The Road To 2015
in less than two years from now, Nigerian voters will be warming up for yet another opportunity to exercise their franchise in the 2015 polls for the National Assembly, Presidential gubernatorial and state Assembly elections.
The ritual is a constitutional issue which is binding on all the political parties even though disturbing echoes of the 2011 polls are still lingering at the various High Courts of the land.
Hopefully, the Nigerian Constitutional Review Report believed to be in the pipeline may tackle the issue decisional. To move the country forward Nigerians want the panels to prescribe a reasonable time limit within which all pending electoral petitions must be determined by the court of appeal to the Supreme Court.
One of each electoral cases involving the incumbent Governor of Ekiti state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and his challenger was only on Friday, May 31, 2015 determined by the apex court in favour of the sitting governor.
In reality, the country’s growth in the area of nation building is selective and discriminatory. The massive infrastructural transformations of the environment disguise the true picture. These are tangible aspects of nation building as against the intangible which has much to do with attitudinal changes and reorientation. For real growth, environmental transformation must be complemented by behaviourial changes and maturity.
The political class has indeed failed this nation. Held in leash and in bondage by greed and insatiability, politicians have preferred the road to infamy to that of honour, credibility and patriotism. It is for this reason that the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA leadership crises which is as old as the history of the political party is still blinking oddly and wastefully being one of the political setups by opponents.
The registration of the merger party, the All Progressive Congress, APC is still on hold due to some subtle political technicalities.
Unfortunately, certain categories of the political class abhor normal competition on a level field as is the case in some of the world’s foremost vibrant democracies like Britain and the United States. In these two countries with two major political parties, victory at the polls could go to either of the political divides without acrimony. The Conservatives or Labour in the case of Britain; the Republicans or Democrats in the US.
However, the most lethal bottleneck along the route to 2015 remains the depopulation of some Northern States by the insurgency of the Islamist Boko Haram. The large movement of Nigerians away from the Boko Haram, militarized territories down to parts of Southern Nigeria particularly the South-East has induced large scale distortions of the population figures used in the 2011 polls.
INEC must factorize the ugly development into the delimination exercise for the 2015 general elections for national acceptability.
Already, some Nigerians have tended to be jittery and restive over what may become of the 2015 polls. They are right to feel this way. The contention is that if the recently conducted elections into the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF which polarized the body is a guide to the looming 2015 polls, only the special divine intervention could save Nigeria and Nigerians from what they wished themselves.
Poor Quality of Newly Constructed Roads in Imo
Sir, I wish to draw the attention of the state government and to alert Imo people on the quality of most of the road projects in Imo. Looking around, new roads are springing up in most parts of the state of which Gov. Rochas is taking credit but the poor quality of these roads are a source of concern and worry to Imo people.
For example, the dualized Owerri-Aba road with only an inch thickness cannot be said to be of solid standard considering the fact that it is a major Highway. Outside the insignificant strength of the road, evidence on the ground shows that the road cannot last beyond 2015 yet the Imo State Government will want to claim re-imbursement from the Federal Government for a very bad job. The road has started cracking and potholes are emerging on every part of the road that is not more than 3 months. A visit to the road will reveal Grand Plot of carrying out repairs on collapsed areas. The roundabouts are broken down on daily basis by commuters, the road demarcations are being jumped by vehicle operators, an indication that the structural design of the road with all facilities therein are of low standard.
I therefore call on the Government of Owelle Rochas Okorocha to do something now before it is too late. He should not just embark on road construction just for political reasons if he knows he will not give Imo people a durable road afterall, the funding of the roads are from tax payers not private money. Thank you.
Comrade John Okoye
