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Wrong Path To Change …That Caution From Bishop Kukah

Published

9 years ago

September 19, 2016

For the umpteenth time, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told Nigerians that he inherited nothing from the previous administration. That would mean the first few months salaries paid to federal workers upon assumption of office last year were from his pocket or that of his All Progressives Congress (APC) party.
Expanded further, it would also mean that the allocations to the Federal, States and Local Government areas also came from same source. The same may also be true, if you may, of the funding of the first few foreign trips by Mr President, where, he took the vilification of his predecessor to annoying international heights.
If the President is to be believed, it would also be trithe to conclude that the proceeds from the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Tax holiday, by which some bail-out went to States, were not inherited from the administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
But such was the extent of demonisation the Buhari-led APC government unleashed on a man whose political maturity saved the country from bloodbath, even disintegration. In vilifying his predecessor, Buhari did not spare the country which fluctuating fortunes he was elected to address.
What he did not consider was that due to the extent of his magnification of corruption, no sane foreign investor would deal with the Nigerian economy even with a long spoon. Those whose investments made Nigeria Africa’s largest economy even reconsidered their preferences and moved their investments elsewhere.
Where are we now? From N87 a litre which fuel sold before Buhari’s inauguration, the commodity is pegged officially at N145 and between N150 and N170 in the informal market. And with a likelihood of further hike, although government sources denied it.
This is the government of a party that promised to fix all the nation’s ailing refineries and stop the importation of refined petroleum products. That indeed is the government of a party that promised to establish new refineries.
On Monday, March 23, 2015, then APC Presidential candidate, Buhari told a rally in Owerri, ‘I’ll make Naira equal in value to the Dollar. What do we have today? More than N400 to the dollar, inflation at its all-time high and prices of goods and services beyond the reach of the common man.
With schools soon to re-open, there is the clear possibility of many students and wards remaining at home due to inability to pay fees. Civil servants are groaning just as job seekers, but nothing has changed from the lifestyle of the present administrators. In the midst of recession, wages of lawmakers and members of the Federal Executive Council remain the same.
The regular renovation of Aso Rock Villa with funds running into billions was not expunged from the 2016 budget just as the situation has not discouraged avoidable foreign trips in this time of global communication and viable embassies across the globe.
The display of vain wealth and opulence among elected and appointed federal officials has not changed. The prospensity to acquire choice automobities, neither.
Yet, the blame game continues. Virtually every failure of the administration is blamed on others except the government in power. But that was not why Nigerians voted them into power.
Yet, nearly two years into a four-year tenure, the blame game still will not abate, it gets even more fierce, sounding almost like a broken record.
That is why the recent caution by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah to President Buhari seems very timely. Apparently inundated with the endless complaints and blames heaped on the Jonathan administration, Kukah urged Buhari to stop complaining about the past and give fresh direction to true governance. Kukah said if the only thing Buhari would continue to do is to complain about the past, then, he has no reason heading a government.
According to the fiery Bishop, most Nigerians agreed with the Buhari-led APC that a lot was wrong that needed to be fixed and that its Presidential candidate Buhari had the magic wand to effect the needed change, which were why the party was elected, with President Buhari as armour bearer.
Buhari and his party were not elected to lament over the same problems Nigerians elected them to solve.
If what they have done, thus far, is the best they can offer- an endless blame game, with no extra effort to build the new, as Socrates enthused, then they have no business remaining in power.
Kukah is right. Nigeria is going through very challenging times. It is indeed a period when the people expect their President to speak to them from the heart, only as Buhari should, without any recourse to the demands of flowery romanticism in speech making.
The ‘Change Begins With Me’ campaign indeed offered an opportunity for the Nigerian President to pour out his soul to the people. He was expected to be original, frank, truthful and indeed empathising. He did not require enchanting prose to convince Nigerians of the need for attitudinal change.
But no thanks to Presidency’s speech writers, the President is now on the global news frontiers for the wrong reasons. Part of the speech Buhari gave to push Nigerians to jettison their old ways for new and better ones, was copied from a speech once made by US President Barack Obama.
It is called plagiarism.
This is the only flaw not yet blamed on the Jonathan administration by presidential aides. Even the campaign itself is now being said to be somebody else’s intellectual property, not credited but high-jacked. Although Information and Culture Ministry has denied the claim, the social media is awash with demeaning comments, on the subject, with a threat to weaken, the campaign’s punch.
How can such campaign succeed and usher the expected change? This is very unlike the Tunde Idiagbon-inspired War Against Indiscipline (WAI) which was made effective not by flowery speeches, but by straight-from-the heart talk and social engineering.
Now perhaps is when to remind the APC –led government that most of its promises that resulted in electoral victory remain unfulfilled. That the government has proven to be worse than its predecessor and that unless something meaningful is done to address the situation, Nigerians may, demonstrate their regrets same way they demonstrated their resolve to elect the party into power.
Interestingly, each time this suggestion is made, the government at the centre resorts to personal attacks rather than explain otherwise.
The noble path to change is not to blame all woes on others except themselves and embark on near endless vilification of others – the old. The secret of change is about building something new. Something different from the old.
That is what Nigerians are yet to see. And what Nigerians are eager to see. Continuous blames on the Jonathan administration has become a hardsell and should be done away with. And only something truly, truly positive and new can do that.
My Agony is that most of those from whom Nigerians expect change are used and recycled politicians with one true agenda – Be politically relevant and line their pockets, endlessly. No change can come from such people, because none can give what he lacks.

