In history, the Tinubu-led federal government has broken the record as the government that awarded the most expensive road in the world, Lagos-Calabar coastal highway to a selected contractor friend without bidding in a Renewed Hope Agenda.
Under the Renewed Hope, a serving minister in charge of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), allocated to his children 2000 plots of public land in the nation’s capital, Abuja, without the consent of the Governor-General of the territory.
The same minister renovated a federal government already functional facility within the FCT at over N35billion and renamed the facility after the president but failed to pay teachers and other civil servants their monthly entitlements.
It has become fashionable in the Emi-lokan style of governance as endorsed by the APC and gleefully celebrated by blind supporters; for every federal appointment to critical sectors of the economy and security must be occupied by his tribal person for a hidden 2027 strategy.
It should be recalled that at birth, the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised Nigerians a change of governing style beneficial to the people without stress. Change was the winning slogan of the party in 2015, and sheepishly, some Nigerians believed the rhetoric including the associated deceit and hokum.
In less than two years, the term “Change” echoed and vibrated hugely in the Nigerian political space. The vibration was too strong that concepts such as Hope, Restoration, Transformation and Better Life fizzled out of the political space. Majority of the people had desperately wanted the change, and eager to benefit from it for better life.
Nigerians ignorantly thought the Change was genuine and tailored to making life generally better and more affordable in a secured environment. No doubt, things have significantly changed at least for few APC apologists and other Nigerians, either close to power or appendages to those in power including sycophants, errand boys and data boys busy mortgaging their future for crumbs.
Then praise singers, pimps, fronts, prostitutes, marabouts and the shameless that can do anything odd and, dirty under the sun for slice of the loot to wet throat.
Whether the Change was the desired one or an agonizing one remains an issue for everyone who is affected positively, or negatively to judge. But those in Zamfara, Katsina, Plateau, Niger, Kebbi, Kogi, Taraba, and South-eastern states are in the best position to describe the brand of change they experienced and still experiencing from agents of Change in power.
From the onset of the Change mantra to date, 2/3 of Nigerians have suffered emaciation from hunger and malnutrition. They are left to battle sleepless nights for fear of agents of the devil that have swelled in number ‘managing’ our forests and highways.
In the first place, who is that Saint in the APC contraption that has the capacity, courage, sincerity and intellectuality to change anything inherited? Definitely not Nentawe, not Tinubu, not Akpabio, not Akume, not Tajudeen and not anyone within the APC fold.
In the wildest imagination of Nigerians, what was actually to be changed apart from the then occupant of the presidential villa (Jonathan) and few other elective offices by providence? Arguably, anyone and everything can be subject to change positively or negatively.
For instance is the apt case of Singapore, Dubai and South Africa. Singapore changed from a paralyzed economy to buoyancy. Dubai, from a sleeping desert enclave to a buoyant economy, catapulted it to a world tourism destination. South Africa transformed from the shackles of apartheid and hate, to a booming economy, as also did Rwanda and now Burkina Faso within the continent of Africa and probably beyond.
These are remarkable and desired changes that Nigeria needs desperately. On the negative side, too, nations and individuals have descended from the top to the bottom. Nigeria is a typical case study. While the stated scenario seem pertinent, it is more prudent to ask, “Can positive change come from our present crop of leaders in the Change Mantra contraption or Renewed Hope Agenda that has renewed our suffering? I suppose it should, since the power to make and enforce laws, are deposited in those leaders by divine intervention.
To call a spade a spade, for us-suffering Nigerians, our own change may not come from the present crop of gluttonous leaders. The leaders at the top, from local governments to the president are, arguably, incapable and insincere to usher positive change from the old order. When next we hear them talking about Change, Renewed Hope, Transformation and Better and abundant life, we should strive to hit the hay and laugh the foolery.
Evidently, the hope of this country cannot be realized with APC in power because it has no clear manifesto, intention and sincerity to address identified problems bedeviling national development. Its interest lies more with creating more hardship, ostentatious living for few, looting and muzzling life out of the democracy for pecuniary interest.
Change only comes through genuine commitment laced with wisdom. For emphasis, those who are claiming to change our economic woes must first change their mindsets from looting the very economy they want change and enslaving the gullible.
If they can change their deceitful operational style and attitude from ostentatious living and rat race in illicit wealth accumulation, then, we may start thinking to believing they can probably develop and alter the economy. As long as they remain convinced that votes are marketable commodities that can be bought and sold to the highest bidding crook, then they lack the credibility to bring any positive change. Anyone who enters a vote bargain with a voter to access power is a crook that should be kept away from public trust.
Anyone in government that despises peaceful protest of genuine intention to improve the system lacks the sincerity, patriotism and intellectuality to bring any positive change. Anyone who intimidates journalists and civil society groups, and selfishly censors reports of the conventional media cannot in all senses usher in any positive change.
