Life support and a lifeless legislature

Sir: In his most recent bid to beat about the bush of Nigeria’s bounteous problems as a country, Godswill Akpabio, Nigeria’s Senate president, declared that before 2023, Nigeria was on life support. The familiarly sweeping statement was a direct reference to the darkness that preceded the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and how his government has come to represent renewed hope in Nigeria.

After avarice which is the signature characteristic of Nigerian politicians and public office holders, dissembling is probably next. Nigerian politicians are adept at describing one thing as another thing entirely and getting away with it.

Akpabio’s description of a pre-2023 darkness is as jarring as it is disturbing. The question is: Where was he when Nigeria was steeped in the darkness he so strongly describes? He was very much around. He has been governor, minister, and senator and now Senate president. Given he was conspicuously around when Nigeria staggered in darkness, it is safe and fair to say that he was very much part of the darkness. What did he do to dispel the darkness? How much of the darkness did he bring into the current administration?

There is a new sheriff in town and the jury is still very much out in what he represents. However, those who seek to paint the new administration which has talked much more than it has done in all shades of rose unwittingly give themselves away as sycophants and hypocrites.

President Tinubu has now held the reins for 19 months. It has been 19 months of nightmares and niggles. While he has shown forceful promise in his ability to steer Nigeria away from stagnation, he has had to deal with plunging Nigerians into unprecedented hardship. Yet, to chalk everything down to his administration would be most unfair. But it would not be unfair to indict the All Progressives Congress (APC) for a large chunk of Nigeria’s current woes. Tinubu was a foundational member of the party which has now had close to a decade experience in how to ruin Nigeria.

As for Akpabio who has flirted between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which had 16 years of destroying Nigeria and the APC which had about 10, it is surprising to hear him talk about darkness. Darkness in itself is not a surprise to Nigerians. Last year, the national grid collapsed multiple times to plunge Nigerians into literal darkness. Nigeria has also spent trillions to power its power sector all to no avail. So, Nigerians know darkness and are used to darkness literally and metaphorically. Nigerians also know the source of the darkness that envelope their country. They know those who insist that the only lights blinking anywhere in the country will be in their courtyards.

The question is: did the Senate president just realise that Nigeria has been in darkness since the PDP was in power, which darkness the APC has only amplified? Since he has been a linchpin in both political parties that have ruled and ruined Nigeria since 1999, what has he done to dispel the darkness? More straight to the point, what has the current National Assembly under Akpabio done to dig Nigeria out of the darkness he so effortlessly describes? Talk is cheap. Unfortunately, since it was inaugurated, the current National Assembly has done very little to reassure Nigerians or show that it is determined to wrest Nigeria out of life support.

Kene Obiezu, [email protected]