WHO NEEDS CHANGE?
Even the layman on the street understands that the concept
of leadership entails that leaders should lead while the followers should
follow; and not the followers leading while the leader following. It is on this
note that I have chosen to air my opinion on the Federal government’s launch of
the national reorientation campaign “Change Begins with You”. I am writing this
piece not to antagonize the government or the president but
as a concerned
citizen who is affected by the actions and inactions of government; regardless
of the party. According to the APC led Federal government, the campaign is an
urgent need that is aimed at restoring our core national values in the lives of
all the citizens so as to engineer the much desired social change that we have
all yearned for. Though some social critics have claimed that this policy is an
attempt to reintroduce the war against indiscipline (WAI) that was introduced
by the Buhari/Idiagbon regime in 1983.
The WAI introduced
in 1983 was heavily criticized for the grave human rights abuses that the
policy melted out on Nigerians, yet some praised it for maintaining public
order and morality in Nigeria .
But whatever side of the coin you choose to look at it, that is by the way, as
it is history, and here we are in 2016 at the door step of a new government
policy of the same president, Muhamadu Buhari which is aimed at re orientating
Nigerians about being the agents of the change that they have clamoured for. At
the launch of the programme on Thursday, September 7 in Abuja , the president said “before you ask
‘’where is the change they promised us’, you must first ask how far have I
changed my ways?” and as usual (as he has being since he became the president
in 2015) he said very soon everything will be better.
Now, you
will recall that prior to the 2015 general elections, Nigerians were clamouring
for a change in government in order to facilitate a paradigm shift in the way
our resources and national affairs were being managed. And it was in lieu of
this that the then major opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, APC
picked up the mantra of change as a tactful means of convincing Nigerians that
they were going to provide the change that Nigerians had longed for if voted
into power by the masses.
Been
hopeful, convinced, and in good faith, Nigerians made the loudest noise by
voting into power the All progressives congress’s (APC) candidate in the person
of president Muhamadu Buhari to take over the mantle of leadership from
Goodluck Jonathan, and since then, nothing has remained the same in Nigeria. It
is needless for me to start enumerating the myriad of things that have changed
in this country in the past one year (both good and bad) since this government
came to power; as Nigerians are already feeling the heat.
Launching a
national reorientation programme is not a bad idea but the content and timing
of it is what I have a problem with. From the president’s speech that before we
ask for change we must first change, I see this whole programme as an attempt
by the ruling party whom many people have already renamed All Promises
Cancelled, (APC) to shy away from its campaign promises and push the train of
blame to the doorstep of hunger stricken Nigerians who are already devastated
by the current economic hardship. Now I ask, why should the masses change
before asking the government to follow suit? If there is a Nigerian who must
change for others to follow, it is(not the innocent Nigerians but) the
president.
Mr.
president, I want to remind you that we voted you into Aso Rock to lead us to
the path of greatness, to change our economy from a poor importer of everything
to a rich exporter, from a mono economy to an industrialized and diversified
economy, to improve our standard of living, to change the rate of unemployment
from bad to good, to protect our rights, to promote equity, fairness and
justice for every Nigerian regardless of status, tribe, religion or political
affiliation.
Now I ask
again, who needs change? Is it we the masses that need to change our ways or
our president who through his inconsistent economic policies and frequent
policy summersault has thrown our economy into recession? Is it we the masses
that need to change our ways or our president who through his bad economic
decisions has turned the unemployment level from bad to worst? Is it we the
masses that need to change our ways or our president who has comfortably
developed the habit of not obeying the law by illegally keeping Nnamdi Kanu,
Sheik El Zak Zakky, Sambo Dasuki despite several court orders restraining him
from doing so. Is it we the masses that need to change our ways or our
president who in the name of fighting corruption has used the EFCC selectively
to silence the opposition? Is it we the masses that need to change our ways or
our president that has tactfully turned a blind eye to the Fulani herdsmen
attack all over the country yet sees it as an emergency to fight cattle
rustlers in the North?. Is it we the masses that need to change our ways or our
president whose appointments are flooded with ethnic bias? Is it we the masses that need change or our
president that has been repeatedly doing the same thing and yet expecting a
different result? I will stop here for we all know the rest.
So I urge the president to abort the illusion that Nigerians
should first change their ways before demanding for change, he should take the
bull by the horn and become the disciple of change that Nigerians voted him to
be. He can’t sit in Aso Rock and be eating chicken and then advice us not to
eat chicken because there is bird flu; he is our leader and we are watching and
following his footsteps and body language.
Mr. President, we have promised to follow you because we voted for
change, so you must give us change! God bless Nigeria .
Written by
Justice Agan
Twitter:
@Aganjustice
08064645620
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