I hear my friend Williams Appah now calls you guys hailing hailers. Sounds nice. At least one man who is known for his "plenty" talk and indeed should be known for his great command and usage of the Queen's english calls you "howling howlers". In fact I must confess he is also the patent owner of "lying liars". I am sure by now you mind takes you to the Cambridge and Oxford trained FFK.
My name is Ekem Emmanuel John. I am a Nigerian. My history includes campaigning for a certain GMB to become President. But that was in 2011. Like most of you I believed in his anti-corruption credentials. In fact I had been an ardent admirer of GMB since 2003, when the late Chief Marshall Harry went into promoting his candidacy under the now defunct ANPP. In fact my love for GMB increased even more when in 2011 he did what was unfathomable for a Nigerian politician aspiring to the Presidency.
First he picked a clergyman,Dr Tunde Bakare, who has a reputation of speaking truth to power,as his running mate.Many claim he did that to sway the christian community to vote for him. But at that time, the handsome General announced he chose Dr Bakare on the basis of his personal integrity.Some,including yours truly, believed him.Especially because I had been a long time admirer of Bakare- believing that the man has the oratory,charisma and personal integrity to be Nigeria's own Martin Luther King(Jnr). Add to this, GMB,as he was then known, pulled out of an ACN/CPC alliance ,reportedly, on the grounds that he would not meet certain demands of the then ACN national leader,Bola Ahmed Tinubu- who himself is perhaps Nigeria's current biggest political strategist after the likes of Tony Anenih.
Keep in mind that it was at this time, that Mallam El-Rufai had publicly declared GMB as perpetually inelectable. Indeed there are records that show many other national leaders of the current ruling party had made similar comments at the time.
It is important to remember that in 2011, GMB was running against Dr Goodluck Jonathan, a Niger Delta from the Ijaw tribe. During this period, it was a near anathema for a Niger Deltan,living in Port Harcourt, to campaign for GMB( a position my brothers from this side interpreted to mean working against GEJ). I recall with pleasure that apart from the rejection, nobody molested anyone. One could campaign for any person of his/her choice.
Goodluck Jonathan won that election. Nearly everyone believes that was a free and fair election.
SO WHAT HAPPENED.
While most people believed GMB had lost in a largely credible election, that was not so for the General and his northern army of supporters. Mayhem was unleashed even before the final results were announced. An estimated one thousand lives were lost across the 19 northern states. Many Corps member,young men and women in the service of their fatherland, were slaugtered like chickens. Their blood flowed like that of "the baboons". As one who had supported the general, I expected him to call his supporters to order immediately. Or at least denounce the violence that had characterised the aftermath of that elections. No not GMB. It took a long while before he spoke on BBC Hausa service. I was enraged. I could not believe the man I had vigorously campaigned for will stand aloof while young Nigerians were murdered. That was the beginning of my departure from the class of believers in GMB.
The build up to the elections brought many issues to the fore- many of them being a direct result of malice-yet facts all the same. Those historical facts further pushed me away from the love of GMB. I refused to buy the propaganda that the General was now a born-again democrat. Me thinks it takes more than wearing a suit in place of a Babaringa to be a democrat. By the way is he still wearing suits?
2015 ELECTIONS AND CHANGE
After a hard-won victory, PMB was sworn in as President. Prior to the elections, the now ruling All Progressive Congress(APC) made many unrealistic promises. Many of those promises,even though on record, they have now denied outrightly or abandoned. I had,at that time, warned about the impracticable nature of those promises. My brother and friend, Offor Honest would bear witness to how many times we had to call,at international rates, to discuss my reservations about the APC change manifesto. He,like indeed many of friends, could not understand why it appeared I tolerated the PDP- warts and all- considering my antecedents as a former students union leader and activist. But I thought differently.
