Communication collision phariseesm and change management – Part 2

In 2004, Oshiomhole declared that failure to pay striking workers was evil but in 2016, as a governor, he told his workers that they would not be paid if they went on strike. That was what a commentator called change of mouth!  Candidate PMB felt that the exchange rate of N216/$ was suicidal and unacceptable, and promised better security, regular and cheaper electricity. We know where we are today. Gifts for some judges became bribes, gifts to others are customary.  Amaechi fought against the Excess Crude Account but APC continues to complain that GEJ did not save enough and has even recommenced ECA savings. PMB who criticised the secrecy of Yar’Adua’s health and called on National Assembly to trigger off the impeachment clause now argues that it is human to be sick and that the cost of his treatment is a security issue.

We are all aware of the war between Ambode and  Fashola over the international airport road; between  Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri over the fate of Nigerians abroad and between DSS and EFCC  and between the EFCC and the Attorney General. PMB and APC denied the authorship of all the promises that brought them into power, including the 100-day covenant with Nigerians and though  Adesina tells us that PMB made only three promises which he has fulfilled, the APC officially agreed on 31/7/17, that they had not met all our expectations but promised to keep on trying.

Momoh said we should stone them if they failed to perform after two years; APC protested the sacking of Andrew Yakubu as the managing director of NNPC by GEJ but later arrested him for multi-million dollar fraud, an amount that Lai Mohammed declared could have built 744 hospitals while scientific analyses indicated it could not do more than 170. Ambode ordered VIOs out of Lagos roads just as Governor El Rufai suspended FRSC operations in Kaduna; and there was confusion over who would sign the budget between PMB on sick leave and Osinbajo as Acting President. The case of the grass-cutting Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF) was vintage APC. The Senate peopled mostly by APC senators blew the whistle on the SGF; the President set up a committee (led by the Attorney General) that exonerated him and wrote to NASS accordingly. When the Senate insisted on the authenticity of its whistle, the president set up the Osinbajo panel (including same Attorney General) to investigate the man they had cleared.  

And the following posers arose: Why investigate a man you had cleared? Why set up Osinbajo committee when we have EFCC/ICPC; why should the presidency investigate the presidency? And even when the second committee turned in a verdict of guilty, the matter is still hanging because the man is not even in the APC looters list. The APC promised restructuring, said they did not understand what Nigerians mean by restructuring, denied the promise and has re-promised to ensure restructuring. Meanwhile, where is the Rufai report on restructuring? And while the VP endorsed Magu, AGF Malami said he was on his own while Itse Sagay declared that Malami’s position was unconstitutional.

Mrs Adeosun, long before she started searching for her NYSC certificate, declared that Nigeria should stop borrowing while the Ministry of Finance, over which she still presides said we must continue borrowing and now, even former APC national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun agreed that PMB’s appointments are lopsided; though that may well be a part of his valedictory speech! On top of all this, Lai swore that he had never lied to Nigerians. You see what I mean?
 
Well, whether we are managing organisational change or APC change, integrity is essential and integrity exists when there is a sync between what one says and what one does. The hypocrisy of APC (the party and the members) is written in a pen of iron (Isaiah 17:1) the glibness of their tongue is poisonous and the gullibility of our people to have swallowed their bait before and to probably swallow it again is one of the wonders of the modern world. The Bible tells us that our sins will find us out (Numbers 32:23); an assurance that the wrongs we do or say will one day haunt us. The sins of APC and its officials, in terms of their sayings and deeds, are evidences against them in the public court of today. 

When one deliberately creates a false impression, the Amplified version of the Bible says such a person is dealing in falsehood, error, deception and cheating (Rev 22:15). A liar’s biggest problem is that he cannot believe anybody because how you live your life is how you judge your neighbour (The Word for Today,11/8/18). But there is a way out: those who have problem telling the truth should say after me: Lord deliver my  soul from  lying lips and a deceitful tongue (Psalm 120:2) and those who are victims of lying should pray: Lord deliver me from liars and deceivers (another version of the same Psalm 120:2)

When members of the same party say different things on the same issue, disagree with one another in the open and deny what they had earlier said, then it is an indication that a season of political and governance apocalypse is forthcoming. I agree that we actually entered a one-chance bus in 2015 but I thank God that Nigeria is still standing. Meanwhile, as we continue to watch the evolving political drama preparatory to 2019, one thing is certain: politicians are shameless and the only interest they understand and protect is self. Nigeria go survive.
Concluded.

Muo wrote from Department of Business Administration, OOU, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.