From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo.
Nigerians have been advised to eschew parochialism, vendetta and recriminations, but appreciate and be grateful to former Lagos State Governor and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as well as other progressives for their unalloyed commitment and uncommon patriotic zeals which led to the liberation of the country from the shackles of the people with least mental magnitude, who once found themselves in the corridors of power.
A public affairs analyst and human rights crusader, Mr Adebiyi Odekanyin, gave the advice on Wednesday while fielding questions from reporters, shortly after the monthly meeting of conglomerate of human rights groups in Oyo metropolis.
Odekanyin said: “It has been observed that many of the
unpatriotic Nigerians during the struggle perceived the role of the former Lagos State Governor as embarrassing and uncalled for. Whereas what Asiwaju Tinubu was saying, in a straight forward language, was that a drastic disease needs a drastic treatment. In other words, he was telling the nation that on no account is God ready to manifest Himself
to cowards.
“See what the country is going through today. We now
have in place a serious-minded President in the person of General Muhammadu Buhari, who has zero tolerance for corruption and impunity. Remember, General Buhari contested the presidential election three times all to no avail. He (Buhari) had lost hope, but it was Asiwaju Tinubu that rekindled his hope and insisted that he must contest again and be the party’s candidate. Tinubu did not stop at that but assiduously worked towards the success. What does such a
political idol deserve from Nigerians?’’
He stated that in the United States (U.S.) and other
nations, “they are always conscious of the type of people
who will govern them”, adding that this culture has been attempted for the first time since 1960 when Nigeria became an independent nation-state.
“Human type, garrison miscommanders, misfits kleptocrats and lawless street urchins had been our political heroes and heroines. This explains why until recently, Nigeria is going down the drain seasonally and moment by moment. We have never succeeded in organising ourselves for peace, love, stability, progress and development.
“And the most fascinating feature of it is that they do not know what to do, but unimaginably posing to their own discredit and destruction that all is well that ends badly”.
Odekanyin, an author, lamented that when Heads of State
of many countries speak, it is law, pointing out that “but when leaders speak in Nigeria, people question their intention because they lack focus and direction”.
