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Buhari And El Rufai: The 2 Greatest Enemies Of Restructuring Of Nigeria
Feb 16, 2018 – Buhari And Governor El Rufai: The 2 Greatest Enemies Of Restructuring Of Nigeria
THE APC AND THE RESTRUCTURING OF NIGERIA…
By Albert Afeso Akanbi
Sometimes in January, former President Olusegun Obasanjo released an 18 page Open Letter, in which he took a serious swipe at incumbent president Mohammadu Buhari.
Almost immediately, the letter went viral.
In what appeared like an attempt to deflect the attention of Nigerians from the issues raised in the letter, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir, was arrested by the EFCC almost as soon as former President Obasanjo’s letter was released. Nigerians quickly saw through the smoke screen and cried fowl. In less than 24 hours, Babachir was released. The government later denied that his detention had anything to do with former President Obasanjo’s letter.
Now, I doubt if there are still any Nigerians who still believe that official line of the federal government on that matter, or any matter for that matter. Because, which Nigerian today, who can read between the lines, doesn’t know that the recent news about an El Rufai Panel on Restructuring is an attempt by the APC to gain some acceptance and votes in the forth coming elections?
I believe the whole idea that the APC is interested in restructuring, or any thing remotely near an equitable Nigeria where good governance, justice and the rule of law reigns supreme is a sham. The APC and the bruhaha about president Buhari’s integrity is the biggest fraud that has been sold to Nigerians in our modern history. How can a man who spent over hundred days in London, on bed rest, who did not see it as a patriotic duty to resign be adjured a man of integrity?
The level of hardship going on in Nigeria today, placed side by side our president’s clannishness, suggests what the APC as a political party truly is… a huge scam…
Now they are talking about restructuring under an El Rufai panel, forgetting that this same El Rufai who chairs the APC committee on restructuring today, was the same man who condemned those calling for restructuring a year ago…not just that, he called them opportunists…
What has changed between then and now for governor El Rufai?
President Buhari on new year day 2018, in his national broadcast, told Nigerians in clear terms to jestition the idea of restructuring and concentrate instead on processes… He told us categorically that there was nothing wrong with Nigeria as it is currently structured, that the only issue with Nigeria has to do with process…
It would be naive for any Nigerian today to believe that if president Buhari gets a second term, he would not discard this so called El Rufai committee report on restructuring that El Rufai and his fellow travelers are going about with around communities in Nigeria in the name of consultation…
El Rufai’s committee is not only taking us for fools, they are also wasting tax payers’ money and their time…
As Nigerians, we should be wiser now, and ensure that no amount of sham, propaganda and smoke screen should secure the APC another day after May 2019 in Aso Rock…
If the APC was serious about restructuring Nigeria, then they would have implemented their own manifesto with total commitment.
Yet, every single promise they made in 2015, they have failed.
They promised to stabilize the naira to 1Naira to 1USD, promised to create 720 million jobs in 36 states of the federation yearly, promised to pay allowances to youth corpers who were discharged and jobless, promised to pay 5,000 naira each to 25 million poorest Nigerians, promised to bring the price of petrol to 40 naira! and so on… In all these, they have failed woefully….
If this was all that there was to it, it would have been bearable, but no. They have plagued us with promises they didn’t make… We need not look farther than Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, and many more communities around Nigeria, including Akoko Edo Local Government area, where President Buhari’s fellow Fulani tribesmen and Islamists have been engaged in series of satanic acts of blood letting unhindered, ever since he took power. And today, we hear news of the herdsmen saying they have agreed to a cease fire in Benue, the same people that some prominent northern Nigerians have absolved of the evil killings and wanton destruction going on in the country.
After the blood letting in Benue State, the president did not deem it fit to condemn the Fulani herdsmen outright, or visit the state to console with the people, yet some people want us to believe that president Buhari would love Nigeria more than his Fulani tribe to the extent that he would want to restructure it?
In 1985, at an international forum, as Head of State, president Buhari voted against Dr Peter Onu, a Nigerian Christian from Igboland in favour of one Idi Omaro, a Fulani Muslim from Niger Republic, even though other African heads of state pleaded with Buhari to “please give us Peter! “…the man went ahead and voted in favour of tribe and religion against country…
Don’t be surprised. Our current president is just being who he is. Buhari. Fulani. Islamist.
From their antecedents and recent statements, let no one be fooled, president Buhari and governor El Rufai are the two greatest enemies, as well as a number of their northern brethren, of a restructured Nigeria. Can you imagine that in the 21st century, Nigeria has no standard expressway, no standard airport, no water, electricity, and so on, and yet we are still playing dangerous politics with the future of the youths instead of engaging in massive investment in infrastructure? With a deep sense of humility, I make bold to say that without restructuring, Nigeria would fail eventually.
This is why we must all see behind this lie called APC panel, and insist on APC leaving office through the ballot in 2019, so that a serious government can come forward and restructure this country for us…
We must all get our PVCs, go out there on voting days, vote and protect our votes…
Nigeria will be restructured, Nigeria will be great again, but certainly not before Buhari and his men are sent back to where ever it is they came from, in 2019…
God bless Nigeria…
Albert Afeso Akanbi
About the author: Albert Afeso Akanbi is a writer, researcher and humanitarian… Blog: www.akanbiafeso.wordpress.com Twitter: @afeso82 Instagram: @afeso82
Terry Fox
February 16, 2018 at 3:22 AM
where have you been @ akanbi afeso, I have been checking your column for the past 7 weeks.
kunle Ilahor
February 16, 2018 at 3:41 AM
welcome back writer.
Buhari is ineffective because he has a lot of ineffective nonentities around him.
