At an average age of 47, the cabinet Boris Johnson assembled, three hours after becoming Britain’s Prime Minister, is the United Kingdom’s youngest ev
At an average age of 47, the cabinet Boris Johnson assembled, three hours after becoming Britain’s Prime Minister, is the United Kingdom’s youngest ever cabinet. At an average age of 59, the list of ministerial nominees General Buhari assembled, 142 days after ‘winning’ (rigging) his re-election, is Nigeria’s oldest ever cabinet.
According to the United Nations, the average age of the Nigerian population is 17.9 years, with 63% of Nigerians being below 25 years of age. Nigeria has one of world’s youngest populations. Now, thanks to General Buhari nominating a gerontocratic cabinet. Nigeria now also has the world’s oldest government. How can a country so young be ruled by people so old?
And the annoying thing is that one of General Buhari’s ministerial nominees was prosecuted by another of General Buhari’s ministerial nominees when the Buhari’s prosecuted nominee was facing a ₦19 billion fraud case. Today, both of them will now fight corruption with Buhari! Just yesterday, a General was urging ‘repentant’ Boko Haram members to contest for President.
It is almost as if crime now pays more than honesty in the new improved Nigeria under General Muhammadu Buhari. In fact, I look at Amaechi, Akpabio, Sylva, Aregbesola, Akume and I cannot but conclude that General Buhari must have confused the list of people he planned to send to EFCC for prosecution with his ministerial list. I say this because this list just looks like a who is who in the corruption world cup! Almost as if General Buhari perused EFCC’s register and selected their best 11!
I saw the list and I began thinking to myself. I asked myself this question- Is it right for EFCC to go after yahoo boys when General Buhari dropped Goje’s corruption case and nominated Akpabio, Sylva, Amaechi and Akume as ministers? How can you go after those who looted thousands and leave those who looted billions? ₦25 billion case just disappeared with the wind. Another ₦10 billion fraud trial just flew away. Then ₦19 billion case is now ancient history and an ex-Governor’s multibillion indictment turned to excitement.
Yet EFCC is parading yahoo boys for scamming thousands! Though I have publicly and privately preached against the Internet scams that have sullied Nigeria’s name and reputation world-wide, I feel compelled to counsel Yahoo! boys that they are in the wrong Yahoo business. They ought to buy the ruling All Progressive Congress’ membership form.
Next, they should go and loot like some of Buhari’s new ministers and not only will EFCC leave you alone, but their oga may even make you a minister or a Senate leader. But why stop there? APC will just give you their Presidential ticket. Or you haven’t heard? They love repentant boko haramites.
Oh, who has bewitched Nigeria? Who? In every sphere of the United Nations Human Development Index, we are worse off than we were when General Buhari made his way into office by promising three million jobs per annum and to defeat Boko Haram. But today, instead of defeating Boko Haram, our security issues have metastasized into a hydra headed monster with Boko Haram in the Northeast, Bandits in the Northwest and herdsmen nationwide.
And these crises are actually caused by a failure of leadership. Let me give an example. On January 21, 2015, then President Jonathan was stoned in Katsina, General Buhari’s home state. GEJ ordered his guards not to retaliate. On December 11, 2015, Shiites blocked General Buratai’s convoy. Two days later, soldiers killed 378 of them. I urge you to google these facts I am presenting to you. Today, there is still no peace.
How many deaths would have been avoided, both amongst Shiites and our security officials, if Buratai had been as mature as former President Jonathan? We will never know. Dr. Jonathan believes that his ambition is not worth the blood of any citizen. Leadership makes the difference! And talking of former President Jonathan, he had one of Nigeria’s youngest cabinets with an average age of 46 years. In fact, his minister of state for foreign affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, was only 33 years of age. And to think that General Buhari and Bola Tinubu called Dr. Goodluck Jonathan clueless.
