By Tola Ogunnubi
“You cannot devalue yourself to prosperity” is one of the famous sayings of Bill Clinton, the former US President. “Eni bá tá ara ilé E lópó ko le rirá lówón is another popular saying of the Yorubas from the Western part of Nigeria. The Yoruba saying aptly gives credence to what Bill Clinton said. If you keep ridiculing a member of your family, your neighbors will never respect you and the person being ridiculed. Even friends and enemies will not respect you and the family member that is being ridiculed.
How do we describe the wrangling in the ruling APC government whereby there are different groups within the party all jostling to outdo one another? A case of we versus them and playing a zero sum game of winners take all. Some are aggrieved because they feel having invested their time, energy and resources into the formation and eventual emergence of this government, they are disappointed and now live in penury.
Their initial belief was that appointments would compensate for all of their efforts and loyalties but they are constantly reminded by the popular hit song of the Omo Baba Muko Muko , the masked singer, Lagbaja that “Nothing for you”.
The emergence of the ruling party is a conglomeration of some legacy parties that became formidable to oust the former ruling party out of power. This was achieved but without a clear cut agenda as to who does what and who occupies what. The socio-economic problems facing the country could have been managed if only the APC had marshaled its strategies but it basked in the euphoria of winning an election which it was not sure it would win.
In fairness to the APC as a party, it inherited an economy full of challenges, but what did it do? It went partying, knowing vey well that there is a huge burden of expectation. At the balling, lots of intrigues arose and different individual and sectional agendas were brought to the open. Ministers took forever to be appointed, they were eventually unmasked as same of the same from the old and known blocs. Nigerians began to wonder why it took so long before they were unveiled.
If you are faced with a problem and the solution seems obscure, try and look at obscure places for solution. When it is a human-induced problem, try and check within before you suspect without, especially the one that seems obscure. The “death from the outside cannot come in except it is aided by the one inside”.
Close to two years now, APC as a party is yet to find its footing in governance, despite its majority outward appearance in both chambers of the National Assembly. Why is it finding it difficult to reach resolutions that will usher in peace and progress, using good laws and policies? Things that should be a no-brainer’s in passing will meet ultimate doom as soon as they get to that quarter, thereby frustrating the ruling party and Nigeria.
There is a trending in WhatsApp chat laying credence to the infighting going on in the ruling party. It goes thus “Presidency (DSS) fighting Presidency (EFCC), Customs (Ali) fighting Senate, Senate fighting Customs, EFCC fighting Senate, Senate fighting EFCC, Sahara Reporters fighting Dino Melaye, Dino Melaye fighting Sahara Reporters, Aisha Buhari fighting Presidency Cabal, Presidency Cabal fighting Aisha Buhari, El-Rufai Cabal fighting Presidency Cabal, Presidency Cabal fighting El-Rufai. And the fighting and counter fighting go on… But who is fighting hunger and suffering that is fighting Nigerians?
Policies and programmes that require no debate eventually take submission, re-submissions and social media wars. Why? Where is APC not looking? Nigeria’s economic restructuring will not work until these two-faced entities are located and restructured first.
Even PDP, too, is not left behind. It is internally so destabilised that it has left its opposition role to a few ruling party members to perform on its behalf because it is opposing itself and busy accusing the ruling party. Are we agreeing that the members are happy all these are going on? To me, it seems the members are neither here nor there, just selfishly for themselves. What a twist of fate!
Perhaps, APC should rethink its strategies. It should look within it to see if its interests are being patriotically taken care of, and watch its back. Peradventure, the same sets of members can be the opposition to both the Ruling and Opposition parties at the detriment of the parties and the people of Nigeria via retrogressive moves calculated against the leadership of the parties for present and future purposes.
Is it not breathtaking and confusing to find the ruling party not finding its footing in governance? While suspecting one another, some people are too careless. Something is wrong somewhere, perhaps there are sets who are not in the party for the collective interest but belong there for clandestine moves to actualise their personal ambitions without the party knowing it’s being used.
Why do we experience this? Each time, appointments, policies and programmes that will benefit Nigerians are always quickly squashed by the Senate. How do they get the quorum? Can we say the Senate is made up of the opposition party?
A word is enough for the wise. APC should watch its back! There is a mole within. The comfort of a tree is the comfort of a bird. Electioneering is over, at least until 2018. We expect developmental initiatives that will bring major improvements in the real sector, not oppossing yourselves.
Ogunnubi writes from Abuja