So much hashappened in ourbody-politick in the last two weeks. Some I had intended to comment on and others I have chosen to ignore. Unfortunately for me, in the last one week or so, I had been having what is known as the writers block. Ideas run around in your head, alright, but you cant seem to find the words to express them. Nigeria is such an enigma that simply takes your breath away by the dizzying and patently embarrassing things that are anathema to the civilized world but which we simply take in our strides as norm.I wrote on Mr. Presidents Facebook page, condemning his utterances in Ibadan and asking for an apology to the nation for the use of the uncouth word rascal which I believed was unpresidential. Ima Niboro, his Press aide, put up the very lame defence that he did not mention namesdo these people think that the rest of us went to school at all And then came Mr. Presidents own response where he went into a verbose justification for the statement and went ahead to take responsibility for it. Exactly what IBB did with June 12! He merely took responsibility but saw no reason for an apology.What is the problem with leaders in this part of the world with the use of that very simple word Sorry Someone who reads this and has access to Mr. President should tell him that his explanation only showed why he should NEVER have used the word in the first place. He is President of Nigeria, not PDP!But then, I read a posting on Facebook by Femi Awoyemi that soothed my raw nerves even if for its soothingly sarcastic bent. I have his permission to reproduce it.President GEJ must have intended to use we instead of they. Proof of this is laid bare in the management of and disposition to the conduct of the Chief Justice of the Federation and the President of the Court of Appeal where serious allegations have been raised on the integrity of our justice system.Nothing better epitomises this fundamental expression of rascality than this descent to anarchy and departure from civility, due process and decorum at the highest level of our judiciary - asking a judge to subvert the cause of justice and no one is asking questionsWe are all Rascals, Mr. President.But, then, you already know this - these rascals you identified in the ACN also exist in other parties, including the PDP, DPP, etc. Sir, they exist in our schools, security forces, medical services, financial services, economic management, airports, sports, public service and indeed our media.There is a rascal in each of us.Because of you sir, the Nigerian citizen has been rebranded - something we have been trying so hard to do viz; defining the errant behaviour in each Nigerian. Now we know what to call that human condition that allows someone who knows what is right to do the complete opposite - Rascal. Before now, other buzzwords tried to capture our imaginationKaita, kampe and kidnappers. They failed because they were either too limited in meaning or ethnic in usage.Rascal is universally acceptable to us all. We can immediately see the rascal in each of us without doubt. This is a remarkable breakthrough and we should not lose the opportunity to draw attention to its possible nation-building potential.I know you meant well and people do not yet know the good you have done us all. Very few leaders are able to clearly articulate their perception of the citizens they lead. I am with you on this one. We are all Rascals, Mr. President.Dont allow anyone write a rejoinder denying this. What they can do is to explain how you intend to help us stop being such incorrigible rascals and ensure that our fellow rascals (oops! I am sorry, I meant citizens) make sure anyone that is unlike you must not be elected or re-elected.That will be a good start.PostscriptThe Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has described the stampede and the attendant death of some Nigerians as an act of God. This is the height of insensitivity and the ultimate move in the blame-game.Was it God who bolted the stadium doors in a display of sheer crude zeal and an attempt to prevent a reoccurrence of what happened in Nassarawa and Kaduna States when people simply walked out of the campaign rallies Is it God who creates the gullies in the middle of our neglected highways, as a result of which many innocent and promising lives are wasted in avoidable road accidents If people have nothing meaningful to say, cant they just keep quietEven if I am accused of being politically motivateda very cheap cop-out statement, when politicians do not want to take responsibility for issues, I get more and more convinced by the day that Nigeria desperately needs deliverance from the hands of her current leaders! So help us God!Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!
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