Those who play the nomadic brand of politics are not the desirable in politics and government. Jumping from party A- party B-party C, scavenging for greener and softer pasture, to feed are more disastrous to democracy than military dictatorship.
Those who value power above integrity cannot bring in any transformation or change. Those who employ and rely on thugs during elections are bandits in politics for avoidance. Those who are nepotistic and biased in their national assignments and reasoning deserve total disconnection from government affairs.
Those who continue to enjoy humongous salaries, allowances and greedily corner the allowances of their official domestic servants and other aides on government payroll being mere talking parrots without checkmating the excesses of the executive and in the face of an entrenched debt profile, monumental corruption, cannot definitely impact positively on the lives of the people.
Those who play the party game instead of speaking truth to the power are not change agents but mal-functional robots. Those who value their appointive or elective positions over social justice and service delivery are part of the lingering problems.
Those who expend our collective resources on endless foreign trips and medical tourism disguising for official assignments and health challenges and living on the collective sweat of the people as parasites, are not the characters needed in government for positive change but criminals on looting spree.
If one can be honest to self no matter the political affiliation, it will be far better to entrust the governance of Nigeria into the hands of Ahmed Idris (sacked Accountant-General of the Federation), Diezani Alli-son Madueke (sacked Petroleum Resources Minister), Godwin Emefiele (sacked Central Bank Governor), AbdulRasheed Maina (jailed pension thief), Abdul-Hameed Abbati (sacked NIRSAL Managing Director), Sambo Dasuki (sacked National Security Advisor), James Onanefe Ibori (ex-convict), Joshua Chibi Dariye (ex-convict), Rev. Jolly Nyame (ex-convict), Beta Edu (sacked Humanitarian Minister) and their like minds than reelecting Bola Ahmed Tinubu for second tenure in 2027.
For Nigeria, our needed change will come from the downtrodden at the lowest level when we can say to those in leadership, “yes, you are from my local government or state, but you are a disappointment, and I’ll neither vote you to power nor subscribe to your deceit. Yes, we hold the same religious belief, but you have disappointed our Creator by abusing the trust reposed in you, I’ll neither vote for you nor allow your ambition a breathing space to win. Yes, you are a member of my party, but you have shortchanged the electorates, you have enslaved the people, you have divided the people along imaginary lines, you have sidelined the people, you have abused the trust, I’ll oppose your election with all it takes no matter the consequences that may follow.
Change from our leaders in our context, remains an illusion. We have leaders that do not lead with sincerity, passion and dexterity. We are blessed with shylocks, gluttons and heartless beasts garbed in leadership robes busy impoverishing the people in style and still expecting loyalty, respect and accolades. We have deceivers and pretenders in leadership positions enslaving the people steadily with pride and confidence. We have parochial liars and looters including day-light contractors occupying positions of leadership but foolishly believing to be the desirables. How, then, can we get out of the quagmire with such characters loaded on us as leaders? They were loaded on us by their ilk the agbero politicians, wuru-wuru supporters and their surrogates in the electoral umpire and the judiciary in collaboration with political motor park, touts and the habitual blackmailers and their hangers-on that subscribe to anything indecent so long as there is fringe benefit attached or dangled to their side to quench thirst.
2027 is the most ideal time to chase away the parasites from continuous milking on our commonwealth using the political turf against good governance. Some are in position of looted funds for vote buying while others are recruiting thugs for ballot box snatching while others are planning to hack BVAS and IRev systems. In unison, we should fool the fools, collect the bribes because the money belongs to us, use same to defeat and consign the idiots to the dustbin of history for the restoration of sanity in the system. Their continuous stay in government or public offices remains our albatross to unity, security, progress and development.
Lest I forget, from the time Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sworn in as president on May 29, 2023, he hurriedly journeyed to pursue foreign loans for only God knows why. Is it for a diversionary plan to bribe the electorates in 2027 or for settling corrupt judges, INEC staff, and security agents for ease of rigging him back to power, or why the unbelievable borrowings?
- $750 million in June 2023
- $800 million in July 2023
- $7.4billion and 100 million pounds sterling in December 2023
- N2.94 trillion borrowed from July – December 2023
- $6.53 trillion between December 2023 and March 2024
- $2.7billion approved across 2023-2024
- $2.25billion in June 2024
- $500 million in July 2024
- $1.57 billion in September 2024
- $6.45 billion total from World Bank by September 2024
- $2.209 billion in December 2024 for budget deficit
Shockingly, $21.5 billion + 15 billion Yen were approved in July 2025 by the docile national assembly, probably after receiving their share to support the mortgaging of Nigeria to international debtors.
Just within two years of an APC-led presidency, this is the stand of Nigeria’s external borrowings without service to commensurate. Where is APC then pushing Nigeria to? Does APC deserve a second chance in power for Nigeria’s growth or smooth journey to the brink of collapse? Your Guess is as good as mine. But Allah de!
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues
