2Baba And Buhari’s Economic Decay

There is the possibility that President Buhari may soon think himself a herdsman who is not answerable to his cattle if Nigerians don’t begin to hold him accountable for his telling failures.

The president cannot continue to keep mute on pressing national issues that prick the hearts of Nigerians and expect mutism from the citizens. We are not in a military dispensation, sir!

The current administration cannot continue to be a spoiler and point fingers elsewhere only to cause distractions from being criticized.

The call for a nationwide march against the harsh economic policies and lack of transparency under the current administration by Mr. Innocent “2Baba” Idibia is coming at a more auspicious moment in the nation’s jinxed history.

If Nigerians could be allowed to protest the removal of subsidy under the then President Goodluck Jonathan on January 2, 2012, without any form of intimidation by the government, why then can’t a protest hold under and against President Buhari?

It has become evident that Buhari’s regime is scared of confrontation and citizen’s action that it does everything possible to intimidate individuals and groups who dare to go against it.

A confused government like what we have in Nigeria today lacks every moral justification to kick against plans by the citizens to peacefully march or protest against hardship, lack of transparency and curtailing of civil liberties.

As things stand, standard of living of most Nigerians continues to deteriorate by the day, thereby pushing millions of households and families from the nebulous middle class down to the lower and poor classes.

Not when countless of citizens have died, citing hunger and economic hardships in their suicidal notes.

The bottom of Nigeria’s socioeconomic class is now so crowded than it ever was, thanks to the president and his team of indolent and tired heads.

A recent survey published by The Cable best explains my claim that this administration has come not to fix but to spoil things as it revealed how the bad economic policies of this government has lowered and pushed millions of Nigerians into poverty.

It is only in a country like Nigeria that the President would not give explanations for his failures without pointing accusing fingers at the previous administration. Perhaps the president thinks the previous administration didn’t take over from a previous government.

It is only in a county like ours that the government expects citizens to undergo sufferings, pains, hunger, and nepotism and dare not ask questions, lest the president’s apologists in the Presidency descend on such persons.

Imagine a presidential aide, Ms. Laureta Onochie, who partook in the 2012 subsidy removal protest, asking 2Baba Idibia to explain his “beef” with President Buhari just because he has dared to exercise his constitutional right.

Onuchie went as far as asking Mr. Idibia to go live on national television to state his grievances; otherwise his protest will be regarded as politically driven.

Please, not on the pages of Newspaper. Come and tell us your beef with Pres. Buhari on National TV. Thank you. @Ayourb @PhilipObin @Johannxs pic.twitter.com/buUmnSHh7Q

— Lauretta Onochie (@Laurestar) January 31, 2017

Madam, just because you are eating crumbs from the master’s table should not let you act like Esau who sold his birthright for pottage. I don’t remember seeing you go live on national television before embarking on that protest in 2012.

Perhaps your protest was politically driven?

It is hypocritical of Laureta, who protested a hike in fuel price at N140 per liter under Jonathan, to defend the current government who has pegged petrol at N145 per liter.

Ms. Laureta now virtually fights Nigerians daily on Twitter while trying to defend President Buhari’s failures just because she now has food in her mouth.

Laureta challenged 2baba to go live on TV when our dear president has failed on multiple occasions to come on national TV to address Nigerians on incessant killings by herdsmen in different parts of the country, as well as on the recent bombing of IDPs camp in Borno.

My personal worry, however, is whether President Buhari was voted into office only to tell Nigerians how things didn’t go well under previous governments or rather to proffer solutions to Nigeria’s problems and prosecute looters irrespective of their religion, tribe or political affiliations.

That reminds me of the grass cuter, who according to the Nigerian Senate, breached the laws and swindled the Federal Government out of a staggering N200 million in a grass clearing contract scam in the Yobe State Internally Displaced Persons Camp (IDPs).

I’m talking about the Secretary to the Federal Government, Babachir David Lawal, who according to Senator Dino Melaye, remained a director of Rholavision Nigeria Limited up until about year after his appointment as SGF.

This singular act calls for the sack of Babachir, but the “anti-corruption” crusader has remained deaf to the shady dealings of his political affiliates.

Or should we talk about the former Military Administrator of Kaduna State, Col. Jafaru Isah (rtd), a political ally of President Buhari who allegedly received part of money meant for arms from ex-National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd.), but stood no trial whatsoever in court because he allegedly returned part of the money to the government?

Perhaps we should talk about Ibrahim Magu, whom the President represented to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation as the substantive chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) without facing any known panel or court of law, despite being accused of corruption in a report by the Department of State Service (DSS).

Let’s assume that both Babachir and Magu were cleared of the alleged corruption by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as claimed by the president, but why wasn’t the investigation process opened as seen with others accused of being corrupt.

These to me are the selective kind of corruption fight that clearly shows that this administration came to be as a result of fluke, and shouldn’t be left to cripple the system before crying out.

I therefore strongly believe that the call for transparency by the Enough Is Enough (EIE) group, backed by 2Baba Idibia, isn’t borne out of personal or political interests, but out of genuine intention to hold our government accountable for incompetence and impunity in a democratic setting.

Nigerians must not let the current administration distract them from seeing that President Buhari’s body language towards fighting corruption is nothing less than a ruse.

The Citizens must not let a confused government trick them against marching on the 6th of February.

The ball is now in our courts to stand with a confused government or to stand with 2Baba.

God Bless Nigeria.

Isaac wrote in via [email protected]