[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his update is meant to provoke debate and it is addressed directly to those who monitor my Facebook wall for the authorities. Here it is.
The entire security architecture of Nigeria is now in the hands of feudal Lords except the DG National Intelligence Agency and the Corp Marshal of the Road Safety. Whoever understands the power structure of Nigeria well enough, these are the institutions for leveraging political power.
I am worried I may have helped resuscitate and nurture to health and old monster in the man we all supported. In a fragile democracy with much schism among federating units such as Nigeria. There is no way to spin President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment other than lopsided. Either by design or deliberate maliciousness; the appointments are done to favor his kith and kin.
I don’t write to be liked or be politically correct. At the risk of sounding immodest, there is no prediction I have made on Nigeria that hasn’t come true even if it has always come long before it was recognized as a problem. Some can explain it away; that as long as they perform or as long as they get the job done, it is okay. It is not okay! Ko wa okay rara, se e ti gbo eyin “I too know” Yoruba? We know where we are coming from.
I am projecting these issues to the future and thinking of how and what can be done with these instruments and how it will further divide Nigeria and lead to its collapse after the generals who fought the civil war are long dead. These generals are the gorilla glue holding this country together. When they are dead, Nigeria will have to restructure or die if nothing is done with national interests at heart and if sectional interests are advanced at every turn.
It is sad that our leaders do not think beyond the urgency of now. They have no range for their thoughts and are extremely myopic. The security and intelligence services in Nigeria as well as paramilitary agencies, by accident or by design, are instruments of holding political power.
The perception must not be created that ethnic agenda is in place otherwise, a house divided against itself cannot stand. The NSA, Immigration, Customs, DSS, Police, Army, Air force, except Navy, are in the hands of the Northerners.
At the NNPC, Ibe Kachikwu has been quietly removed from the power structure. Some may say these are appointments not subject to federal character. But the perception that Buhari has favored his own is already out there…
Our democracy is too fragile for such devil may care, in your face appointments. No section of this country must feel alienated from government, not the South East, not the South South and not the North Central. We all deserve equal representation of the best of minds whilst abiding by federal character.
Unfortunately, the national assembly we have that should monitor government sanctioned nepotism and cronyism, are too consumed by corruption, greed, and materialism.
I woke up today thinking; it is either those surrounding President Muhammadu Buhari have changed his vision or we never knew him. Either way, demographic changes has altered the configuration of power in Nigeria. 2019 will shock the political class if they continue on the same trajectory. A new order will rise!
Bamidele Ademola-Olateju is a computer systems specialists who lives in the United States of America. He campaigned online for General Buhari in 2015. He shared this commentary on his Facebook page on August 23, 2016.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
