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By Inno Obiorah
I am troubled that many Nigerians are troubled that on the 29th of May,2023, Bola Tinubu would be sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th President.
Some hope that inauguration will be scuttled or that there will be angry protests because the election is still disputed.
For a fact, the February 25th election was marred by a series of irregularities in some places like Rivers State and Imo State. The result from Lagos is still disputed. Indeed, the election wasn’t perfect, but nothing made by man is perfect either.
This doesn’t mean we have to condone the glaring irregularities or that INEC should continue to make us a country of shame. Far from it. I wish all election riggers and enablers end up in jail to serve as a deterrent to others. Election riggers are similar to robbers who must not be allowed to enjoy their loot.
While we dispute the election, we must avoid anything that will loose the demons upon us.
I wish to warn fellow citizens that countries that build war machines make a living from war. They will be too glad to supply us with their weapons of terror.
Whatever was wrong with the last election, we should be grateful that our worst nightmare is over. Finally, PMB will be retiring permanently from our political life.
Tinubu may not be a saint and I am not his fan either but I am certain as day that he will be a better President than President Muhammadu Buhari. I belive any other President will be better than him, otherwise we are doomed.
I want to personally congratulate all Nigerians who survived the last eight years.
For those who died because of the failures, incompetence and bad governance of the regime, I pray for the peaceful repose of their souls.
Nigeria has never had it this bad in its 63 years history. We are now more divided and polarised than we had ever been before. Most Nigerians have turned to either crime or begging as a means of survival. Many Nigerians are dying at home instead of seeking medical attention because they cannot afford good hospital care and some that risk going to hospitals and other medical centres are seized by the hospital personnel for nonpayment.
A pregnant young lady who went through caesarean section at a clinic in Awka was not allowed to go home after delivery. The doctor said she needed to pay N300,000 to be allowed to go home. This is Buhari’s Nigeria. When the head of the government has no heart and soul, his citizens will follow him blindly.
This is the Nigeria most people found themselves in. Inflation is more that 35 per cent, there is no work, there is no business, there is no money. Many people have abandoned their farms for fear of being taken by bandits, kidnappers or killers in many parts of Nigeria. Those who risk their lives to go to farm have their farm produce eaten by cows. If they complain, they are either maimed or killed by the bandits, who claim they are owners of Nigeria, even though many indigenous Nigerians have lived on their ancestral lands for over 4,000 years. This is Nigeria today, a nation that is so blessed with people and abundant minerals in every region and yet is the poverty capital of the world.
Each of the six region can survive on its own but laziness of the ruling class does not allow them to see that Nigeria will be better off under regional government and regional security.
On May 29, 2023, a new President will be sworn in as leader of Nigeria. Whether the new President will be Tinubu and Shettima, or Atiku Abubakar and Ifeanyi Okowa or Peter Obi and Yusuf Datti, it is not too important. The big news is that, finally, Buhari is gone and will never rule over us again. Nigeria should embrace the new government with hope.
I do not wish any African country a divisive President like General Buhari. He was so narrow-minded that sometimes I wondered if indeed he believed he was the President of Nigeria. He seldom spoke to Nigerians, did not encourage Nigerians, did not do any thing to unite different ethnic groups. There was no national peace conference for all these nationalities in eight years. He did not see other Nigerians as his brothers and sisters. He hired Fulani at every chance he got. If you were a non-Nigerian and you looked at his government, you would think Nigeria was a Fulani nation. Nigerians have been living with the Fulani for more than 200 years peacefully, except for a few incidents, but with Buhari as head of the Nigerian government he allowed Fulani from all over Africa to come to Nigeria without any preparation for how they would live or work. They came and moved to our forests and farmlands and set up huts. Now, Nigerians are scared to go to farms because they might be killed. When Nigerians were killed, Buhari did not say anything or visit the sites. When someone died overseas, he would be eager to go or send condolences there. Nigerians have never been like this since I was born. Nigeria was even better during the civil war than now.
The Buhari government borrowed money from China and others to build a train line in Nigeria. He borrowed $1.9 billion dollars. The trains were installed in some regions and not to South South and South East and, probably, not the North Central regions of Nigeria but he was eager to say he would link Niger with Kano with the borrowed loans, which would be repaid by all regions of Nigeria. During repayment, would the South East, South South and North Central be excluded from the loans or fulfil the loan obligations because the investments are in Nigeria? The arrogance of power of Buhari and his government is very toxic. This is one of the reasons African nations are always at war. They have leaders that have no love for their fellow citizens. That is why there are agitations in the South East and South West, and in northern Nigeria, the tribal wars are going on. Some Hausa are killing Fulani and the Fulani are killing the Hausa. How many times did government called citizens to talk or did this government ever call people to a round table to discus their annoyance? All the government did was to send troops and police. Talking is better than killing people. Has this government ever called Boko Haram sponsors even though they know them to dialogue or other seccessionist groups, to discuss and find a lasting peace? No new government should fellow Buhari’s leadership style in Nigeria. President Menachem Begin of Israel once said, “Peace is the beauty of life.”
Nigeria needs peace for it to foster human and economic development. No one will invest in a nation that is at war with itself. Nigeria is amply at war with itself. I am happy that May 29 is approaching, and we can think again as Nigerians and not as Hausa, Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba but as people who have been managing our lives for more than 100 years. Tribal hatred can never destroy our common spirit and our determination to build a nation out of our tribal lands.
So, let us rejoice together that, finally, we are free from Buhari and his tyrannical government. We shall be moving to a new Nigeria, whoever emerges as our President. Let us remember than peace in Nigeria is possible, and it is only if we have peace that we can make progress. Let us put all our hands on a table of brotherhood and sisterhood and build a better Nigeria. It is evidence that all the six regions have something to offer to each other and no group is better than others. The survival of the black race is dependent on Nigeria and Nigerian peoples. The black race all over the world is looking to us to make them proud. Our collective efforts will be a giant step in lifting black people up from world domination.
•Inno Obiorah can be reached at
