THE PHALANGE OF GAMMONERS

Things are really heating up now in the race for the custodianship of Nigeria’s soul in 2019. Alliances and dalliances are being made and broken in equal measure, and intrigues abound, like never before, in the relative short history of Nigeria’s political evolution. Saying this was not expected would effortlessly fall into the realm of idiocy and mental seism.

The most pertinent question amidst all these shenanigans relates to the astuteness of the electorate in determining the course of the next phase of our political evolution. Are we willing and ready to discard the well-trodden path of self-mutilation by stealth, and embrace a new dawn of real political awakening? Are we tired of the soggy political gamers that have been cunctators of Nigeria’s progress since time immemorial? Have we leapt into the new era of defenestrating the venal obscurantists that have held Nigeria hostage for so long? Can those that follow the politics of ‘stomach infrastructure’ still stomach the infrastructure of deceit and hopelessness? These are some of the searching questions that need to be addressed in the most absolute of terms before we can hope to begin to chart a different course. Words are no longer enough, inches of written columns no longer suffice, and apathy is no longer a viable option. Action, courageous action, is the only way forward.

Whence the courageous action? Some may ask, seeing especially that a large proportion of the population is fatigued after years of undeserved impoverishment and unwarranted hopelessness. Most Nigerians have become so thewless that they are now accustomed to regarding their rights as privileges. Courageous action emanates from within; a conscious decision to reject the fetid politics of old and usher in a regime of awareness that scuttles the destructive agenda of the picaresque political Svengalis. The resentment of the current order must be total and unequivocal, regardless of our political colourings.

The issues confronting Nigerians as we begin the tentative steps towards 2019 are myriad, and require decisive confrontation. The bickering thieves in the corridors of power up and down the land won’t do this for us, and as such, the onus is on each and every one of us to wake up and dam the ferocious wave of discord and destruction being concocted by these rogues in robes. We need to stop arguing among ourselves, so the thieves don't take advantage, as they have always done, and sow the seed of discord even more. We should keep our eyes on the ball, for the prize is worth fighting for with every ounce of energy in our being.

On a personal level, I have no time for any political party, but that does not mean I am apolitical in any sense. My personal politics lies in the belief that we can no longer entrust the present, and the future, of Nigeria in the hands of scofflaws who are determined to prolong the misery that we have endured for so long.

As unaffiliated as I am, I’d much rather keep Buhari in place than have him replaced by the likes of Saraki, Atiku, Ekweremadu and Kwankwanso. The mere thought of having this mishpocha of renegades in control of Nigeria feels me with absolute dread, and sends a mammoth shudder down my spine. There is no disguising the fact that I have my beef with Buhari, especially with the way he began his tenure and his apparent reluctance to deal decisively with the herdsmen issue, but his integrity is hardly in doubt. This phalange of gammoners are not only contending with Buhari, but with you and me, and the kind of future we wish to bequeath to our children and grandchildren. We need to stop genuflecting to corruption and stand up to be counted because to revert to the ways of old could very well be the last straw that breaks Nigeria’s back. You decide.