Nigerian Politics....my views

Hi everyone! I've been out of it for a bit... not that I've been I'll, but I just stayed off the internet for a while 'cos I wanted to rest! Now I'm back and feeling more tired than before! Does anyone feel me? You take a break of work for 1 week and you're expected to return with renewed vigour... instead you come back lazier and more tired than before....Phew! Life seems so hectic sometimes!

Now a lot has happened during my absence and I have had to go round my fav blogs and fill myself in on what's up....not that I'm done blog-trotting anyway...

In Nigeria, we watched history unfold on Tuesday the 29th of May as Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and his deputy Goodluck Ebele Jonathan were sworn in as the new President and VP at the Eagle square in Abuja in the first civilian handover of power since Nigeria's independence....Interestingly, it was reported that tens of millions were spent on the handover ceremony alone.... that aside, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a public broadcast on Monday 28th May said...."Tomorrow, May 29th, will usher in a new and glorious dawn for our country. A new generation of Nigerian leaders will take over the great responsibility of running this great and diverse nation."

Overall, I would say that OBJ did a fair job as our president (my view, so shoot me!) I feel it is not an easy task to control the affairs of a country like Nigeria with diverse minded people, who can be so unreasonable to the point of committing murder (think Reverend, Dr. Pastor King), people who can be so indiscipline (You! yes, you jumping that queue to fuel your car..) and also people who dare to stand for what is right to the point of risking their lives (Prof Dora. Akunyili) We have them all in Nigeria..the good, the bad, the awful, the awesome!

In the beginning, i.e. the early part of the first four years, he was on a constant high- I mean air-bound.... I remember he was reported to have spent half his time flying from one country to the next.... we are all witnesses....

Later on he started to make positive changes....his government made NAFDAC a force to reckon with, his government introduced the GSM, therefore making communication easier for all Nigerians, EFCC started with initially good intentions which turned to bad when they were used to witch-hunt the enemies of his government....more good changes in between with the hiring of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who helped the country secure debt relief from the Paris Club....major draw-backs were experienced in the security sector as Nigeria experienced an all time high crime rate in the Niger-Delta region as well as in the Urban areas...

The power sector progressively declined to the point where people have lost hope in getting 24 hour electricity...Traveling by land or air became a source of major concern as we all witnessed numerous Plane crashes and Road accidents.... We lost so many Nigerians to accidents in the last few years and these need to be addressed i.e. AVIATION and ROADS.... the Health and Education sectors did not fare any better as we had strikes on the regular from healthcare practitioners and Teachers in Primary, Secondary and Higher Institutions.....

Just before the expiration of OBJ's tenure, we saw his government in what seemed to me as a desperate bid to line the pockets of the powers that be conduct a bid round in a very wishy washy way, the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were 'sold' to the friends of the government with one getting a 51% stake in the Kaduna refinery and the other acquiring a 51% stake in the Port Harcourt refinery....

In what some have described as a final parting gift to us, the price of petrol rose from N65 to N75, the VAT in Nigeria was hiked from 5% to 10% effective last week, and a new tax payable by oil companies was introduced whereby they pay 1% of their profit after tax to the government...pray tell, what's the tax we pay used for? Healthcare? Road rehabilitation? Fuel subsidy for the citizens? what???

Whoa! Let me take a very deep breath here.... this government was also one that 'made' a lot of unknowns....and generally a lot of love was spread all around... left, right, centre, people were getting rich!

At this point, I'd like to say kudos to the bloggers who initiated and were a part of the Nigerian bloggers proclaimation....You go peeps!! Let's make our voice heard... let's leave our mark in the sands of time...

For our new President, I have Hope......very unlike me because I'm usually a skeptic when it comes to Nigeria..... call me foolish, but I am indeed hopeful now.... Let me recall the words of our former president...."Tomorrow, May 29th, will usher in a new and glorious dawn for our country. A new generation of Nigerian leaders will take over the great responsibility of running this great and diverse nation."......let's just hope that by the year 2015, I would not have cause to regret because take it or leave it, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's going to be here for another 8 years!


`moni