El rufai is a jihadists governor. Sorry d thing are bad omen for Nigeria
Metu Nyetu
February 16, 2018 at 6:12 AM
MR ALBERT AFESO, I WOULDN’T mind if you marry my sister just because of this well-penned piece of writing. I particularly like your ending, when you say that without restructuring, Nigeria would fail eventually. That is nothing but the truth.
BUT ONE OTHER TRUTH I WOULD say here is that no government, whether APC or PDP, would ever grant this restructuring. So it doesn’t make half a difference if we vote out APC or not. This is because the north will NEVER buy into this idea because they largely believe it ill-favours them. And we know that the north is majority.
BUT THE SOUTH AND THE REST OF NIGERIANS WHO ARE not satisfied with the status quo could have forced the federal government to restructure Nigeria during that time that Nnamdi Kanu was on fire and Biafra was the burning question all over the media. They could have teamed up with Kanu to echo a louder voice that if the country is not restructured, then it would be divided(restructuring meaning that every state should control their resources, and remit a percentage to the federal government). They could have said it in clear terms that it is either restructuring or secession. This would have meant a meaning to the federal government.
BUT NO, OTHER TRIBES IN NIGERIA AGREED to be deceived by our cunning federal government, and saw Biafra as a mere Igbo agenda borne out of the selfish whims of one man named Kanu. Would anybody have agitated for Biafra if things were as they should be? The federal government even knew that it was either restructuring or secession, and they wanted neither of those options. So, to deceive the feeble-minded populace, they started talking about restructuring as though they meant it. I remember saying over and over again that the reason why the government spoke about restructuring was to divert our minds from Nnamdi Kanu, and that if Biafra agitation eventually got defeated, the government would forget everything about restructuring.
WE ALL KNOW how Python Dance later ran Nnamdi Kanu into a hole, and his once loud voice seems now a timid hush! Biafra agitations quieted, and then, imagine how prophetic I felt when Buhari eventually said that our problem was not restructuring! My prediction came true!
WE NEED to be wise in this country. Nigeria has no hope as far as it remains together. Take me to the meanest hangman and I would repeat it. The only hope of Nigeria is via restructuring, and restructuring will NEVER be granted because the North, which has the majority population, is a pusillanimous wimp in grave dread of a future like that. So are we in a dilemma or what?
Mon
February 16, 2018 at 7:14 AM
Where have you bn Metu Nyetu? Pls keep on saying the truth but my assurance to you is Nigeria will definitely burn down as predicted by Nnamdi Kanu,whatever they did to him does not matter anymore because history will put him on top of all the Nigeria leaders in a very positive way, his legacy will last to the end of eternity and Biafra must surely be restored, God’s Willing.
Danti
February 16, 2018 at 8:43 AM
Folks, this is my new approach in dismantling this backward country: let Ibo and Yoruba, within their region, form economic community i.e economic community of Odua states (ECOS),and Ibo; ECOBS. These body must involve every body in their region, I mean every profession in the draft of a pristine constitution. While doing this, we must respect and honor our Nigeria role, just like ECOWAS. The ECOS and ECOBS are the ones that will be carrying out research,investigating and prescribing solutions to the board members ( the Governors in their region). They will travel to the remotest part of their region, they will be everywhere in the cities, citizens will be sent abroad, especially in those newly developed economies like Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong to study their process. Our citizens in old economies; U.S. and in Europe will be invited in a very decent and well coordinated fashion. Folks, if I am worth $10bn, half of it will go to this process because I believe it will work!
ADE EAGLE
February 16, 2018 at 10:30 AM
Buhari is nothing but a failure am surprised some lunatics wants him to contest again in 2019
uzoma
February 16, 2018 at 2:14 PM
Nigeria that is supposed to be the voice of the Black race with all her intellectuals have become a laughing stock. Ghana has taken over and rightly so. Listen to their president’s address the world leaders the other day and the interview he granted journalists and you will agree with me, you will see a well learned man. Peep into the developments going on in that country and you will absolutely agree with me. Nigeria can do even better if the situation is conducive. Restructuring Nigeria is the only way out of the stagnant situation we find ourselves in. Let every region develop on their own and contribute a percentage to the federal government, the North said no. I was appalled when I saw a highly placed Northerner say on national television that the rest of the country should wait until the North catches up before we can talk of development. What a shame. The North have dragged Nigeria back to stone age. It is a shame that before Nigeria presidents do anything they must get permission from Britain. Obasanjo (the Souths Achilles hill) did it, Buhari is doing it. Only Jonathan did not run to them for advise. China have built a train that will run from China to Germany. The train will go from China through Russia and some European countries to Germany. For now it is only cargo train. If Britain, Russia, Egypt, Sudan have abstained themselves from the Nigeria/Biafra war the Black race would have been proud today that at least a Black nation have risen. They back Nigeria with all their might and power not because they love Nigeria, but because they do not want a challenge from a Black nation. Instead of the victorious Nigeria side to seize the opportunity to fully assimilate the Biafrans into the society all they have been doing since is to deny them the presidency and let all the scientists who held Biafra up then rot away. Those of them who developed something had their developments swept under the carpet. A very good example is professor Njoku Obi who developed the cholera vaccine that Aminu Kano rejected. The United States bought the patent and today Nigeria imports cholera vaccine from the United States. The vaccine that was developed by their own son. What a total disgrace and when Trump says you are “shit hole countries” everybody gets annoyed. Restructure Nigeria today and you will see positive developments. I am very sure the East, the West, the Delta, the Middle belt and even the core North will develop. Why is the North afraid of restructuring? Not until this is done Nigeria’s problems will continue to be beyond solution.