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Dear Mr New President, let me first of all congratulate you on your victory in the Nigeria-Decides 2015 General Elections; it was a very tight race but you finished first, felicitation! I am sure the 28th of March 2015 is a day you shall never forget. Now, to the reason I write; all protocols observed, sir, I have a long list for you.
First and foremost on the list is my plea to you to finish the good works that the current and previous administrations have started. Few they may be, I implore you not to take over the presidential seat with the huff and puff that we have seen many times in the past with elected public servants, abandoning the good projects of previous administrations. It is known that four years is often not enough time to complete a significant number of long term projects and so on behalf of those who may see as I see, I ask that you lend a finishing (or sustaining) hand to the good works that Nigeria presently has in its pipeline. Give us continuity irrespective of whose brain child the projects are.
Secondly, Nigeria our beloved country has accepted your mantra of zero corruption and has decided to give your ideals a chance. As I wrote in my previous article, ‘Nigeria Decides: And The Winner Is...’ dated 27th of March 2015, I stated that your zero tolerance slogan would be the reason for your victory. Sir, we have given you a chance and we expect a show of good faith from you, show us that your mantra is more than just a jingle; do something positively drastic! For me, the best way you can prove to Nigerians that you are truly here for change is to cut down the salaries of political office holders throughout the country. I believe the office of the president has the authority to affect such a change even if not directly. Our legislators are indisputably amongst the highest paid public servants in the world with approximate annual incomes of well over N360 million each while their counterparts in the US receive N27.6 million and the UK receive N15.6 million (Phillip Eta, 2012). The same Federal Legislators gulp about 25% of Federal Government overheads, as reported by CBN Governor emeritus, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (N136.2 billion out of N536.2 billion). These figures are debilitating to the more than 60% of Nigerians living below the poverty line, less than one dollar a day, barely a loaf of bread. Sir, let’s see your change.
All partisanship aside, it has been noted even by some of the Channels television election consultants that part of the reason for your victory in the recent campaign was the massive support you received from the ‘Poor Nigerian’, it appears you are their hero. I remember while growing up sir, travelling along the Benin-Ore expressway to my home town for festive seasons, I remember seeing some people who I was taught were lepers, positioned in makeshift palm-frond shelters by the roadside asking for alms, I remember my mother often giving something, as we say, to these lepers as we passed by. Yes leprosy, the illustrious disease of old, those are Poor Nigerians.
Lepers like most other unfortunate and vulnerable Nigerians live in appalling conditions. In the particular case of these diseased, they live in colonies such as the Uzuakoli colony, Minna leprosy village, Nnewi leper home, Omu-Aran leprosarium and others built by missionaries like Dr A. B. McDonald during the colonial era. Since the departures of the missionaries however, most of them have been neglected, our people have been abandoned! There is a lack of basic healthcare, shelter, food, clothing and general social security. We want to see all these change in the next four years, at least set us on the right path.
Nigeria has within the last year survived a triple threat of Ebola, oil price crash and election violence scare; we are a resilient and blessed people. If you try to take our lights we will put on generators, if you try to take our water we will dig bore holes, if you don’t give us medicine, we will take agbo (local herbs), essentially, we will survive, but we are tired of surviving, we want to live!
Finally sir, I wish to say to you; let your dreams for Nigeria be larger than your fears, let your actions speak louder than your words and last but by far not the least, let your faith in your country be stronger than your feelings.
God bless you Mr New President and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
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