“And already, the axe is lying at the root of trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into fire” —- John the Baptist.
SIX months after this government was inaugurated, we are getting an administration amidst challenges created by the government through politics of body language, propaganda, and mixed messages. The president, says one thing, the media, opinion commentators, pick it up, write, shout, reason and argue over it, and the man goes ahead to do what he wants to do, no matter what the people say, and so we have a team of ministers comprising professionals, the old, the not too old, the young, the corrupt and not too corrupt, whom we must look upon to deliver the change agenda of the APC, until when we will have to assess their total performance to decide what to do with them as a political party.
We are not unmindful of their plans to remain in power beyond the next elections through manipulations of the system, from their choice of INEC officials, without respect to balancing in the spirit of the constitution, to the ‘can do anything and get away with it’ attitude of the APC.
They are ridding on the crest of change that Nigerians wanted, but change in itself, can be apparent, real, positive or negative. While we expect an advanced form of rigging in the next elections, this is the team that will give APC, the basis to ask us for re-election come 2019. People are following Mr. President, whether, we will have more than 36 ministers or less, whether the constitution will be respected, or continued to be disregarded, as he has done in the choice of the INEC leader from his own north having failed in installing his own blood relation as head of INEC, whether or not he will have ministers without portfolios as we hear, the president will soon get to a stage, where some lawyers will decide to challenge and test every unconstitutional move he will make. This is because the axe is already lying at the root of the trees, and any un-constitutional tree shall be cut down!
We heard that some ministers were so zealous to serve Nigeria, that they were ready to render their services free of charge.
How preposterous! It is as unscriptural, as it is un-constitutional, because a worker deserves his wages. Nigeria can afford to pay any number of ministers without blinking, so those of them who suggested working for free, make us look at them as guys, who want to come to steal. Our new ministers need to bear a few things in mind as we welcome them. First, the President was once reported as referring to them as noise makers. It is up to them to prove him right or read him correctly and accept the challenge to make a difference.
For example, when the President says that Nigeria is broke, he is telling us that he will not be willing to throw money and largesse around, because he knows as much as we do that Nigeria is not broke, and cannot be broke. How can Nigeria be broke when only six months ago we were one the largest and best performing economies in sub Saharan Africa ? Where are all the billions of Naira that corrupt politicians are returning to government coffers as we were told? What is the Prof. Itsay Sagay Committee doing, about who has stolen what, and when they are returning the loots ? Why do we still maintain a Presidential fleet of about eight planes ? Nigeria is not broke, but we need to read the President correctly.
Second, our new ministers should be alive to the fact that all this government has going for it, is the belief that the President has come to fight corruption. He told their Indian Prime Minister recently that he is here to fight corruption, and from the composition of this team, the President should be read correctly. The President is saying that Nigerians should expect that Ministers must live by good example. Our ministers should now begin to accept responsibility for corruption or gross wrong doing in their ministries. Nigerians expect that Ministers will begin to resign their appointments when gross negligence or misconduct is established against them at any point in time. They are Ministers over a corrupt nation, the President wants us therefore to expect that it cannot be business as usual for his team of ‘change’ ministers. Corruption plus brokage is a bad mix, and can discourage investors, so they should read the President correctly, and manage him, to stop painting Nigeria black in the international communities from hence forth! No nation is completely free from corruption.
Third, the Ministers arrived six months behind schedule, and may really start the work sometime early next year, dragging us into the ninth month after inauguration. The President may be comfortably disposed to ‘Go Slow’, but Nigerians did not vote him for that. The Ministers are expected to hit the ground running, and avoid noise making. Let their works speak for them, not propaganda; Nigeria is tired and wearied with the overuse of the blame game by APC. As a good team, Nigerians expect them to take the peace and stability of the nation, as priority, by managing the President to resolve the key issues of Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen, Kidnapping, Biafra, and National Confab Report implementation. APC must not repeat over Biafra, the mistake PDP made over Boko Haram. Our Retired Generals in politics and power got Boko Haram wrong, and they are already misfiring over Biafra. With every due respect, they should not be allowed to retire Nigeria!
Finally, as desertification is destroying land in the north, erosion is killing the South especially the South East. We have had enough noise over erosion control in the South East, we expect the current tide to the stemmed by this change team. We say welcome to our ‘change’ ministers, even as the axe is already at the roots of the trees.
SOURCE: Vanguard Newspaper
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