APC Lied To Get To Power And Fantastically Lying To Sustain Power

By Nwamkpa Modestus

No doubt, this is a very tough and challenging period for many Nigerians. The past one year under this APC led government in Nigeria has been dotted with lamentations, gnashing of teeth, full of disappointments, unimaginable hardship, dashing of hopes and complete reversal of promises. Certainly, the present despicable and lamentable situation in the country was the least thing Nigerians particularly those brainwashed 15 million Voters who voted for President Buhari bargained for. Even though I can raise my head high and say that I was not among those bunch of ignoramus voters who were deceived into believing that  President Muhammadu Buhari has the capacity to turn stone into bread as I never fell for those white lies that the party gushed out to Nigerians. 

However, much as I had expressed skepticism and have continued to be skeptical as to the party’s genuine capacity to lead the country to a safer shore but what actually baffled and keep surprising me is the level at which the party is struggling desperately to use the same lies or peddling of falsehood they used to get to power to also remain in power. Or could this be the reason why there is this maxim that one needs another lie to sustain one lie?

Perhaps, unknown to them that there is this popular saying that ‘you can deceive some people some of the times but you obviously cannot deceive all the people all the times’. When in 2014/2015 the APC members and leaders were aggressively seeking to supplant former President Goodluck Jonathan and his party- the PDP accusing the former President and PDP members of being clueless, incompetent, weak and corrupt among other spurious accusations, very few discerning and informed minds knew then that APC as a  party and its leaders were playing on the intelligence and psych of some vulnerable Nigerians. They promised to make light to shine across the country, water to run on dried taps, three millions of jobs to be provided yearly, 25 million unemployed Youths to receive five thousand naira stipends yearly, NYSC members to have their alowee increased, one dollar to equal to one naira, Chibok girls to be rescued within six months including the automatic stoppage of Boko Haram madness within six months.

They also mesmerized us with the sweet promises that pump price of fuel would be reduced to N40 per litre, that Nigerian school Children would start enjoying one free meal every school day, that workers and pensioners would receive their pay on or before 25^th of every Month and above all, that the cankerworm called Corruption would be fought to a standstill among other promises.

General Muhammadu Buhari who later got ‘baptized’ by charging to President Buhari was so much repackaged to the point that the dummy was sold to Nigerians that the Daura born former Army general was the only clean and incorruptible Nigerian existing. They told us he was the ‘Messiah’ to come and the only one that has the panacea to our economic cum political travails in this country. We were told that even as a former military head of state, he had no other house anywhere in the world except the moderate bungalow in his village. They said Buhari has the magic wand to exterminate corruption in Nigeria. Funny enough, we were meant to believe that the only reason why there is huge unemployment, epileptic power supply, continued abduction none release of Chibok girls, hardship and other crimes was because Buhari was not the President. In all, they said Nigeria only needs a specie of a man in the image and likeness of Buhari and things would start working again. Surprisingly, some people believed this cart while there were few discerning minds like yours sincerely who took the entire gambit with a pinch of salt and dismissed the whole lies as balderdash.

Now, the Chicken has come home to roast. The breeze has blown and Nigerians have seen the Buttocks of a foul. One year is gone and yet there is nothing to show that we are heading to the world of Eldorado. On the contrary, Nigerians are getting the direct opposite of all that were promised. Instead of employing 3 million Youths as promised, there has been millions of job lost. Instead of improving on the five thousand mega watts of electricity that the previous administration of Jonathan left it, there has been a decline in electricity generation that it now hovers around I,450 mega watts of electricity with its attendant blackout across the country even when there is a hike of about 45% of electricity tariff. Instead of buying fuel at least at N86.50 that the last administration bequeathed with the availability of the product, we are now faced with an astronomical increase of N145 per litre and scarcity of the products. Instead of enjoying a downward slope Change in the prices of food stuffs and transportation, Nigerians are faced with an upward arbitrary change in the prices of food Stuffs and transportation. Instead of finding life easier and reassuring, hardship, hunger and penury are today common realities in the country under APC led federal government.

