“When Wind Blows”: democracy or demonstration of craze?

With all sense of responsibility, I write to convey my deepest and sincere thoughts about what has led my country to this moment where the ARMLESS YOUTHS are occupying the streets, and the leadership both elected, appointed and the Military are all apprehensive.

Let me begin by quoting from the foremost Emotional Intelligence expert I know, Isaac Onoja, when he said: “In Nigeria, if it is not urgent, we don’t look at it, even if it is important, we don’t care”. My reason for beginning with this is, it is the neglect of the important things over the decades, that has led us where we find ourselves currently.

In direct response to the President’s speech after the youths are on the streets despite long notice, comments and orders attributed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Presidency etc. I will leave the immediate solutions for them because, whatever they will come up with, will still be addressing what is urgent.

The long mid and term solutions to this MASS uprising code named “#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria”, is addressing what the former Commander-in-Chief, the Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua said in his inaugural speech that, “THE PROCESS LEADING TO MY EMERGENCE WAS FAULTY”.

Until Mr President (Tinubu), the Armed Forces, including the Police and all other Paramilitary agencies whom he is the current Commander-in-Chief, the handlers of Mr President, The Presidency, the Political class, all Generals (retires and serving) and indeed every well-meaning Nigerian, agree to come out of our comfort zone, as the saying goes, “The most dangerous addiction is our comfort zone”, and nothing grows there.

Coming out of our comfort zone at this point in time means, nobody should or can maintain the current status quo any further. And the first point of call for me is, that our leadership recruitment process whom Yar’Adua has agreed to be faulty, and as we speak, the process is now fraudulent. The evidence of it is, when to get job in most government owned Ministries, Agencies, Departments, the Police, Military, Paramilitary etc. Is for sale.

Tinubu admitted to using his money to get the Presidency, before the Traditional Rulers, and nobody has asked Tinubu what he meant, when he said, ” It is my turn” (Emilokan)?.

If we must be sincere and truthful to ourselves, we have been witnessing the dollarization of the political parties’ primary elections where they S’elect their candidates overtime, and nobody seem to see anything wrong with that. For me, the result is what we are witnessing today.

What could be more fraudulent, when people use their money to get into PUBLIC offices (elective, appointive and recruitment)?

A very ugly example is in the current Senate where, the immediate past Senate President Ahmed Lawan, contested for the President’s ticket in his party and fail, then came back to the Senate, in the same election, and everybody is keeping quiet.

Then comes the current situation where the Federal Executive Council and the Senate, are occupied by many ex-governors, that have used their States House of Assembly to put in place, a LIFE PENSION, House(s) built for them, vehicles every four years etc. While in office, they never contribute a dime, to the Contributory Pension Fund, were never under the Minimum Wage, where are they drawing their own pensions from? It is same set of people that are sitting, to decide the Minimum Wage for the genuine workers.

To the IGP, a Senator and senior retired police officer, Isa Misau has told the whole world that the then IGP Ibrahim Idris was making over N10B monthly, from police personnel postings and promotions, recruitment was not mentioned there, as we also witness the back and forth during Buhari’s tenure, as to whether it is the Police Service Commission or the IGP that should handle police recruitment?

Meanwhile, the police rank and file are buying their uniforms, booths and other kits themselves. Same is applicable in the Military and Paramilitary.

It is that segment of Nigerians commonly referred to as the bloody civilians, that are on the streets, and both the Commander-in-Chief, the IGP, the Service Chiefs etc. are all afraid, how about when the rank and file in the police, refuse to take “Esprit de Corp”, and those in the Military refuse to ” Obey the last order or command”?

If Mr President is ready to address the fraud in our leadership recruitment process now, because somebody must pilot it, and he stands the better place to do it now. The journey begins with our National Identity Management, the very recent media denial by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) of not having a hand in the selling of people’s identity, ought to let Amy right thinking Nigerian that, all is not well at NIMC.

Also, the very recent blocking of people’s SIM cards, and the order by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) should tell us, either they do not know what they are doing, or they are deliberately sabotaging our efforts at preventing criminals like kidnappers from making use of our Telecommunications facilities to perpetrate their crimes and get away with it.

Currently, we are putting voters’ identity, ahead of CITIZENS IDENTITY, which is a deliberate misnormal by our political class, as a means of rigging elections, identity theft, falsification of age etc. For people to remain in public offices beyond their due retirement age or years of service among other things.

Will the Chief of Defence Staff, and indeed the entire Armed Forces proudly beat their chest and say, they are aware or not aware of the above as narrated? And this is the Democratic rule they has pledged and still pledging to protect, against the PEOPLE whom, Democracy is said to be of, by and for?

The foreign coloration of the ongoing protest should not be a shock to the CDS and the entire Military, or are they not hearing what is happening around our sub region, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic etc.? Or they thinks we are immune to any of the options around?

Another solution is to adopt the “Green Revolution” module, as was done in the United Kingdom several centuries ago. That will address the back and forth concerning resource control, restructuring and Local Government autonomy.

The current practice where they take everything from the grassroots, before deciding what to send back to the grassroot, has never, is not and can never be in the best interest of the PEOPLE.

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