I did say I will let off a bit on tasking the present Nigerian government on its style of governance but studying their pattern of distractions these past few months have given me a clear template of how the government works.
With people grumbling and fuel growing queues longer across the country and with a harsh biting economy, restiveness in the polity and Boko Haram still detonating bombs daily, the ‘Helpless’ government does the only thing it knows how to do with their propaganda machine; create a distraction. Get people talking about it for a couple of days to buy time.
That’s how the Dasuki indictment by an interim panel came up yesterday. To distract from the failings of the government of the day. Dasuki is the new canon fodder. A few weeks back, it was Diezani in London but having seen that no one bought that, they used Saraki at the CCT and Ministerial Screenings to distract from the reality. With that gone, it was Orubebe. With none there, it’s Dasuki.
There’s always something to throw at the people to get them barking like dogs. Something to distract the attention from their glaring present failings. It’s a well – crafted plan. And it can only work as long as the wool is over our eyes.
But Hunger has a rage. Frustration has a venom. And the people out there are feeling both in stinging force. It’s bad.
And for the foggy nights who may not agree with me and continue with their fawning adulation of the analogue regime we presently have, note that my wall is a wall for opposing what I perceive as infractions. Nigeria is my country as much as it is yours and while you may be hiding your hunger under snickers of a lost hope in Buhari and his people thus far, I am not programmed to keep mute when stung by an ineptitude of purpose. So, having queued under the hot sun for hours still waiting to get fuel, having spent so much on buying black market fuel in the interim, having felt the grinding economic realities which has eaten rainy day savings like moth on cloth and seeing the despondency and desperation in people’s eyes anywhere I go…
This present government so far, is like a Bad Screw. They came too fast and have left us bleeding from the back.
At least with PDP all these other years, there was Petroleum Jelly.
But these ones just screw us as if we are cattle.
Charles Novia is an award-winning filmmaker. He is founder of November Productions and November Records. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
