By Zik Gbemre

We find rather appalling that while the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, is trying his best to address the many issues plaguing the Nigerian economy, especially with the fallen oil price, grossly depleted foreign and domestic reserve  and the obvious harsh economic life daily faced by Nigerians as many are denied access to even the basic social amenities; some very ‘unpatriotic’ and self-serving so called political leaders like the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, are bent on sabotaging the good efforts of the apex Government for reasons best known to them.

There is no better way to describe the Ekiti State Governor than one who is a “political and economic saboteur” that practically does not want the present APC-led Federal Government to succeed in fixing the nation’s problems. It is as if being in the new Opposition – PDP- has made Governor Fayose to so blinded and delusional that he practically does not know where to draw the line with his unguided criticism of every effort of the President Buhari-led Government.

This was our mindset, and we believe many well meaning Nigerians share the same view; when Governor Fayose wrote to the Government of China, urging President XI Jinping not to approve the $2b loan requested recently by President Buhari to implement development component of the 2016 national budget. To even think that the Ekiti State Governor (whose governorship mandate is still very questionable going by the mind boggling revelations that his election was allegedly grossly rigged), had the audacity to send the said letter through his emissary to the Chinese Embassy in Abuja while he personally took a copy of the letter to Shanghai to be delivered to the Chinese President; clearly shows that he has truly lost his sense of reasoning and direction as a supposed political leader.

For Governor Fayose to have gone this far to do this, he has overstepped his boundaries and seriously needs to be called to order by his Political Party the PDP and those close to him. His actions in this direction, obviously indicates that he either has something against the person of President Buhari or he is just looking for attention that will fetch him no good.

How can a State Governor, whose workers’ salaries remained unpaid for four months now, and whose doctors in his State have been on strike and the Ekiti people are dying; be coming out boldly to criticize and oppose every effort of the President Buhari-led Federal Government? What gave Governor Fayose the impetus and right to point fingers at the Federal Government when he should be busy addressing the many problems plaguing his own State? Is Ayodele Fayose the only governor in the country to have something to say and do every time the Federal Government does something? Is he the only person in the Opposition Party? Mind you, nobody has ‘interfered’ with the way Governor Fayose has been running his Ekiti State like a ‘Banana Republic.’ So what gave him the right to think that he can interfere with the plans of the Federal Government under President Buhari in addressing the infrastructural problems of the nation?

In our own humble opinion, and truth be told, we believe President Muhammadu Buhari is doing his best for this country; because many years of ‘decay’ will also take many years to fix. It is not President Buhari’s fault that the global oil price has drastically dropped and the nation’s reserves are in the red. These were issues that he met on ground and most of which he does not have the power to turn around immediately, particularly the dwindling oil price, which fortunately, is beginning to show signs of improving. All the President has been doing, which we applaud him, is to try to ‘manage the situation’ until the country’s economy is out of the woods. Hence, the two billion dollars ($2bn) loan from the Chinese Government is intended to revamp the country’s ailing infrastructure, especially the rail sub sector of the economy. This would benefits all Nigerians irrespective of their tribes, religio! n, political affiliation or cultural leaning. So we do not understand what Governor Fayose’s problem is with the move. There is need to jettison this politics of calumny to ensure the success of the noble objective of Federal Government.

Governor Fayose should be reminded that he is just a supposed State Governor and by his actions to have written to the Chinese Government to stop the $2b loan requested by the President Buhari-led Government; he has bitten more than he can chew. This, to us, is the height of indiscipline and it has labeled Governor Fayose as someone who is unpatriotic, a ‘spoiler’ and a political/economic saboteur.

We therefore urge the leadership of the new Opposition Party – PDP – to Call one of their own, Governor Ayodele Fayose, to Order and advise him to limit his so called criticisms of the President Buhari-led Federal Government to himself. Nigerians are sick and tired of antics, negativity and cancerous disposition towards the efforts of the Federal Government in trying to address the so many problems left behind by the immediate past two Federal Governments under the PD! P. What Nigerians need now are Political Leaders at all levels who would also find ways they can ‘join hands’ with the new ruling Federal Government and proffer solutions to the many problems facing us as a people, and not those who only see nothing good from the Federal Government.

Zik Gbemre,JP.

National Coordinator

Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)

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