"Whenever culture has gone through a radical change, as ours has-from industrial age to information age-they are people who will deny that things have changed; they resist it and refuse to change"-DANIEEL GREENBERG.
Have you ever wondered why some Nigerians led by a few
elites never get satisfied in spite of the efforts put in by this government?
Have you asked yourself why President Jonathan is being tongue-lashed on a
daily basis when his developmental strides are visible even to the blind?
The reasons are simple; change from the old order has come to stay and the disciples
of that order are finding it so hard to live with this reality. But truth is
that this change has come to stay and those who benefited and enjoyed that
order had better swim with the tide of change
or be perpetually consumed by its wave.
Ever since the Jonathan Presidency, I have told every one
who cared to listen that what Nigeria is experiencing under this administration is a battle between the forces of good and evil. The President being the arrow-head of
the good forces against the force of evil that has held the nation captive for many years.During the old order, many highly placed politicians remained untouchable, they allocated funds from government coffers to themselves and their cronies; awarding contracts that were paid for but never executed. They ensured that the various sectors of the economy were paralyzed as long as their accounts remained fat.
During the old order, the Agricultural Sector was in a mess.
Fertilizers, seeds and other agro-allied
products which were meant to be distributed to farmers across the country together with billions of naira meant for the Sector were all diverted by "political farmers".But upon assumption of office by President
Jonathan, he changed the old order.He tackled corruption
in the sector, putting a system in place which enables farmers get their
fertilizers and seeds directly. This system ensured that in 2013,4.2 million
farmers received subsidized inputs.His administration went ahead to build
numerous rice mills and has successfully increased our food production. More
dams have also been built which has increased our water level. As a matter of fact,
the giant strides and high level of achievement in the Agricultural sector is
the reason for the numerous awards being given to the Minister for Agriculture
Mr Akinwumi Adesina,chief among which is the Forbes African Man of the Year
Award 2013.And you think the grand patrons of the old order are happy with
these?
Under the old order, we had a poor Aviation Sector. Jonathan
came in and reversed the status quo. Has any one seen the new looks
our airports now carry? Almost all the airports in Nigeria have been remodeled, reconstructed and upgraded with high level equipments in conformity with
international best practices in Aviation. No one gave the South Eastern part of
Nigeria an International Airport but President Jonathan did it.For the first
time in Nigeria’s history the South East now has an International Airport
located in Enugu. This achievements not withstanding,some Nigerians whose eyes
and sense' of reason have been blinded by ethnic and political sentiments are yet to see what Jonathan has done, really?
The Fuel Subsidy Regime was characterized by a period of
high underhand practices by a few greedy elites who fed fat on the country’s
petroleum resources. It was a tale of metastasized corruption sustained by a
weak ruling class and perpetrated by an unholy alliance between the private and
public sector. According to a parliamentary report, the fuel subsidy scheme
drained 6.8 billion dollars from the country’s coffers between 2009 and 2011 alone.
Can you then imagine what the country lost to the masters of the old order from
independence till 2008?This had been the practice for years until Goodluck
Jonathan mounted the saddle. He immediately abolished fuel subsidy, recognizing
the fact that fuel subsidy hindered other developmental spending. Marketers
found guilty of corrupt practices while the subsidy regime lasted were made to
refund the monies while others are facing prosecution by the anti graft agencies. Angered by
this bold and economically beneficial step taken by the President, the
crusaders of the old order resorted to campaigns of calumny, sabotage and
blackmail against the federal government ,calling it all sort of names all
geared at presenting the President as a man without ideas. But if the truth
should be told, it is a notorious fact that the removal of fuel subsidy
shattered the source of economic empowerment of these greedy politicians, and
since this is the case, we do understand their anger towards Jonathan's government.
We all remember vividly how former president Olusegun
Obasanjo acted as his own petroleum
minister as a democratic president. It therefore makes much sense to say that
most of the graft uncovered recently by President Jonathan’s government were
perpetrated during the latter’s reign in office.President Jonathan needs our support and prayers in order to build the Nigeria of our dreams,let us stand by him.
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