Day in, day out, every soul will surely taste the bitterness of death. Whosoever has come to the end of his life, a second will not be added to him. May 5th, will remain unforgettable to many Nigerians because of the shocked news they received. It was on that day that the then president and commander in chief of the armed forces Mallam Umaru Musa Yar’adua answered the call of Almighty Allah, after a protracted illness. As we all know, Yar’adua was (s)elected as president in 2007 through an election that was full of malpractices. Though, Yar’adua himself admitted that the (s)election that brought him to power was characterized by an unprecedented election malpractices in the history of Nigeria, and that necessitated him to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of the former chief Jutice of the federation justice Muhammad Lawal Uwais to look into the matter and come up with a lasting panacea to the problem. And he (Yar’adua) also promised to conduct a free and fair election in 2011(i.e. the just concluded election last month) that will be accepted by all Nigerians and the world in general, but he did not live long to actualize his dreams.
When he came to power in 2007, late Yar’adua showed a good sense of respect to all the arms of government by allowing them to discharge their responsibilities without disrupting them. The judicial arm, which is the last hope for the poor man enjoyed full autonomy in his tenure. This was corroborated by the fact that he (Yar’adua) remained dumb when the election tribunals nullified the (s)election of his party candidates (PDP) at various level of government on the ground of electoral malpractices. The former C-in-C, without any iota of doubt showed a sense of maturity in that respect which was never obtained in Obasanjo’s era and this present administration.
While he lived, Yar’adua was cool headed unassuming person who gave everybody his due respect. A man who stood for justice, fair play and equity. Surely, he will be remembered for his quiet dignity, sincere believe in rule of law, commitment to Deeping democracy and landmark resolution of Niger Delta crisis, etc. no doubt, Katsina state and Nigeria has lost an honest leader who meant well for his people. He is no longer with us, but Nigerians would surely be guided by his spirit of exemplified humility, and they will never relent in praying for the repose of his soul.
During his tenure, there was peace in the country and we never had a bomb blast in the three years he spent steering the mantle of leadership in Nigeria as its number one citizen. Unlike what is happening now, bomb blast in all angles of the country, killing of innocent people by police on high roads, etc. it’s very shameful that even the first bomb blast took place at eagle square on October 1st, last year when Nigeria was celebrating her 50th anniversary as a sovereign nation- followed by the one on Xmas Eve, another one on election Eve and during election in some part of the country, to mention but few, where several people lost their lives and many were injured. Imagine what we used to hear before in Afghanistan , Baghadaza, and Somalia , we are now hearing and witnessing it in our own dear country. This is certainly a big problem and if care is not taken, Nigeria will in no distant time (though we are not praying for it) become another Baghadaza, especially Borno State where the case is more rampant.
I can boldly now say, without fear of contradiction that insecurity has become a daily business in Nigeria and Nigerians are used to it. But it’s very annoying that the present administration has been doing nothing to find a lasting solution to the problem. Is this how we are going to continue? If things should continue the way they are now, what will Nigeria become in the next few years? Only time can tell, and it’s quite unfortunate that we did not make a right choice in the last month elections, where we allowed the same bunch of liars and looters to rule us again. We have forgotten the situation we found ourselves in the last years, and still we are going to face it again for another good four years- what a pity! It’s my candid opinion that the Northern part will suffer a lot, because the so-called northern leaders in the north have sold the right of their people to the politicians.
We all witnessed what happened in some of the northern states when the presidential election result was announced, and the upheavals led to the loss of lives, properties of millions naira were vandalized, thousands of people fled their houses, etc and these so-called leaders in the north are the caused because they don’t protect the interest of their people. They only protect their interest and pocket. Even Chief Obasanjo, the former President of this country confirmed this when he said to Jonathan “the northern leaders are ravenous and egocentric. Use what their brother (Yar’adua) left behind and bribe them, they will vote for you” imagine! Surely, the northern part will continue to remain where they are if their so-called leaders did not change, and their children will definitely continue to be slaves forever and remain backward in terms of education.
Conclusively, the upheavals in the northern part should serve as a deterrent to our leaders, and know that Nigerians are pushed to the wall and they can stand up and fight for their right whenever the need arises! A word, they say, is enough to the wise.
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