Soye Wilson Jamabo

Featured

Fubara Pledges Cleaner Gateway To PH City …Visits New Dumpsite At Igwuruta

Published

3 days ago

October 24, 2025

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has unveiled plans to permanently relocate the dumpsite along the busy Port Harcourt Airport–Obiri-Ikwerre Road, describing the current location as both a public health threat and a damaging first impression for visitors arriving in Port Harcourt, the State capital.

The Governor made this known on Tuesday during an inspection of a proposed replacement site, which is a disused burrow pit near Bambo Estate, off Eneka Road in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area.

The location is being assessed as a potential permanent dumpsite for the State.

Governor Fubara, who was conducted by the Board Chairman, Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Dr Samuel Nwanosike, and its Managing Director, Dr Ibimina Wokoma, expressed concern about the environmental and health challenges posed by the existing site, which sits along a major entry point into the State.

“The kind of environmental hazards that we are facing there along the Airport–Obiri- Ikwerre Road; the smell on that road being the entrance into the State, we felt it’s not proper,” he said. “So, we are making alternative arrangements so we can have a permanent refuse dumpsite that meets acceptable standards.

“He added that the government would move swiftly to formalise ownership of the land and complete construction work on the access road to make the new site functional.“We have not concluded the issue of the burrow pit, but the access road, I think the government is doing something about it.

So, I will make sure that everything that needs to be done to ensure government owns this burrow pit is done,” he stated.

Governor Fubara also commended the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) for what he described as a more assertive and improved approach to managing refuse across the State.In addition to the dumpsite inspection, the Governor also visited the Permanent Secretaries’ Quarters located in Elimgbu Town, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, to assess the extent of ongoing construction work on the facility.

Featured

Fubara Tasks New SSG On Honour, Service, Protection Of Rivers Interest

Published

1 week ago

October 17, 2025

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barrister Benibo Anabraba, to uphold the dignity of his office, protect the interest of the State, and discharge his duties with honour, respect, and responsibility.

Governor Fubara gave the charge during the swearing-in ceremony of the new SSG, held on Monday at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt.

Describing Anabraba’s appointment as an act of divine favour, the Governor said positions of leadership are not attained by our own human effort but by God’s grace in our lives.

“Let me first congratulate you. I’m using the word ‘congratulations’ because a few of us, not by our power but by the special favour of God, find ourselves in exalted positions. It’s not because we are the best, but only by His grace.”

Governor Fubara noted that the Office of the Secretary to the State Government is one of great honour, occupied by only a few since the creation of Rivers State, and urged the new appointee to serve with humility and dedication.

