A nation in dilemma

SHOULD we or should we not? The worst thing that can happen to a nation is to continually live in denial of the obvious state of things whether good or bad; it is only when they accept the fact as it were, that is when any meaningful progress can be made. Until then the situation can best be described as a charade, a mere vicious cycle that will do no-one any good.  The present situation of things in our beloved country, Nigeria, leaves one with little or nothing to desire how much more to be proud of. We have consistently perfected the art of taking one step forward and many steps backward with the narratives remaining the same. Administrations upon administrations have come and gone with one policy or the other that looking good on paper but impracticable in reality. Those who are saddled with the responsibilities over the years have most of the times ended up tormenting the people with their respective reprehensive bad economic policies, rather than improve the well-being of the citizenry; they further impoverish them in no small measure.

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However, the question then would be, where and how did we get it wrong as a nation? Nigeria, by all standards is a country endowed with enormous human and natural resources to the admiration of other nations, but what do we get instead: misery, backwardness, hunger, poverty, insecurity, unemployment and division along ethnic and religious line. It is almost hackneyed that a nation only gets the kind of leaders it truly deserves. Nigerian leaders, past and present, have not really been held accountable by the people for their respective policies, actions and inactions while in office. A leader that cannot be accountable to his people does not deserve his title. We are already in another electioneering season, when politicians go about making promises they genuinely know they cannot fulfill when they get into office, untenable and empty campaign promises all in a bid to fulfill the exigencies of the moment, and the electorates knowingly or unknowingly sheepishly vote them into power and in return gets nothing but untold hardship and dashed hope.

Without coming across as a pessimist, the last three and the half years have been remarkably terrible for the populace as a result of bad policies which the current government in power claim to have a clearer picture and a better understanding of, as against what majority of the people can see and feel. If asked, I do not think anyone in his or her right senses would like to travel this route again for another four years. The truth of the matter is, the forthcoming general election is no doubt, a two horse race between the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party, as was well captured by Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly who said: “It is a battle of two eagles”. This is without prejudice to other eminently qualified candidates who are also contesting for the exalted position of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Now the dilemma is, should we choose a President Buhari of the All Progressives Congress who has been there for the past three and the half years with little or nothing to show for it, in terms of impactful meaningful economic policies that the citizens can truly be proud of, or the administration’s habitual style of flagrant disobedience to court orders and total disrespect for the rule of law. On the other hand is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, who served for eight years as Vice President under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo 1999-2007 with a lot of mixed feelings from Nigerians on how the country was governed during the period in question. In my candid opinion, Atiku appears to be better prepared than any other candidate for the job of leading the nation at this critical moment of our national life. This is without doubt, his level of exposure, charisma, political clout and very importantly his understanding of the politics of economics which is the premise upon which a serious government that is ready to make impact must understand and formulate its policies around.

But again, Atiku is alleged to have a corruption case hanging around his neck since he left office, though no court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria or abroad has pronounced him guilty of the alleged crime, an accomplice of his, is said to have served his term in jail. The big question now is, should President Buhari be voted in again for a second term in office, with the obvious staring us in the face of the way and manner his style of leadership has further worsened the already terrible situation he met on ground? Or should Atiku be given the opportunity to lead the country, if not for anything at least for a change with the hope of a better change this time around, despite the moral burden of corruption hanging around his neck?

Indeed, Nigerians are in a state of dilemma of making a choice between President Buhari’s “Next Level” and Atiku’s “Let’s Get Nigeria Working Again”. In all, we as a people must take cognizance of the fact that the challenges facing us as a nation appears daunting but are surmountable, if we have the right leadership in place. It is important to note, that as a people, we must be ready to live with the consequences of our choices in the forthcoming general elections, whether it is “Next Level” or “Get Nigeria Working Again” the choice is ours to make as a people.

• Kokome, a public relations practitioner, lives in Lagos