The president and the governors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have the obligations and constitutional powers to turn the horrible life in Nigeria into a manageable state of affairs for the citizens to live in comfort. My recent trip to Nigeria was more than eye opener than l could have envisioned. My impression and conclusion were that the nation is without leadership at local, state and federal levels.
Evidently, the leaders lack the commonsense and skills toward improving standards of living of their citizens. l was in the state of awe as l watched average citizens battle with hunger and frustrations to the excitement of the leaders, who in their comfort zones, treated and continue to treat their subjects with wickedness.

lt became more ridiculous as l watched these leaders and their cronies drove recklessly, blaring sirens shamelessly on dusty highways with punctuated potholes, feeling the sense of accomplishments. A trip to some medical establishments concluded that Nigeria lacks patriotic leadership as many structures resembled poultry farms where pigs are kept. It was the greatest neglect any legitimate government can perpetrate on her citizens. It was a rape of democratic process to allow the status quos to remain unabated.

At that juncture, l was obliged to ask: Where is the oil money? Why is it that no one is paying attention to the narrow roads with pot holes all over the place? What is so difficult in awarding contracts and making sure that the jobs are executed professionally and on time ? What is actually wrong with Nigerian leaders ? Do they really have brains at all? Why is it so difficult to construct a safe highway, separating the interstate highways to minimize head on collisions that occur almost daily on the highways? What is happening to oil money ? How about constructions of water treatment facilities in cities in order to ensure steady flow of water supply to boast public safety ? If the assumption is that the country lacks the technical know how to construct such project, why not ask for help from advanced countries in order to minimize the plights of the citizens?

Why should the citizens be punished for being loyal to their country ? Why can't Nigerian leaders make little efforts to improve the lives of their loyal citizens, Why ? How about electricity ? For the past forty-five years, The country has been and continue to be plagued by endless power interruption every day. In countries with high volume of electricity usage, power tends to flow uninterrupted, but in Nigeria where two third of households have no big item machinery to consume power, still, power gets interrupted daily.

As a consequence, productivity is inadequate; no storage facility to store staple foods beyond harvesting seasons and the government remains adamant and unperturbed. The president and the governors must address these issues once and for all. There is money in the country to effect these changes because the citizens deserve the best from their government.

How about airports ? l have heard several excuses that our airports lack the navigational gadgets to effectively allow airplanes to land at night. What a silly and nonsense excuses to give in a country that produces over 2 million barrels of crude oil daily ? l was shocked beyond belief that the so-called Port Harcourt International Airport has only one runway, not taking into consideration that the airport is located at the seat of country's economic heart and soul. This is practically unacceptable. It was criminal to learn that Air France Jet, landing at the very airport with over hundred passengers narrowly escaped disaster when it came in contact with about 7 cows straying on the tarmac. The accident was attributed to absence of fencing in and around the airport. It was bizarre and unimaginable that an establishment of this magnitude remains wide open to stray animals.

Where is the oil money extracting from the nearby oil wells ? How can Nigerian citizens allow their elected officials to insult their intelligences as if the population is made up of bunch of zombies ? The government should utilize the resources extracted from Nigerian soils to develop the country. The Nigerian monies are not meant for Swiss and other Europeans banks.

The status quo must change.

How about healthcare facilities ? Every leader that travels to overseas formedical treatment is being hypocritical. If the medical infrastructures they put in place at one time of their governance is acceptable and commendable, why seeking treatment overseas ? Why can't they transform Nigerian hospitals into modern day facilities with the state of art equipments ? If their stewardship is great, why seeking medical attention abroad ? These leaders have no shame to travel overseas to enjoy what their counterparts had built.

The money is in the country to improve the citizen's standard of living but instead of doing the right thing, these self-styled leaders would buy houses from almost every city in the western world.

Responsive governments develop initiatives round the clock to improve standard of living of her citizens. There are no initiatives in the country on the establishment of emergency medical services in the States and cities. There is no plan in motion to reform medical sector to include
emergency medical services and equip cities with new ambulances to transport the sick to the hospitals. No initiative to train emergency medical technicians and paramedics/first responders to respond to emergencies. At the scene of any accident in the country, people are not trained on what to do. There is no first aid in place to administer to the injured. No emergency vehicle to transport the injured to the nearby medical facility. In most cases, light injury transforms into
life threatening episode due to lack of governmental initiatives to tackle such events. The same lack of vision is applicable to villages in the country. A pregnant woman in labor cannot receive any help during medical emergency unless her relatives have a car or bicycle to transport her to the hospital, enduring dust, poisonous fumes from burning tires and pot holes on the way. In most case, the pregnant woman dies due to exhaustion and fatigue, including lack of infrastructure in place to assist her.

