Today Nigeria is a weeping giant under General Buhari. Millions of his early supporters in 2015 are now his bitter haters. Democracy under him is a dead parrot. Sing – it cannot!
By Taju Tijani
Nigerian democracy is a dead parrot. It cannot sing again. It has been stunned into eternal silence by its actors who have gone ahead to even plunder its beautiful feathers. Our democracy cannot sing again if we put two million voltages through it! It is bleedingly dead. The wishes of ordinary Nigerians have been ignored for 23 years. Look at what is playing out between Nyesom Wike, Atiku and PDP – utter selfish, egotistic, and shameless jostle for personal interests.
Few weeks ago in a disgusting, self-congratulatory Buga pose, Femi Gbajabiamila gleefully posted a picture of his Harvard University intern for a short course. It caused national reproach. The ratty speaker apologised, and we all moved on. Meanwhile our kids are at home because of ASUU’s unending strike watching BBNija – that brain benumbing and morally repulsive teevee show. The Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Ahmed Idris stole N108 billion and asked for a plea bargain. The crook will pay back some money, keep some for his retirement and nothing will be heard of it again.
Last week, unable to justify the squandering of N17.16 billion in 2013 with the required documents, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) came with a brain busting reason. The agency’s management claimed that some of the payment vouchers have been eaten up by termites. Yes ke! Democracy is a dead parrot in Nigeria.
Not to be outdone, the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has disclosed that Nigeria spends N18.69 billion daily on petroleum subsidies. These executive larcenies go on under our corrupt democratic arrangement. As I write, we do not know how many billions are being spent to feed our colony of buffoons who colonised both the Senate and House of Representatives. We will never know. The amount is scandalous.
For the sake of simple clarity, let us imagine that we started a true democratic experiment in 1999. In May 2022, we climbed 23 years of democratic maturing whose seed was planted by the military when autocracy and obedience through the barrel of AK-47 was becoming dated and unfashionable across Africa. Now, let us do an analytical audit of the last 23 years and see if there is any space for democratic dividend.
In 23 years of democracy, where is the light? Under General Buhari, Nigeria has been thrown into far more electricity blackout than anytime in living memory. National grid collapsed more often under General Buhari than previous leaders. In 23 years of democracy, where are the jobs? In February 2022, federal government said that it had created 750,000 phantom jobs. Today, there are 22 million unemployed Nigerians. 14 million Nigerian youths are unemployed. 34.9% of Nigerians aged between 15-34 are roaming the streets. In 23 years of democratic journey, what has become our hospitals, our roads, state of wellbeing and mental health? Today, to refill a 12kg gas cylinder, you need N11,000. Next year, Nigeria is expected to spend N6.3 trillion ($5.3 billion) servicing its local and external debt more than N3.6 trillion it set aside for 2022.
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Within seven years of Buhari, annual inflation rate in Nigeria increased to 19.64% in July of 2022, the highest since September of 2005. It rose from 18.6% in June. Weakening Naira has opened the floodgate of food inflation. Food inflation increased to 22% in May. The highest within a year. Weakened Naira continue to pressure cost of imports up. Nigerians are now burdened with the rising cost of food commodities like bread, cereals, rice, beans, yam, potatoes, meat, and fish. Transportation has gone up.
In 23 years of democracy where are the sober, conscientious, humble, just, sincere, transparent, and public-spirited politicians who will stop our democratic madness? In 23 years of democratic mileage, where are the patriotic, avaricious-averse, dedicated, morally upright and integrity-driven politicians who will alter the contour of our shame, disconnect us from corruption, retune our moral values and recover our stolen paradise from thieving politicians whose sole aim is to steal, kill and destroy?
And as if we are under a curse, we have as front runners two giants of corruption in Nigeria’s democratic history gunning for power. Yes now. Democracy is a dead parrot in Nigeria. Nigerians have a weakness. That weakness is our obsession for cult hero. Atiku and Tinubu are ugly contenders but for our obsession for hero worshipping our oppressors. Blindfolded Nigerians are still dreaming of seeing these figures of shamelessness win the next election.
