FEATURE ARTICLE

E O EkeWednesday, November 19, 2014
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WHO GIVES A DAMN ABOUT NIGERIA?

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ith the deterioration in the Nigerian polity, it is obvious that Nigeria needs a system that is firmly anchored on voters choice, where members of political parties choose credible candidates and the ballot box truly the arbiter by making electoral malpractice a serious offence with penalties , which includes the banning of the perpetrates from politics and public life.

This is why the evolving pattern of Governors choosing their successor, The president guaranteeing the people who would be elected as senators and party leaders choosing candidates by design or default is undemocratic, undermines the right of people to choose those who exercise power over them and a serious aberration of democracy.

What is happening in Iraq and North East Nigeria should be an object lesson to corrupt and unscrupulous Nigerian leaders, who are bent on imposing their selfish choice and greed on the polity, of what happens, when a country are led by sectarian minded and morally bankrupt leaders, who put their selfish interest over and above the interest of the generality of the people. Nigerian political class have to understand that Nigerians are sick of their shenanigans.

We cannot postpone the evil days forever, it is already creeping upon us. We cannot continue to have as leaders people, who get into office by rigging elections and settle to steal from us to build multiple rooms mansions on hill tops, private schools and universities, become obscenely rich through corruption and refuse to leave the political scenes. Leader who subvert the constitution for their own selfish political ambitions like refusing to resign their parliamentary seats when they decamp from one party to another and refusing to pay tax on their disproportionate earnings.

All over the developed world, no one hears of retired millionaire army general, ex president and governors that build empires from what they stole from office and leaders who allow ex-convicts in the corridors of powers. Sadly all these anomalies are the prominent future of the Nigerian democracy.

It is clear that Nigeria cannot developed, until she addresses the moral bankruptcy, criminality and sectarian prejudice at the Heart of her politics. We must accept that no people build a good society, unless every individual is subject to the same law.

The criminal intentions of those who seek power for selfish ends must be contained to give Nigeria a future and politicians stopped from benefiting from corruption. There is no reason why president's spouse and governors children should determine those who get elected into offices. This is corruption at its worst. The Nigerian governors forum is another sinister contraption, which has done more than any other private interest group to derail democratic evolution and the rule of law in Nigeria.

It has been allowed to play a role in the polity the way no trade union should be allowed. Its aim is to protect the interest of governors. Therefore, it should have been treated the way all trade unions are treated.

Instead, they have been allowed to destroy local government by putting them under the state contrary to what the writers of the constitution envisaged. The result is total annihilation of the third tire of government in Nigeria. In the process, the governors have become more and more autocratic.

Now they have no more respect for due and democratic processes and want to nominate their successors. This is simply crazy. It shows compete contempt for democratic process and the people. The only reason they want to do this is to avoid accountability and Nigerians must resist them. It is serious sign of how far Nigerian democracy has mutated in direction of autocracy and should give very serious concern to all lovers of freedom and democracy.

It should not be difficulty to make the judiciary sufficiently independent to dispense justice that would see those who undermine the country through corruption and various abuses of power and office to be fairly punished.

It should not be problematic to allow the rule of law to reign and for all those who break the law to be brought to justice. It is not difficult to insist that people respect the rules and to apply the law, when rules are broken. These are the simple things Nigerian leadership needs to fix to give Nigeria a future and it only require an honest leader, who is prepared to lead my example and not one who does not give a dam.

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