Yet, our leaders invest only on themselves, boasting on having countless of homes, hotels, uxurious buses and accepting chieftaincy titles from one city to another. The money is in the country to improve our citizen's standard of living had the leaders choose to do the right thing. l lack the knowledge to understand why our leaders treat our people with disdain. I do not understand where the leaders are going with all the stolen money in their possession. I thought the Abacha dilemma would be a great lesson for the future embezzlers, but l was wrong.

The administrations of IBB and Abacha witnessed the oil boom as revenues shot to the roof. Instead of improving Nigerian standards of living in all quarters, these leaders chose to decimate the revenue meant for development into personal treasury; thereby, taken the country to unforgettable journey of hardship and suffering. The country started its decaying experiences, ndiscipline, breakdown of law and order took the center stage. l am deeply worried at IBB's intention to canvas for votes again. This man had 8 solid years to change Nigeria for good. He had the golden opportunity to transform the country into a heaven. He had the opportunity to create wealth and attract international investors. He had the wherewithal to improve and revitalize the economy to the fullest. He made decisions by himself in form of decrees and passed it over to his cronies to be rubberstamped. He had every tool to himself to set his legacy beyond reproach, but he chose to do the contrary.

History will remember him as a leader who had the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Nigerians but blew it away like peanut chaffs. The country must not vote for him to rule Nigeria again. He has proven beyond every doubt that he does not possess the skills and patriotism of a leader. His leadership skill is inimical to present day Nigeria.

The country needs a vibrant, assiduous and patriotic leader who believes that the population deserves to live in clean environment, drinks clean water, enjoys steady flow of electricity after a day's hard job, receives quality medical treatments, good roads, consistent payment of salaried workers and pensioners, creates job, revitalize the economy, return schools to private wnerships and pay serious attention to our academic systems. ln my humble opinion, IBB does not have the
administrative acumen to march the country to stardom. The country must reject him to its ntirety. He is not the leader the country needs at this time. He mooned Nigeria for 8 years and shattered our psyche.

For decades past, Nigerians have and continue to endure abject poverty, lack of security and abuse from their governors and presidents. lt is pertinent to remind the leaders that the immunity clause in the Constitution is different from judgment by the masses. The Otokoto saga in Owerri, Imo State, was a clear testimony of the people's judgment. The citizens of Owerri watched in utter disbelief as bunch of rotten 419 tugs turned their once beautiful and quiet city into den of sacrificial alters, killing men, women, infant and children for economic gains. These tugs roamed the streets unchallenged with the complicity of the military and police. When the verdict was passed by the masses to take back their city, the rest was history. The citizens attacked all 419 establishments and the tugs took to their heels. The president and the governors should remember the public revolt in the Philippines that toppled the dreaded Ferdinand Marcos; Romanian Revolution with Nicolai Cescescsue, and the most recent public verdict in Ukraine.

The Nigerian leaders continue to take loyal citizens for granted and if the abuse should continue unabated, they should be rest assured that a day of reckoning is looming around the corner. They should bear in mind that when the judgment is passed on them by the people, their ill-gotten wealth would surely be a target. It is beyond my scope of knowledge why our leaders think that the people does not deserve to live in clean environment whereas State Houses and Presidential villa are equipped with steady flow of clean running water and stable supply of electricity. Their premises have giant generators to pump out water constantly whereas their subjects are drenched in sweats, cooking under temperature up to 100 degrees; in most cases without ventilations.

What baffles my soul is that Nigerian Government is not spending a dime for any natural disaster, but the leaders cannot invest on the people. The only natural disaster that faces the country is erosion and they have no answer to combat it. These leaders cannot pay their State workers on time; the pensioners are languishing in pains and no unemployment benefits to the jobless. Again, what are the leaders discussing in their so called executive council meetings?

Speaking directing to the president and governors: Time has come to be a true leader. Start investing on your people. Start to spend 100 percent of monies allocated to your state to improve lives. My recent trip to Nigeria compelled me to award you all the grade of F minus. In my own book, you all deserve to be prosecuted and jailed. We are answering
giant of Africa for (mouth).

We emulate the bad from America and throw away the good part. You governors and president have no shame. Every two month, your ministers and commissioners are in America and European countries, buying up all real estate properties you can lay your filthy hand on, neglecting your own country. Are you not ashamed that your people are dying like flies due to lack of maintenance, hunger and disease? You Mr. president and Mr. Governor, why not go into the kitchen and cook with temperature over 100 degree? If you think you don't deserve such environment, what makes you think your subjects deserve it?

Be a leader and serve your people. Stop converting people's money into your personal property. You all have failed Nigeria woefully. What a shame ! Your abuse and neglect are becoming unbearable for the masses and behold, a day of reckoning is fast approaching.

twitterfacebook twitter google