Will The Real “Wailing Wailers” Please Stand Up?

Extract: We the "wailing wailers" are today’s watchmen and we cannot afford to get it wrong another time.

It all began on Tuesday, July 1, 2015; “If PDP has begun to cry wolf where there was none on INEC chairman, then they should be set for louder lamentations. The wailing wailers,” the Presidential mouthpiece, Femi Adesina tweeted.

When Adesina infamously branded the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, “wailing wailers,” he broke the internet with that swipe, at least as far as Nigerians were concerned.

My beloved friend, brother and journalist based in Sierra Leone, adopted it as his “national anthem," and would not go a day without hurling the word at me at the slightest provocation.

“Wailing wailers” dominated this young vibrant journalist's lexicon. He said it, drummed it, hummed it and became obsessed with it. I nearly thought he had gone nuts.

Six months after Buhari's victory, my friend has gone mute, and now cuts a sorry figure. You see, he cannot criticise the government to me, he cannot possibly try to put on the "wailers garb" now can he?

Edo State Governor and self acclaimed Presidential Spokesman; Adams Oshiomhole popular for his face and his unfounded earth quaking revelations has gone underground, “water don pass garri.”

Oshiomhole can no longer throw figures about; else he will be battling with a cumulative figure close to the United State's budget.

Cut to the gross picture of Buhari in New Delhi, India, saying “we are broke, we cannot pay Ministers… that many Ministers,” Ministers will sit in council but will use the information gotten from there for nothing, we are “materially and morally vandalized” bla bla bla...(all paraphrased of course, even the C-in-C wails sometimes.)

The Jagaban, Ahmed Bola Tinubu in a recent piece written by the Chairman of his The Nation newspaper Sam Omatseye, retorted: “If the President says we have been materially vandalised, it is no new wisdom.

“If a lot of our money has been stolen, what is the progress in getting them back? We need the money. We don’t want a President who will lament.”

Senate President Bukola Saraki is a thorn in Buhari’s flesh. Umar Danladi at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, is bent on giving Buhari a bad name with his overzealousness, ignoring procedures while dishing out summons.

The Biafra boys are a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. The "decrees" GMB has been issuing these days, seem inadequate to stop the bomb from going off. Perhaps, moving the Command and Control Centre of the military to far away N/East is making the boys feel too relaxed.

The inglorious recession drums of the Central Bank Chief are becoming more audible. Our Naira has plummeted; in fact biscuit for Abuja don go back to him emaciated self, with three for one pack. The Chibok Girls are not yet back and with the recent blasts, I no trust any traffic jam these days, God forbid bad thing.

Somebody said that “the disease wey wan kill dog go first kill him sense of smell.” Honestly, it is safe to conclude that the APC has no agenda, no economic policies and lacks direction.

The clear discord between the leader of the party and those who put him in office with frivolous campaign promises, make me cringe for what I see coming.

It is a pity that the elusive "change" has become “one chance.”

Even my friends, who made my life miserable when GEJ was kicked out of office, admit that Buhari has not shown any sign of developing the economy. Baba is still dilly dallying.

Buhari's issues are self-inflicted and he must own up to them.

Does something in that Villa make you think everyone else is the problem and not you? Mr. President must get the job done or excuse yourself, the office no be by force na?!

None of the countries visited by PMB since he moved to Aso Rock, blame past governments for their current woes months after assuming power.

Campaigns ended over 6 months ago, yet Buhari has failed to realize that he is now in charge. Government is an institution. In developed countries, when you take over power, you quietly bear the brunt of what the institution brought upon the people.

We have to realize that once elections are over, we must all accept the outcome and learn to work with each other.

Enough of this rear view mirror focus we have been regaled with these past few months. It is time to man up and take responsibility for the way things are and take action to make progress.

Our runaway brothers who chanted “Sai Baba" and sang “Masu gudu su gudu," please feel free to defend Nigeria, we must all speak up against bad government, whether we supported it for office or not.

We the "wailing wailers" are today’s watchmen and we cannot afford to get it wrong another time. We reveled in the euphoria of GEJ's victory in 2011, see where that got us.

​Best wishes
Oqua Henry