Strictly An Opinion: Institutional Insensitivity, Nigeria In Auto Pilot.

Accept it or not, the last eight years, would go down in the anals of Nigeria’s political evolution as the worst in terms of leadership.

Before 2015, a cross section of Nigeria had reached a conclusion that, the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, had failed, rightly or wrongly to deliver on its electoral promises to the people of Nigeria. In their opinion, it had outlived its usefulness. Therefore, there was a strong resolve to change the administration by whatever means possible. The Mohammadu Buhari administration was inevitably the outcome of that resolve.

Since this write up is not an x-ray of the Buhari administration, it is pointless, dwelling on the absolute fiasco that, it turned out to be. Suffice to mention that, days into that administration, Nigerians had wished that, President Jonathan never relinquished power to Buhari so cheaply. It didn’t take them too long to remember what Jonathan said in one of his prophetic speeches, that, Nigerians would remember him for all the freedom and more, that they enjoy during his presidency.

Fast forward, 2023 general elections came. There was a sigh of relief that, at least, the end of Buhari administration had come. A time to have a breath of fresh air. An opportunity to have a clean break with an ugly past. Quite an array of huddle were placed on the path of a very determined and resolute people, either to outrightly stop them or to engender aparthy towards their choice. One of such was the introduction of currency redesign by the regime, which brought an unprecedented pains to the citizenry. The people took it in their strides and went into the elections, hoping that, at the end of the process, their votes would count. The rest is history.

Today, we have a government with an incredible crisis of credibility. Damn the bold face they put up every day, in the public space. Behind the bravado, is a sense of uncertainty as to what the future holds as the judiciary probes into what actually transpired during the presidential election.

Nigerians had gone into the elections with the expectation to have a leader with compassion and the requisite skills to ameliorate the the crushing economic burden and security challenges they had been subjected to by the visionless Buhari administration. Certainly, they were not looking for some bold, careless and reckless characters to increase their pains and make life unattractive. Definitely not.

They were not looking to elect some insensitive and over fed comedians into the national legislature to mock them over their sufferings. No! The slogan on the floor of the national assembly today is, ‘let the poor breath’. The question is, what use does this serve? How does this solve the serious economic and security crisis that Nigerians face daily?

The other day, rather than address the issues thrown up at the presidential election petition tribunal by the petitioners, the lawyers representing the defendants as well as the presidential spokes persons were shamelessly threatening the judiciary and by implication, the rest of us, should they dare to do the right thing. The only path way to chaos is when justice is not served when it ought to. Nothing else brings chaos and anarchy on a society other than injustice.

Last week, one of the newly elected senator in the person of Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North senatorial district, was quoted to have reminded Nigerians that, if the city becomes too difficult for us to dwell in, we could as well pack a bag and head for the village. Exactly the point I am trying to drive home. That insensitive and highly conceited guy, does not even know that, the sufferings people go through in the country as at today, does not recognise any boarders. I guess, things are worse in the hinterland these days.

Yes, the seeming peace we have in the land today, is because, the people are patiently awaiting the outcome of the court process in Abuja. It is after the court process that, we can actually access the docility or otherwise, of the average Nigerian in view how much nonsense he is prepared to take from his leaders. A word is enough for the wise.