NIGERIA MASTERWEB DAILY NEWS

*Nigeria: I’m Sorry IBB - You Are Not Ready Yet!

By Ikechukwu Enyiagu

Military leadership outside the military may come in handy, especially in a nation of blind, deaf, dumb, sheepish and uneducated people. However, democracy has publicly ridiculed such imposition and correctly called it “dictatorship”. As a result, most power-hungry men of the guns decided to join democracy without becoming democratic. A closer look at their activities immediately unmask them and you can’t help but wonder why some of these men, like General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (CFR DSS mni), who speaks words an inch short of a coup d'état statement, continue to think with their uniforms on? I believe that the passion to lead, at its best, should equal the passion for a better Nigeria.

Mr IBB, if you are sincere to yourself and honest about your many reasons for staging a comeback through democracy, I believe you must have learned positive lessons. We Nigerians, therefore, look forward to your addressing the many issues you raised and left in Nigeria during your regime; issues like bribery and corruption which have actually zeroed our country before every eye, and which keep telling negatively on us. The first step for you would be to accept responsibility for the painful national outcome of your selfishness (not mistakes), ask the nation as a whole, and those perculiarly affected in particluar, for forgiveness, and make retributions where possible. ( Continues below….. )

Photo Above: General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.)

I am not here to argue whether you awarded contracts for developments in your time or if you paid salaries as and when due, I question your motives behind every step you took during your reign-which motives resulted in a struggling Nigeria of today. Mr IBB, you defied the national Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission’s request for your appearance before them and questioned the law of the land, thereby making yourself above the law and showing that you are still a forceful military man.

The worst thing you did was to defy appearing before the “Oputa panel” to answer for all the alleged crimes against you. By so doing, even your blood relations can’t trust you because you are so forceful and unaccountable. Your reason and that of other so called “generals" for calling the bluff of “Oputa Panel" was flimsy and superficial because laws and government agencies emerge in proportion to their pressing importance in the country at a given time; that’s the reason for NDLEA, ICPC and the EFCC which may have replaced the “Oputa Panel.” On August 15, 2010, you were quoted to have said regarding “June 12”, “Severally and with great remorse too, I have taken responsibility as a true leader for the actions and decisions of the military administration that I led.

The annulment of the June 12 election is one of the ugly spots one has to live with...I know that a day will come when Nigerians will forgive our regime because we are a godly nation that embraces the culture of forgiveness.” Yes, we indeed are a godly nation that forgives; however, we forgive those who realize their mistakes, genuinely ask for forgiveness, and make retributions-not those whose every action clearly shows that they care less what the citizens do, say, feel or go through, as long as they have their way. The former is not so in your case. What you termed as “abysmal lack of governance" in your declaration speech means nothing but “lack of dictatorship"-a rule where only you has the say in every matter, and so every citizen can hide in fear of you, while “The existing institutions such as EFCC and ICPC will be sustained” statement means “as long as they do not probe you.” And if the said “Roll Call" outlined by Vanguard newspaper on “Why I want to be president again — IBB" is to be given any thought, then every Nigerian has more reasons to be worried because the repetition of names in the list tells nothing short of election rigging method. ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: Seal of The President of The Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is the official symbol of the Nigerian President, first used in 1979 by President Shehu Shagari.

That is no democracy. Nigerian democracy is too young for the likes of you to lead us in a democratic setting because your mindset is still militarized and we, as a nation, can’t afford to go back to a military rule. To you, you are the absolute definition of law. Two of the main qualities of a democratic representative are accountability and responsibility, but in your case, you have not only defied the laws of our land, you have indirectly questioned your citizenship because no citizen can be above the law-you have neither proven yourself accountable nor responsible in leadership.

Not even the mighty Bill Clinton of America dared stand between democratic processes in the handling of Monica Lewinskey case-a case that most Nigerians would readily ignore when it comes to their political leaders. Democracy can never thrive in any nation where some people have conceitedly taken advantage of an unstable government and placed themselves above the law.

Nigeria went into a comatose state the moment you assumed the commander-in-chief and, since then, it has been working on regaining consciousness. Your comeback now will finally tear the life out of our great nation.

Every Nigerian who meets the “paper criteria” to contest for any post is, of course, eligible, and that is why you are eligible to contest alongside others. But, in all truth, you are not eligible to be voted for-at least, not presently. Instead of trying to militarize your way back into Aso Rock by your numerous anti and undemocratic methods which every well-meaning Nigeria knows and has come to abhor, I humbly advice that you use some of the knowledge and humane grace you still have inside you to support any candidate who best represents the general interest of our nation, Nigeria.

That way, you may be able, at a long run, to change the opinion polls about you (which, by the way, is less than 25%) and warm your way successfully back into the hearts of Nigerians for subsequent elections. Until then, and until the fire you set in your regime is doused by you and your group, you do not stand a chance to be elected in a free, fair and credible Nigerian election. I’m sorry, general, but you are not ready yet. ...to be continued.

Ikechukwu Enyiagu can be reached at ike.enyiagu@gmail.com

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*Tags: Nigerians, IBB, Goodluck, Jonathan, Political, Ibrahim, Badamasi, Babangida, Abuja, Lagos, Africa, Masterweb