What went wrong?
It’s 3 days to the general elections and without any doubt the atmosphere is tensed up. You can feel the tension as thick as a hot knife piecing through frozen margarine. Politicians are on the last leg of their story telling, lies and shoki dancing. Youths are on the rampage with one goal in mind “milk the politicians dry, because they won’t come their way in the next 4 years”.
Since I was born, I have never seen an election so fiercely contested. Homes are divided, church members are divided, and In fact sex mates are even divided. For once since democracy returned in 1999, the ruling party is scared regardless of what they say in the media or what the party supporters say. For once there is an opposition force that is as strong as the ruling party. Yes they are not perfect and in actual fact they might not even stay together after the elections, however the driving force is an adage that says “My enemy’s enemy has become my friend”.
In 2011, I voted for the first time in my life and I felt good about myself. Why I felt good I can’t explain because I voted for a candidate that I knew won’t win the elections. I guess the feel good factor came from the fact that I lined up with my fellow Nigerians under the hot sun and gisted with people that on a normal day we would not even greet ourselves if we see. Or maybe it came from the fact that I was standing up to be counted so that posterity would judge me right.
2011 was a memorable year to say the least. It was as if the whole country was hooked on the drug called GEJ. His person, his life, his story, his qualifications bought him a lot of sympathy votes. It was massive. I can remember in my pooling both a young man say to me “I would vote Fashola as governor in Lagos and vote for Jonathan as president”. That was the way most people voted. In fact I know of a friend whose father and mother had decided to vote for another candidate and by the time the woman came back home she had voted for GEJ. The man asked her “Honey, why did you vote for him?” She replied “I really cannot say why. People where just talking about him and my emotions swayed towards him”.
Fast forward to 2015, and the story is different. That brings me to the crux of the matter and the question I have been asking myself “What went wrong?”. I know GEJ loyalist would wave this question away as if a fly is disturbing their eyes, but just be objective for a minute and ask yourself the following questions:
How is it that a 72 year old man is running a sitting president raged to the extent that the 72 year old man has garnered massive popularity nationwide?
Why is it so difficult to gather the same momentum of 2011 in 2015 given the massive resources at his disposal?
Why does it feel as if you are selling a bad product when the works of the president is being portrayed to the masses?
Why is an incumbent president looking so desperate for power and using the phrase “I will” instead of “This is what I have done”?
What was promised in 2011 and what was achieved by 2015?
Let me tell you what went wrong. GEJ was never prepared for the mantle of leadership. He found himself on the wings of the grace of God and landed in a place that was beyond him. He had the opportunity to make things right but he failed. He had the opportunity to be schooled but he failed. January 1, 2012 was his litmus test. After removing the subsidy if he had prosecuted the corrupt officials and built refineries to work, He would have become a hero in the mode of Super Man or Incredible Hulk. He bungled his chance and has not recovered from it. Today he talks about transformation agenda, but he must understand that he needs a transformation himself before he can drive that agenda. Nigerians are the easiest people to please in the world. In fact we are the happiest people in the world. As long as we have light, we are gainfully employed, we can pay our bills and the super eagles are wining we are good to go. Nigerians are hopeful people. Even mad men have hope of being sane someday that’s why they walk on the side of highways not at the center. Our politicians have been blind to this fact and have failed us but we can make the right choices this time.
They say he is our messiah, I say that is blasphemy. They say he is the devil we know, I say that’s right. They say he is a good man surrounded by bad people, I say a coach is as good as his team, Ask Arsene Wenger. Our messiah is the man that would change our system of government and tackle the status quo. The man that would say he does not need 42 ministers to satisfy federal character. The man that would return power back to the federating units/states and make the center less attractive. The man that would have a clear vision not a blurred one that all Nigerians can buy into, to the extent that other parties would drive the vision regardless of who is in power. The man that would make Nigerians believe again and become the world super power that we have the potentials to be. I dare say that “The messiah is still in the wilderness waiting for his day of appearing”.
Finally, if you have PVC and decide not to vote I have a word for you “Please do not complain when things are bad”. If you don’t have PVC do environmental sanitation at home and keep your surroundings clean. Vote for your choice and do not fight and wait for the shocker!
