It is most unfortunate, disheartening and highly catastrophic to the society when those who call themselves leaders deliberately throw away patriotism and honesty while they allow ethnicity, prejudice and sentiment to dictate to their conscience. These sets of people have lost their conscience and compromised forever their sense of moral judgement to the extent that they unashamedly make utterances that are detrimental and retrogressive to the development of our dear country, Nigeria. These are the type of people Robert Bolt referred to in A Man for all Seasons thus: “…. Your conscience is your own affair”, since their aim is to satisfy their personal whims and caprices, ignoring the general interest of the citizenry.
Governor Seriake Dickson’s recent comments about the Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF) and its activities clearly demonstrate that he is unfortunately pursuing an unholy ethnic agenda, while unknowingly exposing his kinsman, President Goodluck Jonathan to more grievous but avoidable political heresies. It is on record that the NGF under the chairmanship of the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has lived above board, defending the interest of the Nigerian populace. It has stood up and intervened in some destructive and unpopular decisions taken by the Federal Government in recent past – decisions which would have been fatal to the nation and the citizenry. The NGF has been able to give direction to a president who has remained clueless and directionless in the last two years. In fact, the forum has helped to stabilise and protect our fledgling democracy.
Anyone, like Governor Dickson, who berates the NGF for its activities and its intervention in the governance of this country is a hypocrite who does not wish an iota of good for the country and must be vehemently rebuked Commenting on the forum of which he is a member in Yenogoa recently, the governor had argued inanely in the following vein “…the NGF is not and should not be a platform for control of national politics because we are not elected to run the country. We, as governors are elected to manage our states” He myopically argues further “…we are provincial players, because our mandate is to lead our states, not to run the federation… what has happened over the years is that governors of PDP who became chairmen of the Governor’s Forum, all attempted to use it as a platform for playing national politics – a platform for occupying national political space. It is wrong! It should not be allowed! That is why the idea of the PDP Governors forum became necessary”
From Dickson’s tone, I can sense the feeling of envy and jealousy. He is obviously envious of the rising popularity of Governor Amaechi among Nigerians as a result of his (Amaechi) achievements as the chairman of the NGF. While I agree with Governor Dickson that Governors are elected primarily to run the affairs of their various states, I disagree with his parochial argument that they should fold their arms and watch while the country disintegrates because of some unpopular and anti-people policies of the Federal Government. As a forum comprising all the 36 (thirty-six) Governors of different political parties, the NGF has a national outlook and there can be no better platform on which to discuss and take decisions on important issues affecting the welfare and general well-being of the citizenry. If Governor Dickson truly loves his kinsman and wants him to succeed as president of this nation, he should be the last person to condemn the NGF’s intervention in the affairs of the country as its intervention has given the president some sense of direction and has saved him from national and international embarrassment which he (the president) would have suffered as a result of his numerous anti-people policies.
“Necessity” they say “is the mother of invention” The way this country is being run, it has become necessary for every patriotic Nigerian, who has the love of the country at heart to stand up and speak out in the defence of the country. A president who surrounds himself with praise singers and sycophants such as the Okupes, the Makus, the Abatis, the Gulaks, and other puerile characters needs the advice and intervention of the NGF and other patriotic Nigerians. These sycophants have no interest of the people and the nation’s at heart. They are government’s bull dogs who justify their fat pay by defending the indefensible, brainwashing and indoctrinating the populace and dishing out lies to the people on a daily basis. They have simply thrown away their conscience. To them “your conscience is your own affair”
Governor Dickson tries to justify the formation of the PDP-GF. Now, who is deceiving who? Before now some people have appropriately tagged the PDP as meaning “People Deceiving People”. What an accurate and apt tag! Hasn’t this self-acclaimed largest political party in Africa been deceiving Nigerians? It is however gratifying to know that Nigerians are aware of the PDP’s deceit and have refused to be deceived further. Doesn’t a lunatic know why the PDP-GF was formed? Is Dickson trying to say that the ill-conceived PDP-GF will preoccupy itself only with the affairs in the various states of the PDP governors and will not concern itself with national polities and affairs at the national level? We are no fools – we are wiser than they think we are.
As the 36 (Thirty-six) State Governors prepare to elect a new Chairman for the NGF this May, Nigerians are not unaware of the dirty politics and undemocratic moves currently being made by the presidency to thwart the popular will of the governors. I therefore use this medium to appeal to the conscience of the Governors (not all of them have sacrificed theirs, thankfully) to put the nation and the interest of the people above themselves. Nigerians are strongly behind you. Do NOT be intimidated and do NOT waver in your resolve to continue in the defence of our hard-earned democracy. Nigerians know the real Judases amongst you. Use your votes to expose them and put them to shame.
Shuaib Yaqub wrote from Federal College of Education, Okene. He can be reached on Yaqub.Shuaib@ yahoo.com
Commentaires