by Ayodeji Somefun

  It was right under your watch sir, that a bill was put in place so that cars will be locally assembled without addressing properly power issues. Where is that done? Don’t you think that is putting the cart before the horse?

Dear Mr Kneeling President Sir,

For a while now, I have wanted to pen down this piece but I have noticed that each time I set my mind to do it, I get this lethargy or say weariness or withdrawal in my spirit. I really cannot tell if it is your spirit that has been looming around me or not but today, I have broken that jinx and cast that spirit out with strong determination.

I am penning this open letter to you not because I hate you but because you are steering this country wrongly, according to what you are exhibiting to Nigerians. Even if you might eventually end up not seeing this, I know I have satisfied my conscience and that innate desire and passion to write. At the same time I will have spoken the minds of Nigerians who struggle and toil for their daily bread as some even get crushed (die, wounded, maimed for life) in the process and also have these huge questions at heart with no answers, which to me I find also equally important.

Now, the following events ensued right under your nose sir and I don’t see anything serious you have done about them and in some cases nothing.

It was right under your watch sir, the pensions scam happened. Someone (a human being or beings) was/were accused of stealing for themselves funds accruing to billions of Naira. The man was declared wanted and co. The last thing I remember of the case is that it went to court and that’s all. I am not being pessimistic but I believe it has ended there.

It was right under your watch sir, that a bill was put in place so that cars will be locally assembled without addressing properly power issues. Where is that done? Don’t you think that is putting the cart before the horse?

It was right under your watch sir, that Boko Haram escalated and instead of focusing on the root cause, you are busy chasing shadows. Please sir, don’t ask me what the root cause is because we both know it. I just hope that the army will not run out of ammunition one day as task payers’ money is being wasted. Every person that dies as a result of this is just being added to the previous death toll. Nothing more rather than just mere statistics.

It was right under your watch sir, that the erstwhile minister for aviation was accused of purchasing armoured BMW cars worth millions of Naira also with public funds and afterwards dismissed like as if nothing happened only for her to be given another portfolio. I heard she was recently quizzed by the EFCC and granted provisional bail but we both know “all na political facade.”

It was right under your watch sir that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has been on strike for 11 months and counting- just a month and it will clock a year and nothing is being said about it. Nyesom Wike your man is busy trading words with Rotimi Amaechi and chasing his gubernatorial ambitions. I know the saying up there will be like “they don’t matter to us, my children are not there neither are yours (Wike & co.) there too so let them continue, they will resume when they are tired.” While some so called people called Confab delegates are being paid 4 million naira each per month for 3 months. Yet we say there’s no money.

It was right under your watch sir that 16-21 people died during the NIS exam (though not your fault) and the so-called Minister involved is still on seat waxing lyrical about some rubbish he thinks he is saying. In many sane countries that cherish the life of its citizens, he would have long stepped down.

It was and is right under your watch sir that Fulani herdsmen are actively massacring people like rams in some North Eastern states by and you are busy playing “passing the buck game” with the Governors of the concerned states. Well, I love that game too and when I grow older, I will play it with my wife and kids but we will make sure lives are not involved.

Lastly and not “leastly” sir, now the Minister of Petroleum Resources is being accused of using the same public funds to maintain (a) private jet/jets amounting to 417 million naira monthly! She’s even tried to privatize refineries too and you concurred. I hope someone from your cabinet will not one day attempt to privatize Nigeria and you will accept.

I want to use this medium also to appreciate the lawyer that appealed the plate number deadline brouhaha and the Lekki-Ikoyi toll fee. At least Nigerians are finally beginning to ask questions and I see more coming. May we always continue to have patience and goodluck in Nigeria but I pray we never have a Jonathan again- at least not like you. I hope I have been fair sir.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.