In a corrupt democracy anything can happen. Any nation that harbours sickening sympathy for its bad leaders, that nation must continue to go downhill. Any nation that is fixated on the tribe of its leaders, ethnocentric consideration will perpetually keep us behind.
Any nation where laws and orders are designed to shield the rich and powerful from prosecution, that nation will have to grapple with unrest, lawlessness, confusion, and violence.
Today Nigeria is a weeping giant under General Buhari. Millions of his early supporters in 2015 are now his bitter haters. General opinions about his government have now coalesced or crystalised into some form of disillusion and hopelessness for the manner he has handled the endless challenges facing Nigeria. Democracy under him is a dead parrot. Sing – it cannot!
To the whole nation, he is a failure. The only tribe who will not see his failure are Femi Adesina, Garba Shehu, APC politicians and those who are direct beneficiaries of his clueless administration. For the past seven years, there have been public discomfort with so many decisions and indecisions of General Buhari. The chorus of regret is becoming louder, and Nigerians are wondering where the old chutzpah mythically associated with Buhari disappeared to?
Also, I must remind my readers that the narrative that Nigeria is a great nation has remained the most enduring script crafted by our elites to inflate our egos and encourage a sustained self-glorification that has no basis.
What has been the life and blood gains of 23 years of democracy for millions of Nigerians? Why is agitation for a new order so strident under Buhari if our democracy is not a dead parrot? The sobering truth can now be revealed: Nigeria has been practicing democratic vanity expressly designed to enrich the rich and pauperise the poor. In other word, we are practising a corruption-driven democracy designed for looting and self-enrichment. Meditatively think about the dollars spent during the primaries by both Atiku and Tinubu.
In May 2018, General Buhari raised a panic alarm. He said that the money stolen by the Jonathan administration was so much that he may not be able to recover all the loot in the life of his administration. The subtext then was this: for 16 years, the Peoples Democratic Party violently and rapaciously raped and looted the wealth meant for Nigerians under the name of democracy. Today, Buhari’s administration has broken Jonathan’s record of corruption.
At least Jonathan’s wife lived in Aso Rock throughout his tenure. Aisha Buhari today lives opulently in Dubai in a repulsive comfort while Nigerians endure penury. Nigerian democracy is a dead parrot. I swear! This is the reality we all shy away from. We practice corrupt, democratic vanity on a grand scale. The politicians have cornered Nigeria and her resources and, sad to say, even General Buhari has been bowled over by the same corruption he came to fight.
It is economically absurd and morally repugnant to think that with dwindling resources we are still feeding our parasite class called senators. Why would a self-inflicted poor nation like Nigeria continue to waste resources on the vanity of its senator-politicians, who, according to General Buhari have contributed nothing to national rehabilitation for the past 23 years?
The best evidence so far indicates that General Buhari has not met the wishes of ordinary Nigerians since 2015. His policies have made no impact on the fortunes of Nigerians. Wealthy individuals and organized interest groups have had much more political clout. The Nigerian public has been virtually powerless. Majority of Nigerians want restructuring, job creation, security, lean government, medical care, decent housing, yet these desires are consistently gridlocked or blocked by interest groups within Buhari government.
When Buhari got elected in May 2015, there were sounds of collective hosannas from all Nigerians. Today the mood has changed from a messiah to crucify him. The hosannas have given way to cries of pain or even horror as we watch daily how his government is floundering on the rock of inaction over ASUU strikes, corruption, banditry, joblessness, and insecurity. His icy deed of undemocratic autocracy has defiled democracy’s Holy Grail. Worse, his obsession with Fulanisation agenda has crippled the manifest progress of Nigeria under his watch. Has our democracy not become a dead parrot? We shall carry out its autopsy in May 2023.
