2011 ELECTION AND THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA

As a stakeholder in the project known as Nigeria by virtue of my citizenship, I feel it is my obligation to offer suggestions on the way to move the nation forward especially now that the opportunity to chart a new course in the history of our nation beckons. The upcoming election into the various tiers of government in our dear country will once again afford us the opportunity to choose leaders who we believe and hope will rescue us from the many plagues that beset us as a nation while at the same time implementing policies and programmes that will move the Nation forward and make us to take our rightful position in the comity of Nations. We sincerely desire leaders who will identify with our yearnings and aspirations for a better Nigeria.

To be able to make a good choice among those contesting for the post of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the April 2011 elections, it is imperative to first diagnose our problems as a Nation with a view to ascertaining what went wrong, how it could salvaged and who among the lot has the wherewithal to bring about the change that we all desire. It is a known fact that we are beset with many problems as a Nation. It is equally a common knowledge that our problems are man-made as God has been so kind to us by endowing us with resources that are capable of generating enough funds to run the country successfully. Against this backdrop therefore, we can rightly say that our problems are precipitated by bad leadership which we have had to contend with in our journey as a Nation.

All the problems associated with the country such as epileptic power supply, unemployment, infrastructural decay etc are products of bad leadership. We have been so unfortunate to be ruled by elements who are not supposed to be anywhere near positions of authority due to their antecedents and how they reason. Our past leaders with the exception of a few ones have been self centered and highly insensitive to the plight of the common men. It can also be said that some of them have not been Godly though they professed to be either Muslim or Christian. This is evidenced by the fact that they never exhibited the virtue of Godliness in the handling of state affairs and resources.

With this kind of background, it is most important to use the opportunity offered us by the election to vote for the candidate who possess the qualities that were lacking in the lives of the previous and the present leaders. Now that the current election umpire has promised to do his job without fear or favour, the ball is in our court. We should exercise our civic obligation by voting for the candidate we believe in and ensure that our vote count.

Of all the aspirants to the highest political office in Nigeria in the forth coming election, General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) stands out as the most credible. His choice of an equally credible running mate in person of Pastor Tunde Bakare makes their team the change agents that we need to take us to the Promised Land. GMB has done it before and remains one of the few that ever ruled this Nation well. He will surely do it again if he is given the opportunity through our votes. At this stage of our nationhood, the Buhari/Bakare (BB) ticket is what we need to tackle the mirage of problems facing us as a nation. It will be in our common interest if we place our future in their hands as they will never lead us astray. I do not have any confidence in the present leader not because I have anything against him as a person but because he is a product of the past fraud and belongs to the group that has been terrorizing us in the recent past.

It is important to acknowledge the efforts of the leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) and other opposition parties in rescuing the country from the jaws of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which after twelve years in the saddle has left us more impoverished. The alliance between the opposition parties remain the only thing needed to liberate Nigeria once and for all. To this end, I implore the leadership of all opposition parties to go back to the drawing board fashion out an alliance in the interest of the common men. The flag bearers of the ACN, ANPP and their running mates are good materials for the government of Buhari if the alliance sails through. With a team of BB, Ribadu, Adeola, Shekarau and a host of other progressives and technocrats, Nigeria will reclaim her glory within a short time and the cankerworms that have been tormenting us will be perpetually relegated to the dungeon where they truly belong.

As the election approaches, I enjoin all well meaning Nigerians to think deeply and make the choice that will make all of us and the generations yet unborn be proud of our country.
Long live the Federal republic of Nigeria.