THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (Anglican Communion)

THE MOST REV. PETER J. AKINOLA, D.D.

Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria. 

 

 

 

 

MESSAGE TO NIGERIAN ELECTORATES: Beware Of Recycled Politicians

 

There is a groundswell of activities aimed at the mantle of leadership of our beloved country come May 29, 2007. At the centre of these activities are familiar names that I refer to as ‘recycled politicians’. These are people who have had the opportunity of steering the affairs of this nation before and who are in quest of second, third or more terms. There is the popular saying “You don’t teach old dog new tricks”. No matter how hard you try, the dog always returns to it’s vomit. ‘Old habits die hard’.

The question is what is the legacy that these people left behind during their tenure in leadership? What we remember them for is a trail of destructions and utter degradation of our economy as gleaned below:

Once upon a time, we boasted of:

bullet groundnut pyramids in the North,
bullet rubber and palm oil in the East and Mid-West and
bullet Cocoa plantation mainly in the West.

These have either vanished or at best a shadow of their glorious past.

In the area of transportation:

bullet The Nigerian Railway Corporation, once a veritable means for the transportation of people and produce between the hinterland and the Ports, is now more or less moribund.
bullet The Nigerian Ports Authority have not fared any better under the ravaging leadership of these infamous leaders.
bullet The processes at the Ports and the installations have become a nightmare to the end-users due to the criminal neglect and endemic corruption in its management.
bullet The Nigerian Airways was sucked to death and our fragile road network became dysfunctional as a result of the heavy haulage to which it was subjected and for which it was not designed.
bullet Our social psyche and value system had become bastardized with morbid and pervasive corruption enthroned with concomitant moral depravity and decadence. As a result, internationally, we suffer disrespect and unquantifiable loss of access to essential network for development purposes.
bullet Only recently are we breathing some fresh air from the suffocation arising from the huge external debt to which the nation had been plunged for decades. Whichever direction you focus, the national heritage had progressively been depleted and mismanaged for the private benefit of this small group of cacophonic, reckless and myopic hustlers masquerading as “messiahs” in the governance of our nation. They had cornered the commanding heights of the economy and siphoned its wealth into personal coffers abroad.

They are back again with their familiar refrain to lead the nation to its ‘eldorado’ and to make it paradise on earth. These people are devoid of any credible legacy and positive attestation, but a number of them, I gather, have limitless access to unlimited resources (of course, stolen wealth).

The electorate must say NO to these people. We must rise in unison to liberate ourselves and the nation from their clutches. Time has come for credible Nigerians, young and old, to emerge and not be scared by the daunting challenge posed. All God-fearing Nigerians must back them up with prayers. It is time for truly genuine builders of the nation to arise.

There is absolutely nothing to gain from recycled politicians other than a semblance of progress to mask the continuing degradation and decay they will plunge the country into if given another chance to rule us. We all must consciously resist these old timers who are stuck to a mould of operation and seek to break new grounds.

Say NO to recycled politicians and former rulers seeking whatever extensions of their previous tenures in governance as they have nothing new to offer. “Old dogs learn no new tricks”. They do not deserve our sympathy, support and certainly not our vote.

 

 

 

The Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola, CON, DD. is the Primate of All Nigeria (Anglican Communion) &President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)