Japheth Omojuwa: Dear President… before we all go to hell (YNaija FrontPage)

 

One of the greatest challenges of your person is that you care more about what the feelings of those around you are, than you care to think about the reality in the country.

Dear President,

I write this consciously reminding myself of the need not to allow my anger get in the way of respect for the office of the President. I will do my best to state things as I feel and do away with the puerility that your person has come to be known for. In stating my thoughts in this letter, I will not be afraid to state things as they are, hence you must look beyond words that make it look like you are being abused by an ordinary citizen and instead ask yourself if these words fit into the miasma that has come to define your reign as the president of the world’s most populous black nation.

One of the greatest challenges of your person is that you care more about what the feelings of those around you are, than you care to think about the reality in the country. You are failing by the day and while that is not a challenge because a failing leader can get it right if s/he sees things as they are, your constant failure is a tragedy because in the midst of these monumental failures, you wake up each morning and sleep every night with praises of your transformation agenda being the best thing that has ever happened to Nigeria since 1914 ringing in your ears. You don’t need a good head to see clearly for yourself sir. If the transformation agenda is working, do you really think we have to wait till 2013 to at least see its seeds, if not parts of its shoot?

As much as I do not care about what is popular compared to what is right, you have made joining the army of popular opinion very easy. That you are condoning corruption and dining with corrupt people is a popular opinion. It is the right opinion too because for the umpteenth time I ask; what are you doing about the trillions of naira lost to fuel subsidy scam? Even if you cannot prosecute those who sponsored your campaign, can you at least start with those who refused to donate to your campaign? Time will catch up with those your corruption battle leaves behind.

The most important thing is to start the fight and not wine and dine with those responsible for almost all the ills Nigerians face today. It is not hard to know that the reason nobody – not even one person – has paid for the injustice of stealing over N2 trillion from the nation’s meagre national income under the guise of being petrol marketers is because most of them were contributors to record breaking campaign war chest.

This injustice must not be allowed to continue. You probably think all it takes to keep Nigerians indoor is to send the army on the major streets and parks, but any average student of history knows that when the sweeping tide of the people’s anger really gets unleashed, even the army will become the people’s tool.

The ThisDay reports that we lose $5 billion yearly to oil theft. Are we going to wait till 2013 to stop this or are your hands also tied? These are reports that help to breed terrorism and insurgency because in a state where the law fails, lawlessness becomes the right thing to partake in.

Nigerians will soon come to agree with Ronald Reagan that “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction… It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

While the majority of Nigerians have never really known what it feels like to be free in the sense that President Ronald Reagan told his American audience just five months after Nigeria’s supposed independence from Britain, a lot of them today have come to see freedom beyond just living in a politically free country. They want to be free themselves.

When you come on national television and say “I don’t give a damn,” you are more or less saying to this new generation of Nigerians – who now know their president is in office to serve them – to go to hell. This can mean, “do your worst”. That day could come soon enough Mr. President. Watch your words before they become your damnation.

Your favourite citizen,

@omojuwa 

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

[debonair]

 

Comments (4)

  1. dear mr. President sir. I'm very disappointed 4 wat is happening in our country don't let this country to be like the time of prophet hosea that if ur not corrupt or army robber u wouldn't see food 2 eat only those that are corrupt in this country is those eating with silver spoon only those who carried gun are those driving the highest car, mr. President u have to do something think about those graduates outside there not about those our corrupt senators.thank u omojuwa

  2. dear mr. President sir. I'm very disappointed 4 wat is happening in our country don't let this country to be like the time of prophet hosea that if ur not corrupt or army robber u wouldn't see food 2 eat only those that are corrupt in this country is those eating with silver spoon only those who carried gun are those driving the highest car, mr. President u have to do something think about those graduates outside there not about those our corrupt senators.thank u

  3. Its obvious that the privileges of office, the accolade of sycophants and the deception that our law is weak has hoodwinked Mr. President from seeing that he will probably pay for the sins of all those perpetrating evil against the nigeria state in the not distant future.

    Mr. President bears the rod of justice but has refused to use it.Just Like u opined, his hands are probably tied.

    What we need to do then, is educate nigerians until freedom becomes real and they are ready to fight for it. Our fight is not with GEJ but with a corrupt system and its operator.

    'Thumbs up' j_omojuwa.

  4. The president's transformation agenda promises a lot but so far we have seen very little. He came on national TV and even though he seems to be good natured for the most part does not inspire confidence and seemed to dodge pertinent question either by deflection. It was a confirmation that we are in trouble in this nation. Mr President needs to address the rot and division threathening the very existence of this country. He is a president of a country under siege by Al-qaeda and Al-shabbab collaborators he should act appropriately.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail