By RODNEY. A.IRENE

The February and March 2023 presidential and governorship elections in Nigeria were epoch moments to address the ills bedeviling the country. And it was evidently apparent that most of the voters who trooped out en masse during the election to exercise their franchise were not born when the nation attained independence from the colonial masters in 1960. The elections elicited nostalgic emotions, particularly among the elderly, akin to the evocative euphoria that electrified the length and breadth of Nigeria when the Union Jack was lowered and our Green, White, Green flag hoisted high at the Tafa Balewa Square in Lagos on October 1, 1960. However, it is depressing that Nigeria’s growth since 1960 has been stunted by policy somersaults of past administrations, which, in turns, lend support to pulling down our nation, rather consolidating the legacies of the British administrators. It is pathetic still that, rather than fixing the structural decay in the system, the outgoing APC-led administration has inflicted further dislocations on the nation’s economic nerves by perpetually running cap in hand to the doorstep of international money lenders, begging for loans to keep the system running.

Unarguably, government’s failure in creating jobs for the army of unemployed youths, among other issues, spontaneously triggered the #Endsars protests on 20/11/2020 at the Lekki Toll Gate. The horrific incident, which generated misgivings among Nigerian younger generation, particularly regarding government’s avowed commitment to preparing a softlanding for the youth, has been simmering an agitation for a change of the status quo in Nigeria. And coincidentally, Peter Obi’s presidential ambition and his subsequent emergence as the standard-bearer of the Labour Party (LP), created a golden opportunity for the youth to launch the ‘Obidients Movement’ and co-opting Obi into the movement. But it must be clearly stated that Obi’s choice by the younger generation, was no doubt, premised on his antecedents and intellectual ability to spearhead the actualisation of the youths’ yearnings and hope for a better Nigeria. That, this is the genesis of the Obidient Movement, a novel coinage in our political landscape, is not further from the truth.

Essentially, the Obidients represent change agents who firmly believe that cerebrally-tested Nigerians should be given a chance in the governance of our country. It believes that governance should not squarely rest with retired and recycled mentally fatigued apologists, who have, through their actions and inaction, plunged the nation into its current doldrums. The Obidients are crusading for equal opportunity for all, and the reengineering of a nation where all citizenry are given unfettered access to governance without denial on the grounds of tribalism and sectarian considerations. They are strongly opposing the business as usual syndrome and thus insisting on dismantling the vicious cycle suffocating Nigeria’s political and economic climate. This resolve by a chunk of gifted but frustrated Nigerians was demonstrated by the massive votes recorded by the Labour Party in the presidential election results, geared towards kicking out the rapists of our democracy.

Again, the Obidients are not at ease that certain political overlords are using their offices as conduit pipes for siphoning the resources of the nation and pauperising the underprivileged who entrusted them with their destinies.The movement represents a rekindled hope for Nigerians who have lost confidence in the clueless drivers of ‘Nigeria at 63’, a nation still gasping for survival because its leaders are lacking the initiative to enact people-centred policies that will buoy our ailing economy and thus save it from cascading into precipice. Besides, the Obidients are agitating for foresighted technocrats who know where the shoe hurts the citizenry, and who will put the interests of the people above personal gains, and restore the nation to its old glory. The Obidients are rooting for God-fearing leaders capable of rejiging the dilapidating critical sectors of our economy. Obidients means different things to different people. Despite the varying interpretations or misinformations, the Obidient movement is not in its entirety built around the rising profile of Peter Obi the estwhile governor of Anambra State.

The movement is a peaceful agitation for strict compliance with the rule of law; for drawing attention to the dysfunctional system of government since 1999, and for confronting head-on the endemic systemic corruption. Suffice to say that the movement has grown in leaps and bounds within a few months, and shifted the boundaries of our nation’s politics. This is just as the Obidients are bent on using the power of the ballot box instead of violence to change the political direction of the country. Nigeria’s population approximately stands at 220 million people, a nation that is lavishly endowed with rich natural and human resources, yet gasping for survival amidst plenty, even in the 21st Century. And regrettably, in 2018, our nation earned the inglorious title as the poverty capital of the world, and as of 2023, over 30 percent of our citizens are still living in extreme poverty. This is quite pitiful for the main oil producer in Africa.

