FRIDAY Column by Engr. Abubakar A. Fari
mofari@hotmail.com
The Alheri Radio Station located at Marrarrabar Jos on Sunday 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 showcase since he took over on May 29, 2015. As a card carrying member of the APC registered on February 19, 2014 by design and choice, 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 Friday, 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 from should as it were, lead the pack.
Secondly, the PDP is to be seen on a holistic path and not as an isolated event. In view of the 6 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 idle and unproductive PDP traducers to loot. Buhari said during the administration of OBJ, Nigeria till May 1999, it had never got money in its federation account but were looted under PDP in 16 years. There was indirect and direct stealing with PDP in power.
Indirect stealing manifests when inflated projects that should cost say N1.0 million were 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 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 indivisual accounts that the PDP financial and economic criminals have not allowed.
How could they allow one woman Diezani to do what she liked and they called themselves all kind of names Excellencies, Honourables, Chiefs, Alhajis’s, Reverend, Deacons, Apostles, Barristers, SANs and what have you. So over 50% of what 150 million Nigerians were suppose to benefit were hypothecated or confiscated upfront from buyers of crude oil and gas by PDP devils with human face. Even the dividends from LNG were confiscated and now they are unfortunately using CAN and churches mainly to divert attention to confuse Christians given 2019 in view. The whole diabolical schemes are to return to the GEJ days and frustrate the Buhari anti-corruptions and drive to recover the loot. Of course there is PDP 1 and PDP 2 as stated by Balarabe Musa. The PDP 2 are in APC and they know themselves. Whethe these media wars are gimmicks one cannot say. 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 should hammer is that at what price? Even the 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 would have completed 8 years. If at all, let them compare the first 3 years of Yar’adua and Shema’s achievements. In financial analysis the devils are hidden in the numbers and not the physical appearances. One can compare the cost of a ring road in Katsina after execution and let us see the Bill of Engineering Measurements (BEME), the preliminaries, contingencies, cost escalations and variations as well as the bids and the tender evaluations. Under these audit measures, some people will be lynched! APC may not be an exception too.
Fifthly, everyone is aware that Nigeria depends on oil proceeds. The crude oil price and the Foreign Exchange 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. Now Buhari and APC governors are at weaker points for at 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. So effectively Yar’Adua had cash to throw off of 6 times while Shema of 4 times against 1 US Dollar for APC governments.
Despite the sabotage by PDP disgruntled elements and their sympathisers in the Judiciary; National Assembly; the civil services and business community, Buhari has given the minority governors in the middle belts, the south bailout money to pay salaries and pensions, but Ortom in Benue, Darius in Taraba, Fayose in Ekiti and the 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 in the global best practices, the anti-open grazing government in Europe do give each herder N2500 equivalent per cattle . But in Nigeria, they are left with no land, no incentive, but are faced with theft and killing of their families and hacking their cattle and bigots in CAN and southern media are talking lies and evading the real issues. Now the truth has been told, and clearly they have a hidden agenda given 2019 and resource control. Once more Audu Ogbeh from Benue has exposed them in the Daily Trust of Monday January 22, when he said among other things that, “In 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan gave N100.0 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 blame Buhari at the centre at all times, why don’t we ask our state governments questions?”
So the PDP governors who remain in the majority including those in the north and so-called Muslims, when it comes to money, they support any evil in disguise. Money would appear their god, all the pretenses in the mosques and churches not withstanding. Jonathan should speak and ask them to account for the death of the herders and farmers that died for no reason than the callous evil minded ruling class and the PDP snakes who were callous and unjust. They should be taken to court now that they have no immunity to avoid arrest and prosecution, and let them be severely punished without mercy.
