TIME TO MOVE ON

It is good to see that the PDP have licked their wounds and are now strategizing. They are silent, very silent as we witness the preparation work that the new government is beginning to put in place, to get us to the destination that we Nigerians all desire. It is very worrying though that all hope is pinned on just one man, President Buhari. It is clear that we have no faith in the national assembly and to buttress my point, the allowances that they have just approved for themselves, show how insensitive they are to the plight of the average civil servant, some of whom have not been paid their paltry salaries in the last 7 months. Our leaders all believe that they are oligarchs and once they get to the mantle of leadership are there to clean up. It is their turn now. Unless there is a change is this psyche, then we are doomed.

The infighting in APC over the leadership is like a merger or takeover on Wall Street, where companies with very different market philosophies and approaches to profitability come together to become the newest giant. It might initially be greeted with pessimism, grudges and even anger by staff and stakeholders, but in the end if they are to survive, they must meet themselves halfway to move the company forward. The question we need to ask is if this takeover has been occasioned to asset strip or whether a true partnership has been formed to take the company to the next level.

Do you remember Standard Trust bank? It introduced instant cash transfer into the Nigerian financial market. It was a highly innovative bank patronized by the upwardly mobile. When a larger but less innovative UBA opened talks for a possible merger, it was because UBA was interested in Standard Trust’s innovation and energy, while the latter could do with UBA’s reach. Today, UBA is one of the biggest banks in Nigeria.  The APC is pretty much formed on a similar principle.

They should remember why they decided to come together. They should remember how they all made sacrifices, so that united they would all be able to overcome a common enemy. In fact, if Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Bukola Saraki, Aminu Tambuwal, Rotimi Amaechi and the rest want to be honest, they did not feel at the beginning that they would be able to defeat the Goodluck Jonathan-led government in 2015. The G-7 governors who began the PDP rebellion reduced to G-5 because Babangida Aliyu and Sule Lamido of Niger and Jigawa states respectively doubted the cause. The party should remember that it rode on the goodwill of the people to power. Its political officeholders should also not forget that the Nigerian electorate is more politically aware now than ever before. If they don’t show maturity and sort out their differences, they will be perceived as the same old PDP and we will sweep them out.

Division is a disaster, it is a home wrecker, all you do is assist you enemies or your detractors with your own misguided energy. Basically, you are helping them to destroy you. There is a job of work to do and the earlier the APC rolls up its sleeves and gets to work in unison, the better its future chances of winning our hearts.  Boko Haram needs serious attention, the stinking petroleum sector needs to be flushed and scrubbed clean. The power sector, transportation both needs serious attention!  The incompetence of the last six years simply means that this government has more to do in less time, so we need to get cracking.

We should remember that a partnership is about give and take. Ideas and personalities will always clash. Relations will not always be rosy. There are flaws in character and there are checks and controls that must be put in place to ensure discipline and strict adherence to the ideology of the entity. It is very important that the APC remember always why ACN, CPC, APGA and the New PDP members decided to come together in the first place. Remember!

As for President Muhammadu Buhari, he is just an individual but he is part and parcel of this party. He cannot remain detached and must put energy into molding it into the image that we all have of his character. The responsibility of the success or failure of this government lies squarely on his shoulders and the foot soldiers that he engages with him to steer us to the Promised Land will have everything to do with his tenures success. Any discipline he needs to mete out should be based an empowered judiciary, such that interpretation and breaches of the law are justly and expeditiously dealt with. We are holding our breath.