To the Chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Comrade Moshood Erubami, 49 years in the life of Nigeria is an irony of life in term of progress and growth.
To the pro-democracy activist, it is paradoxical that, citizens of the sixth largest oil producing nation still wallow in abject poverty.

Excerpts:
Nigeria at 49?
To say that Nigeria is not yet demonstrating capacity to be out of the woods at 49 years is restating the obvious. Nigeria is 49 years today, yet it is still wobbling and fumbling in its strive to adulthood.

A 49 year old child still crawling is a disable and physically challenged. Currently, the country is confronted with the negative effects of youth militancy, slowing economy, rapid inflation, troubled religious disturbances, nationwide perfunctory electricity, generation and supply with disappointed citizens and leadership losing legitimacy.
Yar’Adua is running the most unproductive government that has refused to yield discernible dividends of democracy except to those masquerading as politicians using the party’s umbrella to cage the welfare of the people and detain democracy.

He is running an unrehearsed administration ever bestowed on the country and has ever since assumption of office gone into profound dreamless slumber.
He is a President Nigerians are learning to trust as his words can not be taken as his honour. He promised Nigerians an electoral reform that would correct past election rigging and make election manipulation a thing of the past, yet he rejected Uwais led committee’s report and still retain Prof. Maurice Iwu as INEC Chair, whereas, most Nigerians believe the first right step at election reform is the removal of Prof. Maurice Iwu and reconstitution of INEC immediately for all these failings, I will rate his administration very low, below 25 percent of good performance. He is a great concern to Nigerians and worry to the world.

What were our father’s dreams for Nigeria?
Our fathers’ dream for Nigeria was to establish a country that is united, strong and prosperous. A state based on the principles of democracy and social justice where sovereignty will belong to the people from whom government, through the country’s constitution shall derive all its powers and authorities.
A country, where the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government and the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured through one man one vote.

Expectations of our generation?
The expectation of our own generation was to build on the foundation of our fathers, a strong nation, where justice will be the basis of governance for the purpose of promoting national integration, while discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethic or linguistic affiliation will not be tolerated.
Establishment of a state where trust in leadership shall be freely expressed without molestation, violence and process manipulation.

Another expectation of our leaders is to hearness the resources of the nation and promote national prosperity to build an efficient, a dynamic and self-reliant economy for the common good of Nigeria citizenry.
Above all, where the welfare and security of all shall be the primary purpose of government.

Source of our mistake
Nigeria, by all standards, is the six largest producers of oil and an exporter, it accounts for half of the total resources of Sub –Sahara Africa, with the largest concentration of Universities, Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and other tertiary institutions.
In population, it is constituted with over 140 million citizens, accounting for one out of every five Africans. Yet, it could not utilize these great potentials to advance its movement to the land of destiny, due to bankrupt leadership.

Everything started going wrong with Nigeria, from the time it failed to solve the political logjam created by the civil strife resulting from the ethnic politics of the late 60,s, which led the country into civil war from 1967-1970. Ever since Nigeria has been bedevil by accidental and mostly unprepared and reluctant leaders without any blue print for development and good governance

Corruption, during the period took on a new dimension. It changed from the people, as a bait to secure government patronages to Government bait to the people to perpetuate their illegitimate ruinous rules.
Indiscipline was crying to the high heaven and became the order of the day among leaders and followers, as nobody seems to be in control of anything, hence a country with all resources turned out to lack everything, living its citizens to wallop in the paradox of poverty and hunger in the midst of stupendous wealth. That was the tragedy of a very rich country with a poor and very wick citizenry.

What to be done?
What can be drastically done to start getting things right is foremost, to stop reforming the present leadership but remove them politically .The present crop of leaders represent the crazy in the demon of Democracy in Nigeria. We need to be courageous to put the blame of our underdevelopment squarely at the door steps of the current illegitimate rulers and recognize that unless they are mechanically rebranded the current National leadership meltdown will lead us to total bankruptcy and no amount of pretencious rebranding will lift Nigeria out of its cul-de-sac.

Part of this effort will be to show the way out of government to Prof Maurice Iwu who has outlived his usefulness, as the head of the election management authority, having become a broken screen through which future election preparation and fairness can not be visibly seen.
If Nigerians are searching for electoral rationality from 2010-2011,on the basis of one person one vote, they must decide to remain firm in their voting allegiances and move decisively against tenure re –rerun by Prof. Iwu and develop public passion against his self described agenda to alter their preferences.
Secondly, election must be made to fulfill its historical missions, one to serve as a means of expressing trust in the person elected, as a tool for putting parliament in place to serve as a key institution of government and as a mechanism through which a ruling government is controlled, defeated and re elected.

Thirdly Nigerian youth and independent voters must wake up from their profound dreamless slumber to put their destinies by their hands and challenge all the status quo permutations by the old politicians working in concert with their political son to mortgage this country and confiscate its value and virtures of democracy while perpetuating misrules, and leadership illegitimacy.
Right virtues and values should be enthrown with ethical leadership so as to replace the current indirection where ethics will become the model to follow in politics and in governance, then the country will fly beyond the sky.




http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/oct/01/national-01-10-2009-001.htm

Yes. Rich country, Poor citizens, Rich leaders.