A combined photo of President Bola Tinubu and ex-president Goodluck Jonathan
It’s almost three weeks that pupils as young as two years have been kidnapped and have been enduring inclement weather at the mercy of the elements in the harsh forested reserves in Oyo, Borno and other parts of the country.
The wicked terrorists who keep them as captives have not only mocked the sovereignty of Nigeria but have also violated the inviolable innocence of these children.
But we all know that this is politics. This is a very dangerous geopolitics at the highest level. During the Jonathan era, this card was played by some politicians who were bent on stopping his second term bid by kidnapping Chibok girls.
These dangerous and callous politicians did not see anything bad in the eight ruinous years of the President Buhari.
We believe a pattern has now emerged where by when ever it is the turn of a Southern President to exercise his right to bid for a second term these political goons and jingoists always reenact the abduction card to create bad image for the Southern President making it difficult for him to win reelection.
It’s the opinion of this newspaper that reasonable electorate have seen through this political shenanigans and would not be influenced in their political choice by it.
As problematic as the current administration may be, Tinubu has a right to contest, and he would not be stopped by provincialism of a section of the political class.
It’s very disheartening to this medium that while terror captives like the Orires’s are suffering, the political class is in bed with its comfort oblivious of the plights of abducted Nigerians, and the grief of hundreds of families whose children, uncles, aunties, brothers and sisters are abducted, killed or maimed.
In the thick of the Borno and Orires’s the political class like the proverbial Nero who fiddled while Rome burnt, were busy holding primaries, popping cruel champagne, and exchanging banters.
While we acknowledge the efforts of the current administration to rein in this rampaging terror, we believe it can do more.
It’s not yet time for politicians to hold tea party. No country in the world would engage in this kind of sordid ritual where large numbers of its innocent citizens are in the custody of kidnappers and would still continue to behave as if nothing happened. It’s only in Nigeria that such sordidness is allowed to pass without any responsible rescue operation but feeble excuses.
Nigeria has becoming the laughing stock of our African brothers and sisters in particular,but much more regrettable is in the eyes of the international community, the giant of the continent has become an international embarrassment.
NATIONAL WAVES is convinced that it’s not too late in the day for long suffering citizens to take back their country from the schemings and political manipulation of politicians using self -induced insecurity to play the ethnic card. Nigeria belongs to all of us , irrespective of tribe, tongue or religion.
Taking back our country is not going to be easy but it’s doable.
The first step is to confront the oppressive tools the political class have been using to keep the electorate in tethers. In this wise, induced poverty of industrial scale is the first weapon, corruption and siphoning of public till is another. These are hydra headed monsters that the electorate must confront in addition to refusing pitances used to induce them to vote during election.
The people must learn to vote their conscience, and should resist money inducement.
We encourage the people to guide and guard their votes come 2027, and must resist intimidation.
As for the political class it’s not too late in the day to turn over a new leaf, and allow our hard earned democracy to breath.
They must learn to play by the rule, govern responsibly, and do it in good conscience.
They must learn to put the people first, curb narcissism, and show more patriotism. It’s important they imbibe the spirit of servant leaders. This is way to go, the path to walk , and the only way to avert the looming revolution.