He, however, expressed confidence in Anabraba’s capacity to deliver, citing his past record as a principal officer of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“This position is a rare privilege. Guard that office with honour. Discharge your duties with respect. Protect the interest of Rivers State. When you leave office, let it be with honour, and that only comes through responsible service.

“I know you’re a dedicated person. This opportunity is not for show or display of power. It’s a call to duty,” he cautioned.

The Governor emphasised that the current administration is focused on restoring confidence of the people because peace has been achieved in the State.

He enjoined the new SSG to align with the vision of the administration and contribute meaningfully to the collective progress of Rivers people.

“We are emerging from a very difficult period and must reassure our people that we mean well for them, especially now that peace has returned to Rivers State. By the grace of God, do your work well. Help us succeed in this assignment that God has given to us,” the Governor added.

Featured

Nigeria’s First Lady Flags Off Renewed Hope Health Initiative In Rivers …Targets Measles, Rubella, HPV Vaccination For Children, Women

Published

1 week ago

October 17, 2025

The Tide

The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has reiterated her commitment to expanding vaccine coverage nationwide, declaring that the ongoing Measles and Rubella vaccination campaign in Rivers State will surpass all previous records in scope and success.

Speaking through the wife of the Rivers State Governor, Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, Senator Tinubu made this statement during the flag-off ceremony of the Measles, Rubella, and HPV Vaccine Sensitisation Campaign, organised under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday.

The campaign, implemented by the RHI in collaboration with the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board, C-WINS, and international partners including WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and Vaccine Alliance, aims to protect millions of children and women from preventable diseases.

“We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the measles vaccine coverage achieved through this campaign exceeds that of the past,” Senator Tinubu affirmed. “Through technical and financial support, this partnership will ensure that by February, 2026, well-trained staff are deployed across communities to vaccinate all eligible children.”

Rivers State is among the Fourth Stream of Phase One states participating in Africa’s largest-ever health initiative, targeting over 106 million Nigerian children for vaccination against Measles, Rubella, Polio, and HPV. The local rollout is expected to commence in February, 2026, reaching children aged 9 months to 14 years across all 23 local government areas.

Senator Tinubu highlighted the risks of the targeted diseases, describing Measles and Rubella as “highly contagious and potentially deadly,” noting that Rubella can cause severe complications for unborn babies, if contracted by pregnant women.

“The best way to prevent both diseases remains vaccination,” she emphasised.

Narrowing down to efforts by the Rivers State Ministry of Health, the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and the State Task Force on Primary Healthcare, led by Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, she noted how instrumental it has been in ensuring comprehensive outreach through an inter-sectoral approach involving education, women affairs, information ministries, traditional and religious leaders, and the security sector.

Senator Tinubu urged parents and caregivers to cooperate fully with health workers.

“The Measles-Rubella vaccine is safe, effective, and free in all our health centres. Please, ensure your children are vaccinated at the right time to protect them from these deadly infections.

“Let us all play our part in spreading awareness. Together, we can safeguard the health and future of our children,” she said, before formally declaring the sensitisation programme open.

In her goodwill message, Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, commended the Renewed Hope Initiative for its sustained impact in Rivers State, noting that the Measles, Rubella, and HPV Sensitisation Programme marks “a significant step in promoting public health awareness, particularly among women and children.”

She highlighted the particular benefit to the girl-child through HPV vaccination, calling it “an investment in their future health and empowerment.”

The Rivers State Coordinator of WHO, Prof. Giwa Abdulganiyu, praised the collaboration between RHI and the State Government, describing the campaign as “a worthy step in the right direction,” and reaffirmed WHO’s continued partnership in achieving health for all.

Earlier, the RHI Rivers State Coordinator, Mrs. Tonye Briggs-Oniyide, welcomed guests, and reaffirmed the initiative’s goal of reducing the incidence of Measles and Rubella in the state.

“These diseases have the potential to cause emergencies and great distress in families. Today’s flag-off represents our collective determination to raise awareness and prevent such tragedies,” she added.