Nigerians will next Saturday file out to elect a new President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces who is expected to lead the nation in the next four years. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given the green light for the elections which will also usher in a new set of federal law makers for the country.
That is a day Nigerians would decide whether they want the prevalent fuel crisis characterised by high costs, being a product of years of deceit and squander mania to continue or not. That is the day Nigerians would decide whether the current epileptic power supply that has guzzled over 25billion USD should continue or not. That is the day Nigerians would chose whether to believe the deceit of the so-called 50 per cent cut in electricity tariff when the government in power told Nigerians that they have privatized electricity or not and in retaliation discipline them with their votes for a change.
Nigerians would have an opportunity to either retain a government that has wasted the nation’s oil earnings for sixteen years when there was oil boom and excess crude sales or punish them with their votes.
Next Saturday is when Nigerians would prefer to retain a government that has promoted unemployment by their wicked refusal to create enabling environment for businesses to thrive and jobs created for our army of unemployed youths numbering over 30million or get rid of the clueless government.
It is a day that Nigerians would want the current level of corruption and merciless thieving of public funds through all sorts of dubious tactics or sack the corrupt and inept government.
Next Saturday is a day when Nigerians would chose to continue with the level of insecurity and ill-motivated police force and armed forces or elect a new administration that would build a very strong, non-partisan police force and other armed forces loyal to their fatherland first before the administration in power.
Nigerians would have a rare opportunity of either retaining the World Bank and IMF- cooked Finance Minister and Head of Economic team which has successfully traded the nation to the western world for a mess of porridge and continue to use language to deceive millions of citizens and running the nation’s economy aground or bring into place, through their votes, a government that is willing to put in place systems and mechanisms that would guarantee industrial revolution, business growth and wealth creation. A regime that would promote economic prosperity and provide the right environment to catapult the large scale, medium and micro-enterprises.
Next Saturday provides a rare opportunity to overthrow a bandit made up of only few Nigerians that have deliberately used religion and ethnicity, over the years, to fool and divide majority of citizens while they busy themselves with milking the nation dry for their selfish empire, piling wealth for themselves and generations yet unborn or vote in a new government that would spread the nation’s commonwealth amongst all citizens and make deliberate efforts to develop the country and put it to its well deserved enviable position amongst the comity of nations given its vast human and material resources.
As it stands, the only man amongst all who are jostling to be our President, that is well fitted to deliver Nigeria out of the present messy state of affairs is the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari. He has integrity going for him. He has assured Nigerians he will fight the hydra-headed cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabrics of the nation-corruption, to a standstill. He has assured Nigerians that his government would operate a zero-tolerance for corruption. He has interestingly given all those currently stealing the nation’s wealth public notice to quit or face the music when he assumes power.
General Buhari, combining effectively with Pastor Yemi Osinbajo, have both assured Nigerians that they would operate a circular state where Nigerians would be free to profess any religion they wish to pursue and re-assured that he has no agenda whatsoever to Islamise the country as has been wickedly propagated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the First family.
Next Saturday will provide Nigerians an opportunity to end the sixteen years of the locusts and caterpillars in our land and usher in a wind of change that would guarantee improved living standards for all Nigerians, irrespective of what they are, who they are, where they live and where they hail from.
Nigerians would be in a position to vote in Muhammadu Buhari and the APC Federal lawmakers who, together, would reform our justice system that would bring to a glorious end of the culture of impunity of the police and armed forces and bring in an era where the rule of law would thrive and the innocent would not have to be in prison or die for offences they know nothing about.
Next Saturday provides Nigerians with an uncommon opportunity to put away darkness and usher in light. General Muhammadu Buhari and Pastor Yemi Osinbanjo would immediately, on assumption of office come May 29, 2015 tackle epileptic power supply and would significantly improve supply within the first one year in office and fix a not too distant time line to end power outages in the country.
The duo of Buhari and Osinbajo have assured Nigerians of a social security system that would provide stipends for our unemployed and aged citizens. Youth corps members are going to continue earning their monthly allowances after youth service until they get employment. They are rolling in an interest-free loan for students of tertiary institutions whose parents/guardians may not have the finance to send them to higher institutions of learning. In that way, even orphans who do not have any one to see them through tertiary education would have opportunity to acquire such education without stress as obtained in the United States of America, Europe and other advanced democracies.
General Buhari and Osinbajo have assured Nigerians that they would frontally eliminate the corruption plaguing the nation’s oil industry and restore sanity that would lead to the refining of crude oil in Nigeria and exporting only refined products instead of crude oil. This is how they plan to end the dubious fuel importation that is ridden with corruption and ensure all round supply of petroleum products across the length and breadth of the country. This again, would provide more jobs for our unemployed in the oil and gas industry.
For Nigerians to enjoy the real dividends of democracy, breath in the real fresh air of freedom, not the polluted air that Jonathan has wreaked, and make Nigerians lead a decent life with improved standards, all eligible voters who have obtained their Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) must take the pains and inconvenience ourselves next Saturday by trooping out early and endure through the day to vote in General Muhammadu Buhari as the next President of Nigeria.
Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State, Nigeria.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan
