SIR: Didn’t we experience the worst kind of military despotism and tyranny when Sani Abacha shoved aside the interim and transitional government of Chief Ernest Shonekan in a military putsch? Abacha it was who imposed a reign of terror on Nigerians, then.
Not only did he mindlessly loot our treasury, he also killed many members of the opposition groups, being with sanguinary proclivities.
Consequently, then, Nigeria became a pariah state as some western countries and international organizations ostracized and isolated Nigeria.
His unexpected death prevented Nigeria from rolling down the precipice of dismemberment and descending into a civil war. So, when he died, not a few Nigerians jubilated.
His military successor, Abdusalami Abubakar, conducted the general election, which ushered in the Fourth Republic in 1999. Since the inception of the fourth republic, the PDP had ruled Nigeria for more number of years than other political parties.
But it was Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s lackluster and visionless political leadership of Nigeria that caused the PDP to lose its grips on power.
So, the APC, whose mantra of change gained acceptance in Nigeria, won the 2015 presidential election. And Muhammadu Buhari became our president.
Because of his ascetic nature, and because of his perceived possession of moral scruples, millions of Nigerians believed him to be the political messiah, who would right the wrongs in our polity, entrench peace and unity in the country, and rescue Nigeria from the jaws of underdevelopment.
However, the Daura – born former military head of state has failed to live up to our expectations. In his first term in office, his true persona came to the fore when he appointed many northern Moslems into the country’s security outfits.
His doing that is generally regarded as a proof his being an ethnic jingoist and irredentist as well as a religious bigot. This might have been exaggerated.
Not only has this government failed to guarantee the security of life and property in Nigeria, it has also failed to rejuvenate our economy to make it grow exponentially.
It should be noted that the formulation and execution of jejune economic policy cannot make our economy grow. The economy should be diversified; because the economy is shrinking instead of expanding, there is high rate of unemployment in the country.
Each year, thousands of university graduates are churned out of the tertiary institutions to join the labour market that is surfeit with job seekers.
It is this appalling, parlous, and despicable state of things that Omoyele Sowore tried to call attention to by planning to stage the #revolutionprotest# before he was hauled into detention.
After he had perfected and fulfilled his bail conditions following his arrangement in court, the government and the DSS refused to release him. It took Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu’s order for his immediate release for him to be released only to be re-arrested in court 12 hours later.
This APC-led government is fast morphing to a totalitarian government and has started to attract global opprobrium and condemnation to itself by its egregious actions and misdeeds. World-wide condemnation of the APC-led government trailed Sowore’s re-arrest in court by the DSS officials.
The APC-led government, which is headed by a former military dictator, Muhammadu Buhari, has gained notoriety for its utter disregard of court orders. Sambo Dasuki is still languishing in detention, although there is a court order for his release.
Similarly, Sheik El-zak-zaky, the leader of IMN, is still being held in a correctional facility after the court had granted him bail some years ago.
President Muhammadu Buhari appears to be returning Nigeria to Abacha’s dark era of military despotism. The Nigerian government is so intolerant of criticisms and opposition that it is repressing press freedom and curtailing our fundamental human rights.
The hate speech and social media bill, which is being debated at the national assembly, is suspected at muzzling the voices of dissent when passed into law.
If the bill becomes a law, the violators of the law will face the hang man’s noose as punishment. At a time when countries in our today’s world are calling for the repealing and abrogation of capital punishment, the Nigerian government is trying to make an atavistic and barbaric law, the violation of which will attract death sentence.
Any government that sheds its democratic credentials is a totalitarian regime. Does totalitarianism make for rapid development of a country? Political leaders, who are patriotic and receptive to new ideas and tolerant of criticisms, will make amends and formulate pragmatic economic and scientific policies, the implementation of which will take their country to the peak of economic and technological advancement.
Chiedu Uche Okoye wrote from Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State