Nigeria Under Siege -By Oye Arikanki

Nigeria is under  siege. Siege of insecurity, poverty and squalor. Buhari-Osinbajo Administration has no clue; they don’t know what to do to arrest these dire situations.   Nigeria presently is at a standstill. Nigeria is shut down. The insecurity in Nigeria is palpable.  The government continued to   feed us with grandiloquence. President Buhari said “I’m fully determined to defeat boko haram and others” in another breath, he released “1400 repentant boko haram suspects”. Is that how you will defeat boko haram? Buhari-Osinbajo government  said they want to lift 100 million Nigeria out of poverty. How are they going to do this with no plan and strategy? Since they were worn in for a second term, things are getting worse and worse everyday. Daily, they are engaging in fire brigade approach to issues. Honestly, the form of leadership we presently have in Nigeria is what in management we called laissez-faire leadership, which is a type of leadership style in which a leader   hands-off and allowed cabals to make decisions on crucial national issues.

Let go on a short historical excursion. How do we get here? It all started twenty years ago when Nigeria was changing   from the military to civilian government. Former military head of state Olusegun Obasanjo has just been let off the gulag of late dictator Sanni Abacha. It was his junior   colleague Ibrahim Babangida, that came up with the suggestion that Obasanjo should returned as Nigeria president in a democratic government. Babangida perfected the plan and thrust up Olusegun Obansajo on Nigerians. That was when Buhari too caught the bug that he too can rule Nigeria. If Nigerians have not tolerated Obasanjo, I believe we won’t have Buhari as our president today. Obasanjo contested  with Chief Olu Falae, an economist and technocrat who would have laid a solid foundation and put Nigeria on the part of intentional progress. Obasanjo came and suddenly Buhari rolled up his sleeves, although he knew he’s old, tired and bereft of ideas and   does not have anything to offer this potentially great nation. Here we are today licking our wounds, two former head of state came back to rule Nigeria in a democracy, and Nigeria is worse for it.

If we have disallowed Obasanjo from coming to rule this nation after his outing during the military regime, we won’t have things this bad. And Buhari wouldn’t have got the nerve to say he is coming to rule Nigeria again after his disastrous first outing during the military regime before he was kicked out by Babangida. So, who is to blame, IBB, Obasanjo, Buhari, Politicians or the people? Honestly, without Obasanjo and Buhari Nigeria would have had a full blown civil and democratic government and we won’t be contending with issues of human rights abuse after twenty years of democracy. Now everybody is saying that Goodluck Jonathan is far better than Buhari. Of course, he was saying all of that when he was the president that when he leaves office, Nigerians will  appreciate the latitude of freedom they are enjoying under his government. Well, Jonathan, you have your bad sides, but truly you are far better than this fellow who is ruling our nation now.

The question now is, as Nigerians what do we do in this present situation?

Indeed, President Buhari has demonstrated again and again that he is leading Nigeria to nowhere.  His antecedent has shown that he cannot protect the children, women, families and homes in this nation.  President Buhari’s aloofness and act of nepotism    especially since he came this second term is disgusting. Every federal appointments is now skewed towards the north. And all of these appointments are not done by him but by some cabals in the presidency. Do we wait till everyone is consumed by terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, bandits and Fulani herdsmen before we start crying out? Certainly, no.

Do you Sidon look till 2023? Of course, Nigerians has seen the worst during Abacha dictatorship, there is nothing worse that Nigerians has   not seen. What do we do; impeach Buhari? Or do we keep fasting and praying that some   miracle will come from somewhere? I know that Nigerians are big in this things called fasting and prayer, waiting for miracles to happen. But I can assured you all  that no miracle will come until we put our hands in the plough and do something about our situations.

Honestly, I think the only option we have left for us   Nigerians is to start registering our displeasure with this Buhari regime. Let all Nigerians from all walks of life, everyone, civil servants, market women, and students everyone be mobilized to come out en masse in unprecedented civil protests all over the nation. Nigerians should gathered at the city centers and start protesting every day and let the massive protests continue until the government do something. Yes, we are in a democracy and the only acceptable means of changing government is through the ballot box, but when so many people are dying in hands of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers,  and Fulani herdsmen, hunger, poverty what can we do? Protesting is also part of democracy.

No appeal from the Federal government will be acceptable until the government  take concrete and practical steps that are specific, measureable, and realistic and timed to end this onslaught on the good people of this country.

A moment ago, the governments of the five South West States took a decisive step by establishing a Western Nigerian Security Network called Amorteku to protect our people from the  ravaging bandits, Fulani headsmen, kidnappers etc.  This is in order, well applauded. Let its full operations begins. Let all bandits, Fulani headsmen, kidnappers, robbers, petty thieves, be driven out of Yoruba land. We don’t want them. We want to be able to live and work in peace in our land. Thank you governor Aketi Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.

The angels are still in the whirlwinds.

Thank you for allowing me share this my candid thoughts with you today. You are not born to suffer, there is a seed of greatness within you. Only you can make your life a masterpiece. You have an option, either you sit down and bemoan your fate or use your mind to design a workable plan and go live your life intentionally. The choice is yours. Thank you and God bless you. God bless Nigeria.

Matthew is a Motivational Speaker. Email:matthewoyebooks@yahoo.com