Always, if things are not going well, change is what we want – change – that fundamental law in Buddhism, and the one thing that we can always be certain of: Change! It was Brother Obama's battle cry: Change! And when he finally took the stage as president we all witnessed the big tears rolling from the eyes of the Rev Jesse Jackson and down his cheeks when Brother Obama thundered, "Change has come to America!"
Now, people have all kinds of expectations about Brother Obama, including the Arab Spring People, but please remember that as head of affairs in the US of America, Brother Obama did not and could not declare "Change has come to Africa!" - Not even when he lectured and tried to inspire the continent from Accra, Ghana , about the commitment and responsibility that's demanded from the leadership , the shepherds. Change in Africa is basically up to Africans; that Africans – the masses of post-colonial Africans have to take their destiny into their own hands. Sleeping Giant of AFRICA, it's certainly not America or China or India or Russia that's going to do it for us!
What happened in Senegal is that the usually fragmented opposition united and lined up against the incumbent president who was going for yet another term. The result is history.
Last night, I read an article which appeared in Offensiv, one of the left wing Swedish papers and traced it to its source: Nigeria: Vast social and class extremes . Yes, of course, there's not a single Nigerian of conscience that will not admit that there is a need for change and the choice is either change or more of the same....
Earlier in the day, I read the news that Aminu Tambuwal is going for the governorship of Sokoto which means that he is no longer challenging Muhammadu Buhari to be the flag-bearer of the APC , and that is all to the good. If the contestants for front-runner for the APC were to all unite behind their chosen candidate after their selection process, then there is a good chance that change will come to Nigeria, hopefully change for the better.
I'm looking forward to the day when the corruption of the lootocracy
will be legislated into law as a treasonable offence.
Now here's some serious cause for concern: Amaechi's "Parallel Government" Statement Is Treasonable, Says Doyin Okupe .
He advocates "civil disobedience" if the elections are rigged. Above all, I wonder how Wole Soyinka reacts to this. What else can a nation do when on the one hand it claims to be democratic and at the same time the other hand loots and wants to perpetuate the looting, has no respect for the rights of the enfranchised voter whose votes it courts, buys, steals and inflates with the sole aim of perpetuating its rule/ misrule ad nauseum ad infinitum ad mortem?
Even given that there's no love lost between Governor Rotimi Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan, in the old spirit of the traditional rivalry between the Upland and Riverine areas of Rivers State, (I know all about this and spent equal time in both) yet it's a very brave and in my opinion conscientious and principled position for Governor Amaechi to take. Let's face facts, the spectre of election rigging is a matter of great concern to all of us, is ever-present and is not a fear that's lodged in the hinterland recesses of our minds, because in many parts of Africa including Nigeria, it happens all the time, the caveat being that the rigging was not to an extent that would have changed the final election results.
If Brother Buhari wins, when things settle down, I'm going to look for a job in Kaduna... If not I intend to stay put where I am.
The late Ndala Kasheba of Yellow Card fame:
All sincerely said,
Cornelius
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