APC, Nigeria and the elusive change

By Oladele Oguntimehin

With great hope Nigerians at one time feel they have gotten a body to give them the desired change they seek for so many year but all seem elusive as the so called change of the APC has not been able to bring forth the desired fortunate.

Nigerians voter thronged to the polling units and voted for All Progressives Congress on March 28, 2015, while relishing the promises of great change; bumper economy; adequate security across the country, most especially in the North East region of the country; job creations for thousands of unemployed youths; significant infrastructural development; good healthcare delivery services; quality education; eradicating corruption.

It is one year of APC being in power through President Muhammadu Buhari and there seems to be no change at all going by the various economic analyses made by Nigerians and foreigners. Boko-haram has not been “technically defeated”, Niger Delta Avengers and the naira on free fall under the watchful eyes of a president, who promised to stabilize the national currency.

Ethnic hatred is being reported to be the root of our national disunity, caused the Nigeria- Biafra Civil War, which raged between 1967 and 1970 and has being affecting every segment of the country in terms of economic and technological development as disunity is disincentive to national development.

Unfortunately, the past military and civilian leaders failed to entrench national cohesion and unity in Nigeria with national bodies and organisations such as the NYSC scheme and unity schools that were established as tools for entrenching national unity failed to achieve the goals for which they're set up. Nigerian are still slaves to ethnic sentiment as a result of the failure of NYSC programmes to disabuse our minds of ethnic prejudice and sentiments and pre-conceived notions about other ethnic groups.

APC being in power like any other government as failed to take Nigeria out of the technological and economic woods in spite of our abundant human and material resources. Since we achieved political sovereignty in 1960, the best politicians who possess probity and leadership qualities have not led Nigeria. In fact, until 1999, military regimes interspersed with civilian ones regarding the leadership of Nigeria causing that economic stagnation and technological backwardness.

Fact point out that it will take a visionary and patriotic leader to re-shape a country and take it to a great height that which Nigeria have not being able to witness.

Dr Goodluck Jonathan has remained the first and only incumbent President to lose a presidential re-election bid. His acceptance of his electoral loss prevented Nigeria from sliding into a bloody political apocalypse while APC candidate President Muhammadu Buhari rode to victory on the coat-tail of his probity nothing has changed in the country. Some States in the federation owe workers in their employ backlog of salaries.

Workers in the employ of the federal government are threatened with sack, when the issue of youth unemployment hasn’t been holistically addressed with many companies now closing down because of the current economic crisis.

No countries are without crimes but that of Nigeria as change drastically to a level where teenage female insurgents indoctrinated with the morbid philosophy of martyrdom do detonate bombs in public places with its devastating effects, insecurity of lives and property and insurgency in high degree.

Sustainable development can exist only in countries without political conflicts but recently, a wave of ethnic chauvinism swept through the South-East, which is inhabited by the Igbo people. Their feelings of discontentment and the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the director of Radio Biafra, sparked off protests by Igbo Youths, who are sympathetic to the idea of Biafra’s attainment of self-rule. Their protests, which paralyzed economic activities in the South-East for some days, caused loss of human lives and the destruction of properties.

Nations are built on their leaders’ adherence to their constitutions. It makes the citizens repose trust and confidence in the government. And it obviates the citizens’ desire to seek recourse to self-help actions and protests since they’re not in doubt that their rights and liberties are guaranteed in the country.

Nigerians are still waiting for APC and Buhari to deliver these illusive changes that he promised to effect during his tenure which has being proving very elusive to deliver.