PDP: THE BASTARD MOTHER?

Often times we come across bastard children but hardly a bastard mother, but must certainly when you do, be sure that children and grandchildren, relatives and neighbors, in fact the whole community will end up paying for her crimes. Nigerians, considering their complacent nature, could well be deserving of a bastard mother, like the PDP.

In these times, when our bastard mother is celebrating its 14^th anniversary, we need to pause and reflect on her history. Its betrothal upon our nation 14 years ago was born out of hypocrisy and self-centeredness. Our political Maradona, the influential General Babangida who stepped aside eyeing to step back, mastermind the release of the incarcerated Obasanjo and given the PDP ticket. Killing two birds with one stone? Absolutely! Because on the one hand pacifying the Yoruba’s over the annulment of June 12 and on the other, paving the way for his second coming.

Once in power, the new Messi-like Obasanjo dribbled the old guard Maradona as he swept away the PDP machinery. Before you know it the PDP has become a cartel with its tentacles spread over the political and economic power of the country. Like the Mafia, its goal becomes nothing but empowering members and eliminating any potential threat. I know it is too early for us to forget people like; Harry Marshall, Bola Ige and Chuba Okadigbo.

From 2001, after the 9/11 attacks on America, prices of petroleum soared in the world market and Billions of Dollars poured incessantly into the coppers of this country. It still does, as we extract 2.5 million barrels daily at the present price of 113 dollar per barrel. The simple mathematics is we get 282 million daily and that is 8.475 billion a month and 101.7 billion Dollars a year. This staggering amount translated into Naira means 16.272 Trillion, and translated into our current budget (2012) which is a mere 4.5 Trillion Naira, is only ¼ of our yearly earning on petroleum alone. Oh blimey, where does the ¾ of the money goes? Ngozi are you there? The worst part of it is our poverty level is over 70%, our infrastructure is colonial (if you exclude Abuja proper), health care delivery almost ancient and welfare non-existent.

14 years of PDP rule has made Nigeria the most violent country in the world that is not actually declared a war zone. From the Sharia riots massacres of 2001 in Kaduna up to the decade long Jos sporadic clashes and the largest terrorist attack on the African continent that occurred in Kano, tens of thousands had perished. Your life, my own, a senator’s or minister’s life is worthless in today’s Nigeria, as anyone can be killed anywhere anytime and nothing will be done. If anyone wants to be hailed here, let him loot a public treasury, got caught and sentenced to prison. The moment he served his term and released home, he will have a red carpet welcome like a war hero and depending on his loot, even a former president could grace the occasion. Whoever really strives to make positive change in PDP will incur the holy mother’s wrath and punished accordingly. Going down memory lane, names like Sunday Awoniyi, Senator Matori, Isyaku Ibrahim, Abubakar Rimi, Nuhu Ribadu, El-Rufai etc will come to mind.

Almost everyone believes Yar ‘Adua is a good man and he tried his best, though he was put in place knowing quite well he has a terminal disease and will not last long. Before his death, he tried to shop for a good replacement he can hand over to and rumors had it he talked with Abubakar Rimi and asked him to canvass for support across the country. Elements that are hell bent in crippling the country saw this move as the greatest challenge and went out of their ways to hire professionals disguised as armed robbers to eliminate Rimi. Rimi’s brother and driver confirmed he wasn’t beaten but only searched and sent away, few minutes later he begin to choke and died on the way to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Though there was no autopsy made on his body, professional assassins could use radioactive poisoning on unsuspecting target by mere touching any exposed part of the skin. (Remember the celebrated case of the Russian diplomat killed with a mere handshake in a London restaurant a few years back?).

As we all know, Nigeria as one nation, has survived its turbulent history of coups and counter coups, a civil war and innumerable civil crises only because of tacit unwritten laws, like the PDP Presidential zoning which out of the blue, Jonathan broke. Some of the result of this breach was the outbreak of violence after the 2011 elections, the present menace of Boko Haram and God knows what, come 2015 and beyond.

It is true that Nigeria was already a corrupt nation full of crises before PDP was born 14 years ago, but you will agree with me if I say it is PDP that entrenched further the corruption as no government before has washed its dirty linen in public like it did. We have seen the power sector probe that indicted even a former president, the NNPC probe that made us a laughing stock in the comity of nations and the latest corruption charges between Farouk Lawan and a man the president proudly declared as one his friends and close confidant. Since 1999, hardly a year pass without a major scandal dominating the headlines and it is either involving legislature, executive or powerful past office holders. EFCC, created on the noble cause to fight corruption became a watchdog in the later years of Obasanjo and a toothless bulldog in recent times. I was in the National Assembly gallery in 2007 when Ribadu declared to the distinguished senators he indicted 31 serving Governors. Have you heard of any prosecution yet? No…but why? Because birds of the same feathers has their cupboards full of skeletons.

Few years back, a PDP chieftain declares they will be in power in the next 60 years, I think he was being modest because considering our collective psyche the PDP could celebrate a century in power. Even our poor neighbor Niger, and our younger sister Ghana are now better than us. In fact the Arab world, a region that knew no democracy in modern times and trembling at anything government, were able to spill their blood and swept away dictators like Gaddafi and Mubarak. Countries the world over are either developed or working hard to attain that. Countries like India and Brazil, despite being corrupt, have systems that are working. In fact this year, Brazil overtook United Kingdom in the economic ranking. Unfortunate Nigeria, for 14 years we were given the chance to elect good people that could govern us without even pointing a finger except on the ballot, but have woefully failed. We squandered our chance in 2011, thanks to our selfish and sectarian reasons but the good thing is PDP is back in power and everyone is paying. The first rewarding punitive action the PDP government foisted on Nigerians for electing it, was removing the subsidy. In a sensible nation, subsidy removal is positive but here, we only have empty promises and the loot continues unabated.

It is high time for Nigerians to realize our destiny is in our hands if only we will set aside sectarian differences and prejudices. We must strive with our might and main to ensure we judiciously use our suffrage to elect good people that will turn around the country. Failure to do that will ensure the continued domination of the PDP cabal over our fate through the next century.

Finally, what are we supposed to do after enduring these 14 years of religious and political violence under the PDP led Government, when our not so dear mother is celebrating its 14^th birthday; shall we hail or overhaul her?