It’s 3 days to the general elections and without any doubt the atmosphere is tensed up. You can feel the tension as thick as a hot knife piecing through frozen margarine. Politicians are on the last leg of their story telling, lies and shoki dancing. Youths are on the rampage with one goal in mind “milk the politicians dry, because they won’t come their way in the next 4 years”.
Since I was born, I have never seen an election so fiercely contested. Homes are divided, church members are divided, and In fact sex mates are even divided. For once since democracy returned in 1999, the ruling party is scared regardless of what they say in the media or what the party supporters say. For once there is an opposition force that is as strong as the ruling party. Yes they are not perfect and in actual fact they might not even stay together after the elections, however the driving force is an adage that says “My enemy’s enemy has become my friend”.
In 2011, I voted for the first time in my life and I felt good about myself. Why I felt good I can’t explain because I voted for a candidate that I knew won’t win the elections. I guess the feel good factor came from the fact that I lined up with my fellow Nigerians under the hot sun and gisted with people that on a normal day we would not even greet ourselves if we see. Or maybe it came from the fact that I was standing up to be counted so that posterity would judge me right.
2011 was a memorable year to say the least. It was as if the whole country was hooked on the drug called GEJ. His person, his life, his story, his qualifications bought him a lot of sympathy votes. It was massive. I can remember in my pooling both a young man say to me “I would vote Fashola as governor in Lagos and vote for Jonathan as president”. That was the way most people voted. In fact I know of a friend whose father and mother had decided to vote for another candidate and by the time the woman came back home she had voted for GEJ. The man asked her “Honey, why did you vote for him?” She replied “I really cannot say why. People where just talking about him and my emotions swayed towards him”.
Fast forward to 2015, and the story is different. That brings me to the crux of the matter and the question I have been asking myself “What went wrong?”. I know GEJ loyalist would wave this question away as if a fly is disturbing their eyes, but just be objective for a minute and ask yourself the following questions:
How is it that a 72 year old man is running a sitting president raged to the extent that the 72 year old man has garnered massive popularity nationwide?
Why is it so difficult to gather the same momentum of 2011 in 2015 given the massive resources at his disposal?
Why does it feel as if you are selling a bad product when the works of the president is being portrayed to the masses?
Why is an incumbent president looking so desperate for power and using the phrase “I will” instead of “This is what I have done”?
What was promised in 2011 and what was achieved by 2015?
Let me tell you what went wrong. GEJ was never prepared for the mantle of leadership. He found himself on the wings of the grace of God and landed in a place that was beyond him. He had the opportunity to make things right but he failed. He had the opportunity to be schooled but he failed. January 1, 2012 was his litmus test. After removing the subsidy if he had prosecuted the corrupt officials and built refineries to work, He would have become a hero in the mode of Super Man or Incredible Hulk. He bungled his chance and has not recovered from it. Today he talks about transformation agenda, but he must understand that he needs a transformation himself before he can drive that agenda. Nigerians are the easiest people to please in the world. In fact we are the happiest people in the world. As long as we have light, we are gainfully employed, we can pay our bills and the super eagles are wining we are good to go. Nigerians are hopeful people. Even mad men have hope of being sane someday that’s why they walk on the side of highways not at the center. Our politicians have been blind to this fact and have failed us but we can make the right choices this time.
They say he is our messiah, I say that is blasphemy. They say he is the devil we know, I say that’s right. They say he is a good man surrounded by bad people, I say a coach is as good as his team, Ask Arsene Wenger. Our messiah is the man that would change our system of government and tackle the status quo. The man that would say he does not need 42 ministers to satisfy federal character. The man that would return power back to the federating units/states and make the center less attractive. The man that would have a clear vision not a blurred one that all Nigerians can buy into, to the extent that other parties would drive the vision regardless of who is in power. The man that would make Nigerians believe again and become the world super power that we have the potentials to be. I dare say that “The messiah is still in the wilderness waiting for his day of appearing”.
Finally, if you have PVC and decide not to vote I have a word for you “Please do not complain when things are bad”. If you don’t have PVC do environmental sanitation at home and keep your surroundings clean. Vote for your choice and do not fight and wait for the shocker!
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