A NEW NIGERIA
THE CHANGE WE NEED
During the last elections, most of us shouted “CHANGE”. Right now the change we so much desire seems to be a mirage. I am so lost writing this. There is so much going on and we are constantly being blinded. We all want this CHANGE so bad, and yet we say we are in a democracy and yet our governments (federal, state, and local) do not care about our opinions, talk less of our plights. We can complain all we want, rain curses on them all day, and choose a new set of same rotten eggs next elections.
We are the Change Agents.
What is the CHANGE we want?
We want a government that fits the definition of the word. We run a democratic system, we say democracy is Government for the people, by the people. Well in Nigeria, it’s a little different, “Government by some people for some people”. We have robbed, raped over and over by this people. Our problem as a nation is that we have too long under leaders that had no day jobs before they entered politics. We had mostly DEALERS and not leaders. Politics in Nigeria is good money at OUR expense.
It is not a crime for Nigeria to have a SENATE free of thieves or an EXECUTIVE free of embezzlers.
We want a TRULLY DEMOCRATIC GOVERMENT.
OUR PROBLEM AS A PEOPLE
Our problem as a people is that we do not know our strength. We are the electorate. We are the deciders of the elections. We are Nigeria and Nigeria is us. Our leaders do not want us to see ourselves as Nigerians but they will rather continue the Psychological Ethnic Divide. Here is the first stanza of our defunct national anthem: “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”:
Nigeria, we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood we stand,
Nigerians are proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.
There was no reason for this anthem be changed but it stood as a threat to the ruling class. If we truly unite as Nigerians and not Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba, we would have a united voice but They (Ruling Class) would not have that inscribed in our subconscious.
We need to break free of these chains, we need to see ourselves as Nigerians. We need to see ourselves as brothers and sisters.
Franklin D. Roosevelt said,” The point in history at which we stand is full of promise and danger. The world will either move forward towards unity and widely shared prosperity – or it will move apart”
But I say our tribes and languages as many as they are make our VOICE even louder.
The CHANGE agents
CHANGE starts with you and me.
Some of us will ask the question, “What difference can one person make?”
We have 11080 elected political offices. 1 President, 36 Governors, 109 Senators, 360 Representatives, 990 House of Assembly members, 774 Local government Chairmen and 8810 Ward Councilors.
We are the Electorate, our vote is our power. We must learn to use it wisely. We could start from our wards and have trustworthy people as our ward councils. That way they can attend to matters that affect the wards such as street drainages and so on. Imagine if we had a Senate with a conscience. Imagine if we had law makers and not (f)law makers in the national assembly. It is possible. We need to stop complaining and fight with what we have which is our vote and our right as Nigerians. We should have a peoples’ party with no strings and start small. Rome was not built in a day but it was not built by thieves.
Why CHANGE
Why #OCCUPYNIGERIA?
This time it’s more than just the CORUPTION. We need competent people handling our affairs. Let’s focus on some pressing matters.
-The fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group.
An article on CNN’s website (http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/21/africa/nigeria-boko-haram-loans-entrepreneurs/index.html) yet the Nigerian government says it’s rehabilitating some 800 ex Boko Haram militants. When will we wake up as a Nation, where is our Military Intelligence? This reports tells us one thing. Boko Haram leaders are getting smarter. Recruiting entrepreneurs means they no longer living in bushes, its means they are expanding their network, creating cells. This should not be let continue. It is time for the Military to work hand in hand with the Department of State Security and fish out these to-be-cells. And cut this branch of before it grows any further. We need the #OCCUPY our Military and Security Services and demand for the #CHANGE we need.
-NASS
We can complain all we want but we put them there and they must yield to our Voice. We must demand for an open senate. No secrets. What is the deal with their coded budget? We need to #OCCUPYNASS and demand for #OPENNASS with everything open, we need a NASS to does its duties and not play politics with their constitutional powers but use those powers to move the nation forward and not deliberately delay passing the Budget just to make the #CHANGE Mantra seems like a dream.
-POWER
As everything is now privatized, Distribution companies are now small gods as they are untouchable. The power supply all over the nation has been chaotic, yet the charges are over the top. A retired couple got a prepaid meter late last year. Branch new, zero debt profile and for the past three to four months they have been charged N9000 every month before they can purchase units. We need accountability. We need the CPC – Consumer Protection Council, to be active, respond to issues affecting Nigerians and not yet these company treat us like second class citizens.
The list would go on and on.
We need to show, not just our leaders but the world that we are united and we have a VOICE that must be heard.
#OCCUPYNIGERIA #ONENIGERIAONEVOICE
