OUR OWN, THEIR OWN, AND WE ALL LOSE I-III -BY CHRIS MUSTAPHA NWAOKOBIA JNR

 “An individual has not started living until

he can rise above the narrow confines

of his individualistic demands

to the broader concern of humanity.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

There is no better time for this inspired and deeply researched series than now. My late Dad, Chris Nwaokobia Snr. taught me that without peace, progress and prosperity is distant. And he emphasized that the primary task imposed on government by the Constitution is the protection of lives and property, as peace, progress and prosperity will remain elusive without Security.

I was chiefly against the past administration because it failed to guarantee the safety of the citizenry. And I was DG of the CHANGE AMBASSADORS OF NIGERIA CAN, one of the major campaign groups that berthed the Buhari Presidency.

As a concerned citizen, I sent several direct messages to the leadership of the APC and indeed to the President and his Vice before and after the 2015 inauguration. Haply the President, his Vice, the former Chairman of the APC, amongst other leaders, were humble enough to respond to them.

On one occasion, Mr. President sent a reply, 'Noted, thanks my fellow Patriot'. The message that elicited that response is the trust of this series, and by God's infinite Grace, it is one of the reasons I shall defeat President Muhammadu Buhari at the polls come 2019.

Considering how divisive and cantankerous the 2014/2015 electioneering process was, I suggest we hasten to heal the wounds of the campaign by running an inclusive government. I suggest we make equity, fairness and justice our minimum. And I pray we uphold the call for restructuring enshrined in the Party manifesto', I opined. 3 years on, Buhari knows HIS OWN, as Nigeria bleeds. But all hope is not lost.

Join the redemptive cause on www.countryfirstng.org LET'S HEAL NIGERIA.

OUR OWN, THEIR OWN, AND WE ALL LOSE II

"True compassion is more than flinging

a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that

an edifice which produces beggars

needs restructuring."

- MLK JR.

Some have argued that you cannot sacrifice excellence at the altar of inclusiveness. Some have defended Mr President's appointments, seeing every critic from the religious and the regional prism, as competency suffers. And partisans see nothing wrong, insisting that this Govt will yet deliver. How?

The truth is that Buhari like the 'rulers' before him, cares more about THEIR OWN, their ethnicity, their religion, their region and their political party, as Nigeria suffers, Buhari's may just be more evident, but such is reason we are where we are.

The dearth of equity, fairness and justice breeds distrust, and the result is the troubled nation we have. Our 'rulers' since the collapse of the 1st Republic are guilty, so drop the IBB, OBJ, GEJ & PMB narrative, or the Military & the PDP/APC comparative, and raise bar.

READ ALSO: GIVE ME CREDIT FOR JUNE 12 SUCCESS, NOT BUHARI, BABANGIDA WAILS

The Federal Character normative is like tossing a coin at a beggar, when this edifice can be restructured to lift him out of poverty. And why do you think that those the President should appoint to Head the Security Architecture of the nation must be HIS OWN, his men and those he can trust? Don't jump like you know you are right. 85% of us have been fatally wrong on this. And that is why our national security architecture have been comatose and mediocre.

Across the civilized world, and this includes all nations that seek peace, progress and prosperity, key security appointments are determined by competency and loyalty to nation, not to the President. Do you see why successive 'rulership' has failed to protect us?

OUR OWN, THEIR OWN, AND WE ALL LOSE III.

“Where the prejudice of partisanship,

ethnicity, region and religion prevail,

the 'we' and the 'they' narrative festers,

as the bar of excellence and competency

is lowered to the detriment of the society,

no one person or tendency loses,

we all lose.” - CMN JNR.

Since the 1st Republic, we have wrestled with a system at war with itself. We call for growth and prosperity but are unwilling to walk the talk. How can a nation that lowers her moral, intellectual, and professional bar to accommodate OUR OWN at the expense of THEIR OWN, grow?

When we lower the bar in favour of candidate “A” who scores 20% at the expense of candidate B who scores 60%, we all lose, because choosing mediocrity over excellence is the greatest disservice anyone can do to nature. And the price we pay is evident in the mediocre civil service, uninspiring institutions, comatose Medicare, poor infrastructure, lack of quality education, poverty, lethargic leadership, docile followership, and the comedic manifestoes of political operators.

Compatriots we must raise the BAR. We must overhaul our values, and rework the ethical compass of leadership.

I BELIEVE in Wealth Redistribution, Resource Control, True Fiscal Federalism, Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education, and in deepening the frontiers of national security and the war against corruption through Commitment to Professionalism and Patriotism, as well as investment in Human Capital Development, and Infrastructure, such is THE NEW DEAL. And we must RAISE THE BAR for we know that A NEW, A BETTER AND A PROSPEROUS NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE.

- Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr., is a presidential aspirant of the 2019 Presidential elections in Nigeria.