Help! This ‘ship’ is sinking Judging by the recent trends of events in the country, if nothing is done urgently to avert the impending crisis that has been looming for some time, Nigeria would be in for a serious problem. Next year, 2015 is a very crucial one for the country not just for the general election that would be held early in the year, but also for the fact that it is going to usher in the beginning of a new century in the country’s history and as well a year that was purportedly predicted to be the last of a one united Nigeria. The types of utterances emanating from our political leaders are not only inciting but are capable of throwing the country into a state of quagmire. Politicians, both in the ruling and opposition parties alike, are culpable of this. Taking the volatile nature of the Nigerian political spheres into cognisance, one would expect our political elite to be cautious of their actions and utterances. Unfortunately, it appears that they have thrown caution to the winds and can do and say anything they like irrespective of the consequences such could have on the unity of the country. Some sacred institutions of the state have been bastardised by those in power who are under oaths to protect the same. The Judiciary, the Police as well as the Legislature and other institutions of the state have been politicised. In Rivers State, for instance, the situation is near anarchy. The gates of the courts in the state have been under lock and key for more than one year due to the inability of the state governor, Chibuike Amaechi and the National Judicial Council to agree on who to occupy the vacant position of the state Chief Judge. Each of the parties interprets the same portion of the constitution on the appointment of a Chief Judge the way it suits it. Most people in the state now resort to jungle justice because there is no place to ventilate their grievances. Cases already in the courts are stalled. Among them is the case of the four University of Port Harcourt students (popularly known as the Aluu 4) who were allegedly killed by some indigenes of their host community two years ago. Ironically, Amaechi regained his mandate as the torch bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2007 general election, and consequently as the governor of Rivers State through the pronouncement of a court of competent jurisdiction. Seven years down the line, the governor chose to burn the bridge after crossing. Little wonder, he threatened that the All Progressives Congress will form a parallel government should the 2015 elections be rigged by the ruling PDP. Maybe, he knew he could not approach the same judiciary he also contributed to destroy. He who goes to equity must go with clean hands. Amaechi’s statement is nothing but a call for anarchy and therefore must not only be condemned by all Nigerians but also should not be taken seriously. Before Amaechi and his cohorts form a parallel government, they should first take a trip to Somalia, Rwanda, Congo, Liberia, etc., and see the consequences of running parallel governments. It took Nigeria several years to recover (if she indeed did) from the civil war fought more than four decades ago. Elsewhere in Kastina State, Governor Ibrahim Shema likened members of the opposition parties as cockroaches that must be “crushed” by members of the ruling party. True leaders don’t crush the people they intend to lead. Considering the way politics is played in Nigeria, where one can jump from one political party to another at will, I can’t decipher what really guarantees Shema that he would not be in the opposition in the nearest future. It is not untrue that he is in the ruling party because his interest is well- protected. If the likes of Audu Ogbeh and Barnabas Gemade, (former Chairmen of the PDP), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Aminu Tambuwal, Amaechi and others are now in the so-called opposition party, there is the likelihood that the likes of Shema can find themselves in the opposition party in the near future. In another instance, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and other members of the House were not too long ago prevented from entering the premises of the National Assembly by security agents based on some “intelligence report”. This consequently resulted in the lawmakers jumping the gate. As if that was not enough, the number four citizen of the country allegedly had tear gas canisters thrown at him, by the police. This is not in any way different from the type of things we experienced during the dark days of the military. It is high time our security agencies especially the Police made professionalism their watchword while discharging their duties. They are paid with the taxpayers’ money and not with the politicians’ alone. We cannot afford to be dragged back to the dark days. In an ideal democratic setting, the majority will have their way while the minority has its say. But in Nigeria, it is in the contrary. This is an ugly trend that is unfortunately becoming the norm. We have many instances where common standard mathematical operations were redefined because of political interest. This can only happen in Nigeria. It started with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s chairmanship election where 16, we were told, was “greater than” 19. It did not take long before some members of the Rivers State House of Assembly decided to apply the same un-mathematical formula to “settle” the leadership crisis that engulfed the legislative arm of the state last year. This time round, the margin became wider. Six members of the House which has about 32 members allegedly “impeached” the Speaker of the House, Otelema Dan Amachree. As if that was not enough, Edo and Ekiti states had their fair share of this ill-wind that has the capability to submerge the Nigerian ship into oblivion. In Edo State, six out of the 18 members of the House also allegedly removed the Speaker while seven out of the 27 House members “impeached” the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly. This is nothing but politics of impunity which seems to be favouring a particular group of individuals in the short term but definitely will benefit no one at the long run. This needs to be checked before it grounds this country to a halt. There should be strict adherence to the rule of law by all individuals irrespective of political inclinations. Those whose rights are infringed upon should seek redress through constitutional means and not by resort to self-help. There is never a win- win situation in any anarchy bedevilled society; everybody is a loser. Please, let’s join hands together and play to the rules so as to salvage our dear country from these myriads of problems threatening her unity and peaceful existence. Icon Adegbaju Temiyoluwa
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 13:57:14 +0000
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