Naija Political Blog

The recent announcement by President’s GEJ’s to seek reelection for another term in office has left one scratching his head looking for some justification as to why the Nigerian people should entrust him with another four years in office. Unfortunately, looking for achievements that could help justify his deserving of another term is like looking for a needle in a hay stack. The one and only achievement that stands out is the government’s impressive handling of the Ebola crisis for which it received praises from the World Health Organization (WHO) and members of the international community. While the government performed admirably in fighting the Ebola crisis, it has failed miserably in other areas. Mr. GEJ who succeeded the late President Umaru Yar’Adua  in May 2010 has been an utter disappointment to say the least. His government has been beset with one failure after the other which under normal circumstances would have been sufficient to derail the chances of most politicians from being reelected but not in Nigeria where elections do not matter. The winner of the next presidential election is often preordained and the electioneering process is just a charade. After all, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is controlled by the federal government. INEC is known for its’ history of manipulating the votes to favor the incumbents.  Two significant failures of the GEJ administration are its mishandling for the case of the Chibok girls and his inability to stop Boko Haram. After the kidnapping of the girls were first announced in April, the president failed to act for over 2 weeks. He was silent and failed to come out and make a nationwide broadcast to the country to at least try to reassure the parents of these children, citizens of Nigeria at home and abroad and the international community who were aggrieved and in agony over the abduction of the girls. It’s now eight months after the kidnapping and the government is yet to account for the whereabouts of the girls and unable to rescue them. In a dramatic move on October 17^th the Chief of Defense staff Alex Badeh announced a ceasefire with Boko Haram with the imminent release of the kidnapped girls. This announcement was greeted with a huge sigh of relief by the parents of the girls, families and members of the “Bring Back of our Girls” campaign. In fact even the former minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili who is leader in the Bring back Our Girls campaign was interviewed on National Public Radio to get her reaction over the ceasefire announcement and imminent release of the girls. She spoke eloquently about how elated she was that the girls would finally be released. I wish she had known that the announcement was a big fat lie….a cruel and cynical hoax concocted by the government to garner support for the president’s reelection bid. It was a rather strange and unusual move by the government as this type of cease fire announcement is seldom made by governments around the world until the hostages are about to the released. You never hear European governments making announcements about their indigents being released by terrorist unless the release is very imminent. This is a despicable act on the part of the GEJ administration. They not only added salt into injury, they further traumatized the parents, families and the entire country who had endured immense agony over the kidnapping. The role of the first lady in this saga was also hugely embarrassing. Her bizarre behavior and response in the early stages of the kidnapping helped to further cast aspersion on the country. Her cries and lamentation of “there is God o!” has made her fodder for u-tube enthusiasts.

A significant disqualifier for president GEJ’s bid for reelection is in the government’s failure to rain in Boko Haram. Boko Haram has become stronger, more daring and vicious in his campaign of mayhem against civilians in Northern Nigeria under the watch of president of GEJ.  Boko Haram is now deploying suicide bombers as foot soldiers something foreign to Nigeria. Suicide bombers are most often used by hard core terrorist groups like the Taliban in Afghanistan and by groups like the Islamic State , (ISIS), Al Queda  and Al-Shabaab in East Africa. This is what Nigeria has been reduced to. Boko Haram is now deploying female suicide bombers to kill and maim innocent civilians. What is so scary about this is that the Nigerian government is absolutely helpless and incapable of stopping Boko Haram. How can a government that cannot assure the lives and safety of it’s’ people be given another chance to govern the citizens it had failed to protect? It’s an outrage!  There is a huge security vacuum in North Eastern Nigeria which Boko Haram has virtually taken over.  It operates at will. It’s unbelievable! It’s like the Nigeria military do not exist in these parts as Boko Haram continues to expand its sphere of influence and perpetuating its campaign of terror. It has become apparent that the Nigerian government cannot defeat Boko Haram. The Nigerian military is no match for Boko Haram and soldiers would continue to be slaughtered by this terrorist group unless the Nigerian government comes to the realization that it is fighting a losing battle. This government must immediately begin mediation efforts with the leadership of this group in order to resolve this problem. Mediation efforts should include offering amnesty to some members of the group with less blood on their hands after the release of the Chibok girls. The government should also offer job training, educational and employment opportunities to the members.  There is a general sense of insecurity in the country which the government is yet to fully appreciate and address.

This brings to mind the recent ouster of the civilian dictator Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso who was chased out of office in a popular uprising led by young men after 27 years in office. As is customary amongst dictators on the African continent, he attempted to amend the constitution to extend his 27 year-term in office but the people of Burkina Faso said “enough.” He is now in exile in a neighboring country.  When would the people of Nigeria say “enough” with putting up with their inept and corrupt leaders? Blaise Compaore was chased out of office by young men who stared down soldiers pointing guns at them. Talk about courage! When would the people of Nigeria develop some spine to stare down the incompetent and failed leaders that have held a strangle hold over their lives? President GEJ does not deserve another term in office. During the early days of the Chibok kidnapping, a commentator on American media stated while discussing this tragedy that “a government that cannot protect its’ most vulnerable population, the children, has lost its’ legitimacy to rule that country. The GEJ administration has lost its legitimacy to rule Nigeria for another 4 years. The opposition needs to develop some spine and put up a formidable fight to defeat this administration…an administration that does not inspire confidence and has zero credibility amongst Nigerians. We are counting on the opposition to send them packing. Enough is enough!