To be sure, I was sick of the huge manifest symptoms of corruption under the PDP. I believed then, and I still believe even more now, that Nigeria needs a change. But I would rather not be in a haste just because we need a change. I was careful to interrogate that change. Change from what to what? From PDP to former PDP (largely with a few ACN/CPC stalwarts at the helm)? Change from a Rotimi Amaechi who under the PDP admitted they, Governors as he then was, were corrupt and should be stoned to a Rotimi Amaechi who now pontificates that he is not and has never been corrupt? Change that will be championed by a propagandist called Lai Mohammed who was authorized to call a press conference on how the then Governor of Kano state had been incarcerated and prevented from flying to an APC rally only for Journalists present at the press briefing to put a confirmatory call to Kwankwanso's chief press secretary who announced that nothing of sort happened?Indeed, the CPS said attending the rally was not on his boss' itinerary. To make it more embarrassing, Mr Kwankwanso was indeed at that same moment being beamed live on AIT flagging off a health programme in his state Kano. Did we get an apology from Lai. Hell no! the man simply walked away pretending what had happened was in order.
There wer many more signs that the APC was not ready for governance. But many Nigerians swallowed the bait of change.
APC, CHANGE AND THE DIVIDENDS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
So as I buy fuel at a rate of #300/L to fuel my generator just to supply power to my home and spend about 4 hours on a fuel queue(this is being lucky and after already driving into the station) just to fill my tank- Ask Tammy Ochuke-Eju, I can only thank the howling howlers who will howl at everyone and anyone that dares to point the government to truth. I do not deserve to wail even though the President through his spokesman branded me a wailing wailer.
As my expenditure on fueling my generator moves from about #28,000/month to #90,000 without a commensurate increase in my take-home pay at the end of the month, I do not deserve to wail even though I am called a " wailing wailer crying waaa,waaa,waaa like a child whose candy has been taken away" according to Femi Adesina.
As my budget for fueling my car moves from 22,000/month to more than triple that figure I do not have the right to cry, just like a child whose mother(obviously a Nigerian) will beat and yell,"if I hear kpim you go see yaself".
As I buy a bag of rice for #14,500 which I previously bought for #8,500 I am only permitted to shout #SaiBaba.
As my PHCN pre-paid card which I loaded for #3,000 still has units worth about #2,800 after nearly 2 months plus, I will surely shout #SaiBaba for helping me save money.
As I pay all sorts of frivolous bank charges and still inflation keeps rising to an all-time high in the last six years, I must know that it is the profligacy of the past government that has kept us in this situation. I therefore #standwithBuhari.
Oh how I wish I could #flywithBuhari instead of #standwithbuhari.
At least I will be entitled to estacodes in hard currency. Even if I make just $10,000 dollars after 4 trips. You don't want to convert it to naira.
But you know these trips are the necesary building blocks of governance. Don't mind Donald Trump. He is just a talkative. At least a senator told us two days ago that GEJ's "bad leadership" is the cause of PMB's foreign trips.
SO WHY DID I WRITE THIS LETTER
Oh that? Just to thank you for how things have changed.
Just to inform the howling howlers that I have been patient for one year and there is no need for them to remind me or my friends in the wailer's club on the need for patience. We have a contract to be patient with PMB for 4 years and we have only done a quarter of that time. We intend to honour the agreement which our constitution binds on us.
Just to ask how long the fuel situation will last as today is 10th-not the 7th Mr Kachikwu told the senate. It appears the Junior minister does not know. Of course he is not a magician whose body language brings about change. Only his principal is.
Just to counsel all wailing wailers to stop wailing. Even though this is the first time the Presidency of Nigeria is officially branding a section of Nigeria with a "guy" name,just be loyal.
I know the "hailing hailers" were magnanimous enough to read this long post on nothing with their phones powered by their neighbour's generating set operating on blackmarket fuel purchased at #500/litre. Still it is ok for them to refridgerate their sense, leave it at home and quickly tongue-lash before their battery runs out.Of course it is all a part of #ISTANDWITHBUHARI.
Please accept the assurances of my highest esteem.
Thank you in anticipation of "whatever you choose to do".
Best regards,
Ekem Emmanuel John
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