The social media platform was awash this week with the presidential declaration speech of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. Though it has been in the news for a few days that the VP would also show an interest in succeeding retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari as the president of Nigeria, many a people, most especially those of the Bourdillon’s bullion van owner extraction were quick to dismiss it as mere rumour. Their excuse? They believe that the fact that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu identified Osinbajo’s achievements and found him worthy of being appointed the Attorney-General of Lagos while the former was the Governor of Lagos State makes him a slave who must do nothing that is against the interest of his ‘benefactor’.
But, as is typical of an average Nigerian politician, Osinbajo’s presidential declaration speech is stuffed with inaccuracies, downright concoctions and trivialities aimed at raising the hopes of Nigerians and painting him as the ‘messiah’ just as President Buhari was presented to the voting masses in 2015. Osinbajo did all he could in his presidential declaration speech to validate the inefficiency of this regime and to also take a vertical shift away from the hardship this government has inflicted on the Nigerian people which has made the country to be ranked the 12th most fragile state out of 179 countries in the Fragile States Index 2021.
Osinbajo claimed in the third paragraph of his declaration speech that he has visited “our gallant troops in the North-East and our brothers and sisters in the IDP camps” and that he has “felt the pain and anguish of victims in violent conflicts, terrorist attacks, flooding, fire and other disasters.” To him, these are achievements which qualify him to be elected the president of the country. But he failed to admit how the aforementioned illustrates the helplessness, carelessness and incompetence of this government and how this government has lost its bearing. This is a government that looks forlorn and lost in the face of insecurity ravaging the country while insisting that it inherited insecurity and taking no bold step to salvage the situation.
We all know that, in 2015, Buhari’s electoral allure was his ‘capability’ and ‘willingness’ to tackle corruption and insecurity. Today, Osinbajo’s is his eloquence and a perceived disruption of the cabal system since he’s a ‘saint’. Rather than sweet-tongue as usual in the face of the present realities, Osinbajo should admit that this government needs help and that it has lost its bearing. He should also admit that Buhari has been playing sectional politics for the past seven years.
Also, Osinbajo’s statement that “we must complete what we started” negates his ‘plan’ of making “the love of our nation burns alike in the hearts of boys and girls…” The statement shows that Osinbajo is warming up to finish the disintegration agenda that was launched by retired Major General Buhari, which has made national cohesion to be under severe strain. The implication is that Osinbajo intends to sustain the legacy of ruin that Buhari and their party, the All Progressives Congress, have bequeathed to Nigeria, which has left democracy imperilled and the country on the brink of unravelling.
Those trying to exonerate Osinbajo in the face of the crises this government has brought upon the country must understand that the pastor-politician chaired the economy and messed up the implementation of deregulation, currency devaluation and that he also handled the IDP welfare programme which was so woeful among others.
It is essential we begin to think about what has been started that needs to be completed. The last eight years have been marked by bloodshed across the nation, abuse of fundamental human rights, disregard for the judiciary by executive officers and security personnel, inflation, molestation of civilians by men in uniform, infrastructure decay, abuse of public property, among others. In this stead, embarking on a mission to complete what has been started should leave us with the clear-cut fact that we may only be embarking on a journey to bury a dying nation. Rather than retrace our steps and fix the faults, if the mission is to complete the journey of burning the nation down, we should fear for what would be left of us all after the journey ends.
Nigeria will be great again. But this requires our conscientious and collaborative efforts in identifying wrongs, impunity and maladministration and standing vehemently against such.
Nigeria and Nigerians will overcome.
Israel writes from Ibadan, Oyo State. He can be reached via olalekankazeem01@gmail.com
