We are at yet another trying period for our democracy. As speculations intensify about Mr President's health, Nigerians cannot help but wonder what the very near future holds for our nation. As someone put it to me recently "we are back to playing politics". Indeed it's fair to say that in the past year and half or so, governance rather than politics has dominated our national polity. Opinions may vary about Mr President's policies and actions or inaction, but one thing we can agree on is that for the most part Nigerians have kept the focus of the debate on governance, much unlike the previous administration whose years were dominated by political hullabaloos and grand corruption culminating in the 2015 General elections.
Mr President's health challenges have in recent times rekindled a familiar and bitter taste of political bickering over who should replace him come 2019. The rumour mills have been running on overdrive, talks of a resignation and even certain death have been amok in recent weeks. What's more, the speculation that the Vice President who in fairness has managed to steady the ship in these troubled times, might take over from the boss and step aside for a Northern candidate in 2019. This situation develops at the risk of stalling any concrete development policies already on the way. As we all know the trend in Nigeria is that two years before election year politicians abandon governance for politics. Mr President's health status has forced us into that scramble several months in advance, particularly as it becomes clear that he will not be running in the next elections.
The president appearing at the Friday prayers yesterday has helped to quell some of the more grave speculations but now more than ever, Nigerians need Mr President to come forward and open up about his health and his plans moving into the second half of his first term. If he won't see it out, we need to know now. Personally I would prefer his health is improved so that he can see out these first four years and save us the chaos which is sure to follow if he leaves prematurely. Vice President Osibanjo is already under a fair degree of pressure from some elements who want him to concede to not run in 2019, particularly the northern oligarchs who have already begun to map out a succession plan.
In any case it is certainly going to be another strong test for our democracy and for us as citizens. We must remain steadfast, alert and continue to demand accountability from our leaders, force them to focus on governance rather than stack up their war chest for the succession battle.
Whenever I use the public transport system in this town I always get a story. It's because the public transportation allows one to interact with the society and feel it's pulse in a way that is almost impossible from the comfort of a private vehicle. So yesterday I got off a bus at Julius Berger round about at around 5pm, rush hour. Naturally there was a fair amount of traffic, pedestrian and vehicular. I had just arrived in the city from my outpost in Gwagwalada and I was hurrying to get in a cab and out of the blistering sun. That was when I saw something that made me stop. There was a crippled man along the sidewalk. His limbs were shrunk and shriveled and he could only manage to drag his malnourished body along the curb using his forearm while accepting alms from motorists and passersby who threw their loose change in his direction. He looked very exhausted and he had his hands full but every time a note was thrown out of a moving car or dropped by a pedestrian he would ...
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