In all these, the same party is not resting on its oars as APC and its same leaders that deceived Nigerians with their lies and falsehood to get to power are still busy marshaling out more and more lies  in their deceit in order to continue to divert the attention of Nigerians from the obvious failures of their party and administration. They have now found the easiest route to that deceit by consistently passing the blame on PDP whom they accused of mismanaging the economy of the country for 16 years. Curiously, every of their failure is blamed on PDP. Every of their actions and inactions, non fulfillment or reversal of promises are blamed on PDP. Every of their lack of direction is blamed on PDP. If there is scarcity of fuel, PDP is the cause. If Boko Haram strikes, blame PDP. Remove subsidy and blame PDP. Disobey court order, PDP is to be blamed. If Chibok girls are not released, PDP must be blamed. If the president spends more time abroad than in Nigeria, it is because of PDP. PDP is to be blamed for the high rising of dollar against naira and the weak nature of naira. If the budget is padded, PD is to blame. Late passage of the budget is PDP that should be blamed.

The last one year has been full of lies and lies. Last time they reeled out billions of dollars and pound starlings that were said to have been recovered from some PDP ‘corrupt’ officials which APC said were starched in Dubai, London, America etc yet up till now there is no evidence to prove this. If it is actually true that such huge amounts money were recovered which on its surface value  was very commendable, why did the President recently approach China for a $2B loan? If it is true, why then did the Minister of information and Culture, the loquacious Lie Muhammad say that Nigeria is broke? How can Nigeria be broke when the President said he has blocked all the financial loop holes? How can Nigeria be broke when all the monies that were hitherto allegedly frittered away by PDP officials are now being collected in one account called TSA where they said over 3 trillion naira has so far been realized? How can Nigeria be broke when all the international communities have agreed to do business with Nigeria because of Buhari’s incorruptible personality?

You see, the problem here is that perhaps this APC people take Nigerians as Dafts who do not recognize when lies are told. Even the corruption you said you are fighting is still seen as purely selective targeted only on the opposition and political adversaries. How on Earth will they convince Nigerians that Corruption is only a property of PDP while all those whom we know that are in the same party with the president are all saints? How can you probe only the campaign funding of a rival party PDP while at the same time shying away from the campaign funding of your party simply because you were the major beneficiary and you call that fighting corruption? Again, what magic will you use to convince people that only former Governors and Ministers who are members of PDP are the only corrupt Nigerians while their counterparts in your party had no relationship with Corruption?

Personally, I want corruption to be fought head long and if possible defeated but my only concern is that the current administration of APC is merely begging the issue. Again, the party inadvertently is setting up a very bad precedence in the fight against corruption in the country by making it look as if you are fighting opposition rather than fighting the real corruption. If you must fight the cankerworm of corruption, let it be holistic and it has to be fought within the ambit of the law and in line with global best practice not this falsehood induced anti corruption fight. The idea of being the prosecutor, the Judge and the Jury takes the shine out of it and makes it unserious and mere vindictiveness. You don’t pass judgment on somebody on the pages of Newspaper even before the person is taken to court in a clime where an offender is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

There is elasticity to deceit. In order words, there is a limit at which you can deceive a people. How can we live in a country where government is run on pure falsehood? Every policy of the government is shrouded in lies. You lied to us that you were going to appoint ‘Angels’ as Ministers and ended up appointing the same old known people. You told us you were going to do certain things like feeding Scholl Children, paying N500 to unemployed Youths and make one dollar to equal to one  naira only to deny all those promises immediately you got to power. Government is run on the pedestal of sincerity and responsibility not on the basis of lies and continued falsehood. This is the gospel of TRUTH, thanks be to the big TRUTH.

Anyway, let me pause a while here since next week is another date with you. So until then, let me once again remind you that we are still standing on the side of TRUTH. TRUTH is our life support machine. We profess it undiluted and it is only the same TRUTH that will continue to set us free.  Have a pleasant working sorry striking week ahead.

*Nwamkpa Modestus wrote in from Owerri, Imo State (Email: morest4u@yahoo.com 08037160356)