Facts have proven that prosperity is not hinged on rocket science, but the quality of political office-holders at all levels of government. And the quality of representation in our various tiers of government invariably determines the quality of programmes and policies being rolled out by the government in power. Over the years, we have seen that illiteracy, crushing poverty, blind religious followership and tribalism are toxic mixes that have polluted the political air of our nation. And our leaders have also weaponised poverty such that at every election cycle, people’s conscience are bought with wands of naira notes (Stomach Infrastructure or Dibo Ko Sebe). It is a crying shame that more than 10 million Nigerian children have no access to good schools. And you will be shocked that the number represents more than the population of Israel, Luxembourg, Finland, Singapore, etc, yet our leaders are not perturbed by this mind-boggling statistics because they can afford to send their wards to the best foreign schools. That apart, it is also humiliating that after 63 years of independence, we are still subjected to power outages without an end in sight, even as people are made to pay for “darkness” in a nation that is still flaring gas which is enough to power our electricity turbines.

A serious government that truly cares about the welfare of its citizens and the environment should harness the huge potential in clean solar energy to power residential homes, offices and business outfits. The February 25 presidential election and the overwhelming votes recorded by the Labour Party was, therefore, an attestation to the collective resolve of the Obidients to elect a leader that identifies with the sufferings of the masses, and one that is determinedly poised to bring about a positive turnaround in the fortunes of Nigerians, a people so blessed, yet so impoverished. The emergence of the Labour Party presidential standard-bearer and his running mate, Obi and Baba-Ahmed, respectively, has changed the trajectory of politics in Nigeria, which has since 1999 been a two-horse race. The participation of the duo obviously energised first-time voters in their millions to jostle for the permanent voter cards (PVCs). That was indicative of a desperate move for a change in government, in order to secure the hope for an egalitarian society. That was a non-violent means of eliminating godfatherism firmly entrenched in our polity.

Singapore, UAE, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Canada, etc, are classical examples of nations where people with the right vision, pedigree, competence and unquestionable character are elected into government, and these nations are peaceful and prosperous.

To catalogue what the Obidients want to accomplish is akin to asking what is wrong with Nigeria, and why are we poverty-striken and at the lower rung of the world’s economic development indices? And to change the narrative, the Obidients are longing for selfless political leaders with a clear vision for steering Nigeria’s rudderless political and economic ship to a safe harbour. The movement is clamouring for a renewal and a rebirth of a new Nigeria, and permanently retire politicians who have had their hands on the nation’s cookie jar, fleecing the resources of the nation to satisfy their selfish needs. This, the Obidients believe, will spell death knell to a reign of impunity and tyranny. And with an expanse of arable land, do we have any business with hunger? Have we really given much consideration to agriculture as a critical sector of our economy, and as a core driver of our nation’s economic growth? Also of priority to the Obidients is the establishment of a national welfare scheme that will cater for the unemployed, the poor, the physically challenged and the elderly in our society, and rapid reforms of the Nigeria police and security agencies. They should not be used as appendages of political executives/people in power. And by creating an enabling environment for investors to do business, millions will be pulled out of poverty and banditry, terrorism, and other incidences of criminality will abate. I think our elections should exemplify the best of us and not the contrary, as all eyes are focused on us being the biggest nation and economy in Africa, and one that is expected to set an exemplary record for other African countries to follow, as the pace setter of good governance. The truth remains that, never in the political history of Nigeria, has a fringe political party without ‘structure’ and ‘a single elected official in the three tiers of government’ caused a stir in the political landscape. And While Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are in court to challenge the results of the 2023 elections, Nigerians are waiting and watching our judiciary?

Obi and Atiku are challenging the process that declared Tinubu as President-Elect in the election. And wherever the pendulum of justice swings, the Obidients have changed the political narrative/dynamics of Nigeria’s politics, and possibly forever with the birthing of a powerful political force firmly entrenched. Will Obi become the political messiah? Time, and only time will tell! Come what may, Obidients should keep the flame of positive leadership change burning, while offering positive and constructive criticism if the court judgment favours the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC administration.

God bless Nigeria!.

•Irene writes in from the Diaspora. (Nigerian Tribune)

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