His Grace Most Rev. Samuel Abidoye
His Grace Most Rev. Samuel Abidoye
By His Grace Most Rev. Samuel Abidoye
The Nigerian political scene is presently active and alive with electioneering and other political activities towards the 2015 general elections that are fast coming up later in the month and early next month. The way the politicians are going about it, it appears they have everything worked out, and the only thing remaining is just for the voters to cast their votes, and bingo, all our problems are solved.
Personally, I feel that rather than giving the politicians pass mark for robust campaigns, they have not performed up to expectations. The way they go about explaining their manifestoes leave a lot to be desired. Their objectives are not so well set out that an ordinary Nigerian can become familiar with the plan of each candidate, especially, those contesting Presidential position, to better their lot. The Presidential campaigns have been lacklustre and without depth, to say the least.
For instance, issues like the improvement of power for the masses of this country is not been well explained by the campaigners. How is it going to be improved concretely? Going to commission a transmission station at Olorunsogo during the campaign period does not give much assurance over the issue. At any rate, it is a fact that since all the commissioning that have been done in the country for the past eight to ten years, there has not been tremendous improvement in power supply in this country.
What is constant is increment in the tariff being paid by consumers. Power supply is so critical to the touted empowerment policy of the present government. More Nigerians would be empowered by adequate and regular supply of electricity than all the empowerment programmes of the civilian governments in this country put together. In fact, regular supply of power will not only turn around our economy, but actually revolutionise the standard of life of an average Nigerian. So, we must have power to empower our people.
A similar thing could be said about our refineries. We are spending too much hard earned money to pay for oil subsidies. It is too much – it is agonising to see a few Nigerians taking so much of our jointly owned money away into private account because our government is contented to allow the available refineries to go to waste. We are too wasteful in this country, and corruption has made us so greedy that we do not care if millions suffer or perish, so far we live comfortably and have our ways. Those in government are not only making life difficult for their people, but they are destroying the advantage that could be available for the future generation by their acts.
Our roads, despite the about 40,000 or more kilometre roads that the Federal Government claimed to have constructed or renovated, are still death traps. In a year, thousands of lives are lost to road accidents. These deaths are murders. This is because the roads do not need to be so bad. They could be made better through sincere and proper administration, these roads could be made better and lives could be saved. At the moment, our roads are dangerous to lives.
Our lands are blessed. They are so rich and fertile. There is hardly any crop that would not germinate in this country. The countryside is so crucial to our survival in term of provision of food. However, how would the produce get to the consumers? The delay in transporting the produce from the farm to the cities creates huge loss for the farmers, who helplessly watch as the fruits of their labour get spoilt en-route town markets.
The railway that could have come in handy as a viable substitute is more or less moribund. To my mind, despite all the media hype about its revival, there appears to be a concerted effort directed at sabotaging the railway system. The property of this great government enterprise is allegedly being sold by the government. Whether this is true or not, we need to revive the railway. Our transportation problem in this country, whether of goods or people, can never be properly addressed, if the railway is not revived.
The only cheering news in all these confusion is that our soldiers appear to be winning the war against terrorism. So many former enclaves of the Boko Haram sect are being liberated daily, from Adamawa to Yobe and Borno. This is indeed, cheering news. How glad Nigerians would be if all these palaver about insurgency in the North could be resolved finally. Nigerians need respite.
Despite this seeming upper hand of the military over the Boko Haram, one wonders where the gusto being presently displayed by our soldiers were all this while. Where were our soldiers when the Chibok girls were kidnapped, and a pall of darkness fell on their families? If we had acted as actively as we are doing in recent time against the Boko Haram sect, I am sure, the prestige of the country would have remained intact in the comity of nation, and our society would have become safer. Many lives would have been saved. Why we act the way we act in this country is what I find so baffling. Why wait until the last minute? Why did we allow so many lives to be lost needlessly before our President went to Borno State? Remember, his first trip was an election campaign one. It is well. I hope posterity will judge each one of us well.
* His Grace Most Rev. Samuel Abidoye is the Head and Spiritual Father of the Cherubim & Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide.