Let Us Go Where The Wind Is Blowing; A Jumbled Nigerian System.

By Akintayo Balogun Esq.

My kids love to watch the various series of the popular T.V show called “Barney and friends”. There is a song in a particular episode that draws my attention each time I hear it play. It is titled, “Let’s go where the wind is blowing” It is a beautiful song and makes a lot of sense in the context in which it is being presented in that particular episode and to the knowledge of the children but for me, each time I hear that song, I just say within me, this is the worst kind of movement anyone can be engaged in. I mean, allowing the wind to blow you just anywhere?

A movement that is determined by the wind is a movement without a direction, without a focus, without a bearing, without a placement. As a matter of fact, that is the exact movement Nigeria is currently grabbling with. The sitting government of Nigeria simply goes anywhere the wind blows. The actions of the government is determined by the side of the bed in which it wakes up. I have for the last 6 years of this dispensation tried to fix my heart at the exact template the Nigerian government is working with, I have found none! I have seen none! I have experienced none! I have understood none! The events of the recent past have necessitated this write up. Let me do a small chronology of the recent happenings in the country that made it obvious that we are only been controlled by the winds and it is of course taking us in any direction it deems fit.

1. On 1^st February, 2021, the Inspector General of Police was due for retirement.
2. On 4^th February, 2021, President granted a bizarre three months elongation to a non-existing tenure of the Inspector General of Police.
3. On 30^th March, 2021, the President traveled out of the Country on medical grounds and wilfully refused and/or neglected to hand over to his vice. As usual, the spokesperson said a handover is not required.
4. On 5^th April, 2021, there were multiple attacks in Imo State: there was a prison break, fifty cars were set ablaze, an attack on Police Command and several other destruction of properties.
5. On 6^th April, 2021, the Vice President and Inspector General of Police coincidentally traveled to Imo State at about the same time to commission a project and to bring the ugly situation under control respectively.
6. On 6^th April, 2021, while the Vice President and the Inspector General of Police were still in Imo State, supposedly commissioning projects and inspecting the level of damage done in the State, a new Acting Inspector General was appointed by Mr. President (From the United Kingdom). The appointment as usual was from his favoured section of the Country.
7. Meanwhile, bandits, kidnappers and Boko Haram have been having a free for all activity in Northern Nigeria, Afaka, Chibok, Dapchi, etc, students are still in captivity.
8. Meanwhile, the Parliamentary staff, the judicial staff and the medical community have downed their tools and no one is really saying anything to urgently address these issues.
9. Meanwhile, we are using USD1.5 Billion to repair a refinery, while another part of this same planet, USD1.2 Billion is used to build a new refinery.

The appointment of another Inspector General of Police, while the former was on active/official duty in one of the States of the Federation, without the knowledge, consent or permission of the helpless Vice President, is nothing other than a COUP DE TAT in civilian regalia. The government removed his shoes from under his feet and left him walking on the bare sand of the Sahara desert.  What do we call this?

Mr. President illegally gave him three months (I don’t know if he asked for it), leading to several law suits against the elongation of an already dead tenure. It is like asking for the extension of an exparte order after the natural expiration of its time. Unfortunately, the former Inspector General was not given the courtesy of allowing him complete his illegal three months elongation, he was simply allowed to travel on a suicide/peace/investigative mission and there and then, they pull the carpet off his feet while he was still standing. I could imagine his retinue of convoys and orderlies taking a shift from his side upon the announcement of a new Acting Inspector General in Abuja.  How else do you describe a government without direction, without philosophy, without principles, without ideologies, without purpose? How else?

I can only conclude that the current Nigerian government is being controlled by the winds. It simply go in the direction it pushes them. It takes it decisions according it “good morning” side of the bed. There is no blue print, there is no map, and there is no guide, there is nothing. We only see a government of obvious sectionalism, nepotism and favoritism. That is why we are where we are and we would still remain in this same spot or even slide backwards with time, as long as the wind remains our master.

May the good light shine over the dark places of Nigeria.

Akintayo Balogun Esq.

A legal practitioner based in Abuja, Nigeria.