Re: ASSU, Keyamo and Buhari’s Profligacy; The Writer’s Burden
By Onajite Usman
I found it amusing to read Suyi Ayodele’s piece in The Nigerian Tribune on August 9, 2022, headlined “ASUU, Keyamo, and Buhari’s Profligacy.”
To be absolutely honest, the writer would have received higher marks if he had actually addressed the issues at hand rather than resorting to abusive language directed at Mr. Festus Keyamo SAN, the spokesperson for the APC Presidential Candidate, who had granted an interview to promote the APC candidate.
Suyi Ayodele may have expressed his thoughts out of genuine concern for the terrible gridlocks and economic turmoil the nation is currently experiencing in an effort to remedy what he believes to be the abnormalities, instead, the guy had allowed emotions to cloud his judgment.
If I were him, I would have contrasted my honest perspective with what I believed Keyamo, the APC Presidential Spokesperson, had done incorrectly in the viral interview rather than following such a hysterical course. Everyone is aware that two wrongs do not equal a right. Extremism finally results from attaching too much emotion to things and this eventually deteriorates into terrorism. Terrorism does not only involve acts of violence; it also occurs when you abuse someone instead of correcting them or proffering meaningful solution on issues.
Instead of ignoring caution like a loose cannon, opinion shapers give constructive criticism along with possible remedies or fixes.
First off, let me say that I am not a lover of the human rights activist neither am I a supporter of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for the presidency, or an active supporter of the ruling APC; nevertheless, I am a proponent of logical thought and sound judgment.
The administration of the Mohammadu Buhari-led government has not entirely impressed us, and to state that the country is boiling is like stating the least. As a result, I am also not giving the ruling APC a pass mark. However, it is useful to consider our options before taking the customary emotive plunge.
To be honest, if the author hadn’t trivialized it with a volley of sentimental insults, he might have brought up a few valid points worth considering. Of course, the ASUU strike is unacceptable and a severe mistake on the part of the incumbent; we are all aware of the risks involved in students being idle, especially those who attend higher education institutions where cultism and other anti-social vices are more common.
One would have anticipated a more reasonable response to such a significant national issue as the ASSU strike from the honorable Minister of Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo SAN, whose ministry, coincidentally, is directly responsible for overseeing the educational interregnum and we all know what happens when the going gets tough; most likely, the man who was waiting for the most recent report from the presidential committee on the strike had to succumb to asking parents to join hands in begging the lecturers.
People tend to be displeased with how democracies operate for a variety of reasons all around the world. For instance, people who jump on the first-course fallacy and claim that if all politicians are corrupt, then this administration must be corrupt as well, which is why the economy is in such horrible shape, are more likely to be dissatisfied. Additionally, by inciting unrest and stirring it up, these individuals have a way of undermining the legitimacy of the current administration.
Also, partisanship is a factor. People who support parties that aren’t in power right now and those who have favorable opinions of populist parties may be less satisfied too.
The N1.141 trillion estimated to have been spent on car purchases by the Republic of Niger government is another crucial issue. We shouldn’t forget that it is a basic tenet of diplomacy that one must be aware of the truth in order to lie credibly. Therefore, I want to think that for the Nigerian government to expose such sensitive information to the public, there must be a very vital reason for doing so. The Nigerian government must have done that in good faith and for precise security reasons because, I repeat, no government will ever be so recklessly wasteful to that amount. Sometimes, in diplomacy, you don’t absolutely need to spell out every ABC.
There’s this peculiarity of Nigerians about incumbents, we’re always quick to condemn and yearn for a change, the change we don’t know, forgetting that, continuity of life means continual readaptation of the environment to the needs of living organisms.
If nothing else; of all the candidates up for consideration, there is only one whose impressive track record in governance and capacity mentoring is unmatched; he is the man who has yet to be surpassed in infrastructure developments; he is the one who, on his own, transformed the center of excellence from nothing into the third-largest economy in Africa; he is a detribalized man who is reputed to be the first state executive to include members of all tribes in his cabinet when he was in office. He is no other than Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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