REFLECTIONS ON " GET NIGERIA WORKING AGAIN "
By The People's Bishop Kenneth Obi
Those versed in the dialectics of political communication would assert the illimitable utility of election mantras in the success of any electioneering campaign.
Sloganeering, indeed, from history, has proven to be a viable tool in the hands of neophytes and connoisseurs in the art of real politik, in catapaulting them to the very zenith of democratic political leadership.
Barack Obama’s defeaning mantra of “yes we can” was a potent propeller and rallying point in the buildup to the 2008 U.S presidential polls. Appealing to both the both the partisan and non-partisan crowd alike, Obama cobbled a momentous victory that made him the very first African – American President in their over 200 years of Democratic practice.
More recently, the “Make America Great Again” rallying cry by Donald Trump engineered the election of the 72 year old Real Estate/TV mogul into the White House.
With a nation viciously polarized along tribal, political, sectional lines, Donald Trump’s political mantra exposed the fault lines in the very American essence, exploited them for political expediency, and created a movement that believed that a return to America’s once-upon-a-time glorious era was possible.
However, Nigeria’s chain of election mantras has offered a gripping reminder of how politicians wield poetic, rhythmic and alluring symphonies in their maniacal, if not murderous quest at gaining political power.
Most recently, the strident holler of “Change” that heralded the victory of the All Progressives congress in the 2015 elections birthed a genuine hope in the people that Nigeria could be transformed for the better.
Confronted with the most brazen level of corruption, cronyism, financial recklessness and institutional anomie at the highest levels of government, Nigerians turned to the main opposition party as succour, with a collective belief that our vast wealth of resources could be judiciously harnessed to promote the interest of the common man.
Alas! This was not to be. Overwhelmed with the sweeping populism and sheer messianism of the change hurrah, Nigerians-the educated and uneducated- failed to engage the apostles of “change” on the dialectics of that mantra, and how it was meant to be effected-for the better or for the worse?
Disappointingly, the “Change” era has turned out to be nothing but a Fraud, a mere flailing at the wind, a vicious plunge into an all time low, and a saddening exposé into how electoral deceit could have cataclysmic consequences on a Nation’s economy, security and politics.
From Plateau to Benue, hapless Nigerians remain harangued and strangulated by the marauding fangs of Criminal Herdsmen, who have turned these once-upon-a-time-food-baskets into killing fields. Kidnappings are on the rise. The Boko haram sect remains partially visible, recrudescing at intervals and announcing her presence with vicious attacks on civilians.
The economy is no better news. With a Nation theoretically out of recession early this year, prices of goods and services remain inflated, buoyed by an increasingly clueless government with no grasp of how to solve economic albatrosses.
It is in the light of these that one must must engage the new (or is it revived?) beautiful bride of our party politics, The People’s democratic party and their Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar GCON.
With the 2019 polls on the horizon, the presidential candidate of the PDP has adopted a seemingly alluring and utopian mantra: #GetNigeriaWorkingAgain.
The theme #GetNigeriaWorking Again should be critically interrogated so we dont fall into the Abysmal Trap of deception and unkept promises that have dogged our relations with politicians since the advent of the Democratic dawn.
With a promise to restructure the federation, create jobs thereby strengthening our enfeebled economy, fight corruption without partisan colouration, clear the darkening cloud of insecurity and palpable hopelessness pervading the nation, #GetNigeriaWorking Again, as a mantra, seems to acknowledge the unassailable fact that Nigeria is in a dysfunctional state as it as never been in history.
However, beyond the alluring promise to make governance less attractive and create job for the jobless, lies a greater task of uniting our nation.
From Yobe to Lagos, Imo to Rivers, the nation remains polarized along tribal and religious lines, thereby putting to danger the sovereignty and indestructibility of our nation as a geographical, political and social entity.
Beyond the euphoria of the mantra, #GetnigeriaWorkingAgain should be about reviving the feeling of Nigerianness, through the process of consultation with separatist agitators in order to foster peace and congeniality that has long eluded the nation.
#GNWA should be about reworking our moribund refineries for better productivity, restoring the productivity and efficiency of our educational institutions, raising our electricity generation by astronomic proportion and fighting the epidemic of corruption to a standstill.
To enunciate the seriousness of the #GNWA campaign, a policy document elucidating how Atiku Abubakar intends getting our country working again should be made public, with strong emphasis on security, fighting corruption, and economic renaissance.
The #GNWA holler should not be another political stunt verging on McCarthyism. It should be about reworking our nation and restoring it to an acceptable level of functionality.
Christian Alert Group, Nigeria Rise Initiative in conjunction with Citizens for Righteousness and Social Justice is the Best way to Go Raising Anti Corruption Crusaders fighting Injustices in a Violent and Immoral Society of Nigeria for a Better Nigeria come 2019.
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The People's Bishop Kenneth Obi Anti -Corruption Crusader and Advocate of Humanity and Social Justice.