Alheri radio station located at Mararabar Jos on January 21, 2018 had a dialogue aired to the public in which the APC government was placed under the beam light. The APC governor of Katsina state Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari was on the spot by Katsina PDP opposition party stalwarts to account for what, if any, tangible developments APC government could show case over since he took over on May 29, 2015. As a card carrying member of APC, I have to see to the vitality and prosperity of our party. One should also as a duty inform Nigerians that the PDP so far and with the benefit of hindsight is not it. We migrated from CPC and the Governor Masari and those who call the shots in Katsina met us as supporters of Buhari right from ANPP to the CPC and now with APC. I did a piece in the Daily Trust edition of January 15, 2007 captioned “ANPP and the sense of patriotism”. This was when the ANPP chose Buhari to be their flag bearer. Katsina as the state where the President comes should as it were, lead the pack.
Secondly, the PDP is to be seen on a holistic part and not as an isolated event. The 16 years they held sway as a “largest party in Africa” or whatever that means one can say the party deserves no sympathy at all. It was well known for the destruction and what the US government described as its tendencies for “earthquake corruptions” that destroys the very foundations and fabric of society and the entrenchment of hopelessness and extreme poverty and dirty religious and tribal politics to steal the commonwealth of its citizens. They say Nigerians are divided on issues but there is nothing like being divided on issues other than the deceit promoted by PDP traducers to loot. Buhari said during the administration of OBJ, Nigeria till May 1999, it had never gotten money in its federation account but were looted under PDP in 16 years. There was indirect and direct stealing with PDP.
Indirect stealing manifests when inflated projects that would cost N1.0 million are executed at N10-20 million. The direct stealing manifests when a N1.0 billion project would be announced with fanfare and the money diverted to private pockets and the project never sees the light of the day. During GEJ the combination of direct stealing and treasonable acts that oil and gas proceeds were sold by third parties and the money were paid not in the federation account but some other individual accounts.
How could they allow one woman Diezani Allison-Madueke to do what she liked and they called themselves all kind names excellencies, honourables, chiefs, alhajis, reverends, deacons, apostles, barristers, SANs and what have you. So over 50% of what 200 million Nigerians were supposed to benefit were hypothecated or confiscated upfront from buyers of crude oil and gas. So till date the PDP has no credentials to offer as an alternative.
Thirdly, on Katsina PDP hyperboles, the mistake Masari should correct is that his statement PDP “aika aika” in Katsina is perhaps out of tongue slip. Even Buhari, if I am right, did mention some positive works by Shema. But the question Masari would hammer is that at what price? Even late governor Umaru was tagged “Mr. Variation” as I read in the dailies. But I believe Yar’Adua has done better than most corrupt PDP governors in relative terms – even Shema in relative terms given the corrupt PDP environment and style of governance. Even then at what cost? A kilometer road at what cost was it done?
Fourthly, one cannot compare Masari’s 3 years achievements with Yar’Adua’s and Shema’s 8 years each. Any objective comparison by clueless PDP noisemakers should be after he will have completed 8 years. That is if like with like are to be compared and if they are not jokers in the pack.
Fifthly, everyone is aware that Nigeria depends on oil proceeds. The crude oil price and the Foreign Exchange FX earnings during Yar’Adua and Shema with the Naira/US Dollar were much in favour of the Naira in 1999-2007 for Yar’Adua and 2007-2015 for Shema than the case when Buhari took over. In addition, during Yar’Adua the oil proceeds were much more and the FX exchange rates lower with respect to Naira. While FX during Yar’Adua at N120 per Dollar and Shema at NI40-160 gave them more cash flows. Presently, Buhari and APC governors are at weaker point with N363 per dollar. So while for every 1 US Dollar APC gets Yar’Adua got equivalent of 3 while Shema of 2 and the crude oil price was 2 and 3 times higher.
Despite the sabotage by PDP and their sympathisers in the Judiciary; National Assembly; the civil services and business community, Buhari has given the bigots minority Christian animists governors in the Middle Belt and the south bailout funds to pay salaries and pensions but Samuel Ortom in Benue, Darius Ishaku in Taraba, Ayo Fayose in Ekiti, diabolical anti-open grazing bill bigots, are sitting on them and contriving religious fraud to deceive their workers.
Finally, the Minister of Agriculture Audu Ogbe has made it clear that in the last 50 years all the 3 tiers of government have not supported the herders as they have done with food crops farmers. Even the global best practices that the anti-open grazing, government in Europe do give each herder N2,500 per cattle. But in Nigeria instead no land, no incentive, but theft and killing their families and hacking their cattle and bigots in CAN and southern and animist media are talking lies and evasions on real issues. Now the truth has been told, and clearly they have a hidden agenda given 2019 and resource control. Once more Ogbeh who is from Benue has exposed them in the Daily Trust of January 22, he said, “In 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan gave N100 billion to state governors to solve farmers/herders crisis once and for all.” And Ogbeh further laments, “Let me ask, we have three tiers of government, why does everybody blames Buhari at the centre at all times, why don’t we ask our state governments questions?”
Engr. Fari writes from Kaduna
