. What a cheat and corruption, thanks to Buhari. Today with the emergence of Buhari, we have started feeling that Nigeria can still be a place to live in devoid of frustration occasioned by untold and unabated corruption.
My only worry is those that pretend to be defending the president by their assertions that the president only made his appointment, based on competence and corrupt free individuals which by inference suggests that there is no competent person in the whole of the South-East geopolitical zone or that every person in that zone is corrupt. That is a very bad and unhealthy assertion. Let those people just keep quiet and allow our disciplined and uncorrupt president do his work and give Nigerians result. I reinstate: Nigerians need security, electricity, good road network , employment, education, good health care,
In fact, Nigerians need good standard of living and not who was appointed. On my way to the East three weeks ago, I stayed at a particular point for about seven hours between Ogun States and Ondo State as a result of poor state of the road. My question, is this road not used by the South South/South East people yet my immediate past president who is from the South-South could not fix the road, so why the noise about where a president comes from.
I am calling on all Nigerians irrespective of your section or tribe to support President Muhammadu Buhari in his fight against corruption rather than heaping unnecessary sentiments that will lead us to no where. If president Buhari fails in this fight against corruption, God forbid, Nigeria will be doomed. It takes a decent, disciplined and uncorrupt person to fight corruption and these attributes are found in Buhari and that is why we must support him. The Latin maxim states that “He who comes to equity must come with clean hands” Also “He who seeks equity must do equity”.
The above maxims are reasons why no government in Nigeria in the past had deemed it right to fight corruption frontally despite its grave effect to the lives of innocent Nigerians. It was the same president Buhari who tried in the past when he was the military head of state to fight against this deadly disease called corruption and instill discipline in the attitude of Nigerians before he was removed from office. The amount of money we see everyday in the media that have been syphoned or rather stolen by some public office holders ranging from state monies, pension monies etc. could put up one of the best hospitals in the world in all the states of the federation. Also electricity problems would have been a thing of the past. But these public officers travel out of the country at will for medical attention for a slightest or minutest ailment. Some of these public officers lack the requisite knowledge to understand that these amenities and hospitals which they find worthy of taking adequate care of their ailment are built and equipped by their fellow public officers and leaders in those countries.
Every corrupt person is doltish and that is why a leader will embezzle billions of dollars. The question is what is he going to do with such amount? How long will he stay in this earth? The irony of this is that such people have virtually killed the normal existence of their children because such children would not have any drive again as a normal person. Some of them end up smoking and other dangerous vices.
I admonish lawyers to shun the temptation of fighting for corrupt persons in a manner that will blight justice. This fight against corruption is not only for President Buhari alone but for every meaningful Nigerian. I reterate, let us all support him. My candid advice to the President is that there should be no sacred cow in this fight in order not to whittle down the hope and support of well-meaning Nigerians.I do not care where the president comes from or who was appointed. My concern is to have good infrastructure in place for the good of the majority of Nigerians and not for only the political class and elites alone.
•Barr Obi-Odunukwe writes
100 days in office has become a national issue. Also appointment has become the order of the day. We saw on television records of monies amounting to billions of Dollars syphoned by some state governors and these elites kept mute on them only to make noise about 100 days in office cum appointments.
Honestly, if President Muhammadu Buhari should appoint his siblings, children and wife provided there is electricity, good road network, security, employment etc. so be it. I used to buy three kegs of sixty liter fuel to power my generator every week, but today I do not use up to one keg of sixty liters a week due to tremendous improvement on power supply. This savings will go into other economic endeavors and will enhance good standard of living generally.
Hitherto we fill 25 liters keg of fuel at the rate of N3, 500 at the rate of N87 per liter due to manipulation of the meter by some petrol marketers but today we fill the same keg with N2, 480 in every petrol station still at the rate of N87 per liter. What a cheat and corruption, thanks to Buhari. Today with the emergence of Buhari, we have started feeling that Nigeria can still be a place to live in devoid of frustration occasioned by untold and unabated corruption.
My only worry is those that pretend to be defending the president by their assertions that the president only made his appointment, based on competence and corrupt free individuals which by inference suggests that there is no competent person in the whole of the South-East geopolitical zone or that every person in that zone is corrupt. That is a very bad and unhealthy assertion. Let those people just keep quiet and allow our disciplined and uncorrupt president do his work and give Nigerians result. I reinstate: Nigerians need security, electricity, good road network , employment, education, good health care,
In fact, Nigerians need good standard of living and not who was appointed. On my way to the East three weeks ago, I stayed at a particular point for about seven hours between Ogun States and Ondo State as a result of poor state of the road. My question, is this road not used by the South South/South East people yet my immediate past president who is from the South-South could not fix the road, so why the noise about where a president comes from.
I am calling on all Nigerians irrespective of your section or tribe to support President Muhammadu Buhari in his fight against corruption rather than heaping unnecessary sentiments that will lead us to no where. If president Buhari fails in this fight against corruption, God forbid, Nigeria will be doomed. It takes a decent, disciplined and uncorrupt person to fight corruption and these attributes are found in Buhari and that is why we must support him. The Latin maxim states that “He who comes to equity must come with clean hands” Also “He who seeks equity must do equity”.
The above maxims are reasons why no government in Nigeria in the past had deemed it right to fight corruption frontally despite its grave effect to the lives of innocent Nigerians. It was the same president Buhari who tried in the past when he was the military head of state to fight against this deadly disease called corruption and instill discipline in the attitude of Nigerians before he was removed from office. The amount of money we see everyday in the media that have been syphoned or rather stolen by some public office holders ranging from state monies, pension monies etc. could put up one of the best hospitals in the world in all the states of the federation. Also electricity problems would have been a thing of the past. But these public officers travel out of the country at will for medical attention for a slightest or minutest ailment. Some of these public officers lack the requisite knowledge to understand that these amenities and hospitals which they find worthy of taking adequate care of their ailment are built and equipped by their fellow public officers and leaders in those countries.
Every corrupt person is doltish and that is why a leader will embezzle billions of dollars. The question is what is he going to do with such amount? How long will he stay in this earth? The irony of this is that such people have virtually killed the normal existence of their children because such children would not have any drive again as a normal person. Some of them end up smoking and other dangerous vices.
I admonish lawyers to shun the temptation of fighting for corrupt persons in a manner that will blight justice. This fight against corruption is not only for President Buhari alone but for every meaningful Nigerian. I reterate, let us all support him. My candid advice to the President is that there should be no sacred cow in this fight in order not to whittle down the hope and support of well-meaning Nigerians.I do not care where the president comes from or who was appointed. My concern is to have good infrastructure in place for the good of the majority of Nigerians and not for only the political class and elites alone.
•Barr Obi-Odunukwe writes
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