Time for Change

Over the course of this year, I have made significant movement towards the betterment of self and conscious aggrandizement of thoughts that will enhance growth for self and society and these steps most of MAB readers can relate with because I have shared them on the blog.

I am bold to say however that the best and most convincing I (think) have made so far (i.e after my marriage *wink*) is joining the Professor Osinbajo’s campaign team. Yeah, you heard right!

I am no longer wishing him well and hoping he wins, I am going to use my resources, joining force with other volunteers to make sure that change is effected in the polity. Joining Prof Osinbajo’s campaign train was mind opening and something of an honour for me. It was a complete paradigm shift as I saw the man (whom I had listened to on the radio several years as he preaches God’s word) for the first time in his campaign office on Idowu Martins Victoria Island as he stepped out of his SUV and greeted party faithful’s waiting for his campaign to begin.

And in this great team I was opportuned to meet one on one and have conversations with Commisioner of Transportation Mr. Kayode Opeifa, former Finance Commisioner Wale Edun, Founder of FOTA church Yomi Kasali, Mr. Fela and a host of great minds who have shown open commitment to the course of change as proposed by the Buhari/Osinbajo candidacy.

He is man with few words and different political parlance (as the party faithful’s made it even obvious with his comparism to ‘Jagaban’ of Nigerian Politics, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who would have thrown money at his entrance) but one thing is certain, if the change we wanted was to be achieve, Professor Osinbajo is the man we need. Of course I am saying this because I am now in his campaign organization but also because I have first-hand information on the mien and personality of the next Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come February 2014.

I will not write about the many things this great man has achieved in his heavily committed public life(it is all out there in the media), I will however say that if we don’t make the right choice now in choosing Buhari and Osinbajo candidacy, we will never know what the alternatives to hardship and corruption can be. If you have clicked on the link above to see the achievements of Osinbajo, you will notice that he had come up with several opportunities for common Nigerians without means to seek redress if wronged or better alternatives for living.

It is very unusual to find public servants in Nigeria with unblemished records whilst they served and these two servants are rare indeed. Sai Baba, (as the Hausa guys on V.I shouted as they ran after our beautifully branded buses) Buhari; his record is out there with his stance on corruption, public recklessness and excellence. Should I fail not to remember before the end of this article, let me quickly state; BUHARI is really revered and loved amongst the Northerners as I have come to also do. I opened the window on my side of the bus to communicate with an Hausa guy who was hawking sweets and chewing gums who had so large a smile on his face. I jokingly said ‘Sai Baba said you should give me one’. To my utmost disbelief, he took a gum and gave it to me. I was shocked and quickly made to pay but he just walked away to continue in his admiration for Buhari as he looked at his pictures on the bus. 

And as I sat with some new friends I met and made during the campaign train, you could just sense that status quo was gradually parting for change. A guy told me, on a good day, if he comes for rally’s or campaign like this, he is certain of going home with at least N5, 000. Here he is, along with about 200 of us with no promise of cash except for food and water and we came out to support and lend our own hand to the change that we wanted. 

Do you know that:

Over 20.3 million Nigerians between 15 – 35 years old are unemployed according to NBS (Nigerian Bureau of Statistics)? Yet every year 4.5 million new entrants are emitted into the labour market from the educational system. 59.2% of Nigerian households live in Single bedroom apartment and 24.4 million Nigerians will be homeless by 2015.

Do you also know that:

112.5 million Nigerians live below US $2 per day (i.e 70% of the population) and 52 years is the life expectancy rate for every Nigerian? We are the 33^rd poorest country in the world despite all the resources in human and natural abundances. $20 billion dollars yet unaccounted for as identified by the CBN is yet to be cleared. $8 billion was spent on kerosene subsidies yet CBN said it saw $6 billion in their coffers.

These many malfeasances have been attributed with the PDP government since 1999 and will the APC make any difference? Well, no one knows except for the fact that when we give them a chance, then we can judge them vis-à-vis the last 16 years of our wasted years. I am ready for that change and if you are then we may have to do the needful; vote right!

So yesterday, the VP in waiting (if I can say that) told us he was not going to be the guy in the poster with fantastic track record but not connectivity with his people, he wanted to do a door to door visitation for the span of the next 60 days or so before election. So watch out, we might be knocking on your door very soon asking you to come vote for us Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo on the APC platform.

These are some of the pictures I took yesterday.