As former president Olusegun Obasanjo's letter to President Muhammadu Buhari concerning the state of the nation continues to generates more diverse reactions in Nigeria, pastor Olumide Akinrinlola, the national president of the Council of Concerned Youths of Nigeria (COCYON), in this article, urged Nigerian youths to exercise their rights of voting to elect credible leaders in 2019 general elections.
The demand for good governance through constructive criticism at all levels of government in Nigeria is part of our human right and property in a democratic society like ours. But of recent, Nigeria has become a country where the expression of our fundamental human right against the poor or non performance of government has become a threat to our human existence due to high level of intolerance exhibited against the opposition parties and other critics of the government.
Nigerians leave in palpable fear of arrest by the security agencies, hence the cowardice culture of silence displayed in recent past by well meaning Nigerians as regards the responsibility failure of president Muhammadu Buhari led administration.
The people fear too much just like the late music legend, Fela Anikulapo said in his music.They fear to fight for justice, freedom and liberty because of fear of arrest and harassment by security agencies.
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People of timber and calibre who thronged the street of Lagos and Abuja between 2014/2015 under the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan to call for good governance and preached the gospel for change of government to Nigerians are nowhere to be found today; even at a time we need them most to rise up now and sensitise the masses against the danger of trading their vote and the implications of recycling politicians come 2019.
However, we appreciate former president Olusegun Obasanjo for giving the direction on how to go in 2019. We commend his bravery for the fearless demonstration of disapproval for the second term bid of president Buhari and his party (APC) due to non performance and high level of impunity. Though the president has not come out openly to declare intention to contest for second term but who knows what is in the offing?
Chief Obasanjo's open letter to Nigerians is a time bomb and indeed a divine direction from God for every lover of good governance in Nigeria. His letter came at a time we needed it most. Chief Obasanjo has just spoken the minds of thousands of Nigerian youths under the aegis of the Council of Concerned Youth of Nigeria (COCYON) who were actually nurturing the move to massively mobilise against the recycling of politicians who were of the old generation, especially those who have been tested and failed the masses.
This is the time our youth must rise up and fight poverty, failure, non performance, nepotism, corruption, insecurity, unemployment, job losses, collapse of industries, recession, high cost of living, dollar increase, and this man made ethnic crisis, with the use of their PVC in 2019 to restore hope to common Nigerian who cannot afford 3 square meal per day by disallowing any government who birthed a system that takes necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes from coming back to suffer the masses for another four years.
If we are tired of suffering and smiling, we need to disturb the present now to improve the future. Hence the need we must all embrace the suggestion of former president Olusegun Obasanjo to get desired result of quality representation in 2019 and liberate our people from their hopelessness as the next general election draws near in Nigeria.
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Nigeria is the only country in the world that has crude oil without fuel. We have so much energy without electricity. We have so much waters without drinkable water. We have farms without food on our table. We are blessed with human resources without job for the people.
Our problem is just very simple. We must stop the recycling of the old generation in our political system to rule over the new generation. Just like the parable of our Lord Jesus Christ, you can't put new wine in old bottle otherwise, the bottle will break and the wine will run out. (Matthew 9:17). So also we can't keep voting for the same set of people and expect desired result to come.
2019 is our only hope, and the year of our deliverance in Nigeria. We must hit the ground now and start running to educate our people about the danger of trading their votes for money in 2019. We must orientate the masses not to recycle the old generation any longer. We must do away with political, religious and tribal sentiments to heal our wounds and return Nigeria to the part of economic growth and infrastructural development.
All tested and failed politicians must go come 2019. We must not give room for any fake repentance by politicians who have nothing to offer our people.
2019 reelection bid: Should President Buhari heed Obasanjo's advice? on NAIJ.com TV.
Source: Naija.ng