Yar’Adua’s health power-game has soiled Nigeria’s image abroad – NIDOE Chairman, Alistair Soyode
Alistair Soyode - Chairman, NIDEO
Alistair Soyode, Chairman of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Organisation Europe has expressed that Nigerians across the world have suffered more indignity and unwarranted embarrassment following the recent mystery surrounding the health and where-about of the nation’s no1, citizen, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
According to Mr Soyode, Nigerians in the diaspora are under immense pressure and there had been no any credible voice giving them any report as on the position of things as regards the ailing Nigerian president.
Soyode was speaking during the week as a guest of the Nigeria’s political lifeline programme on the African Independence Television(AIT), Focus Nigeria.
He was being asked by the programme host, Gbenga Aruleba who asked him to comment on the reactions of Nigerians across Europe as Nigeria’s leader Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was in a foreign land for 75 days without any top government functionary sighting him during those days keeping the entire nation incommunicado.
He had also been asked to comment in the aftermath of the arrival back home and the circumstances of his being shielded from fellow partners in governing business.
President Yar’Adua has remained invisible for more than three months still allegedly laying unconscious on sick bed even almost two weeks after his so called arrival back to the country.
According to Mr Soyode, the impact of the conspiracy surrounding the President even after arriving back home had been felt more by him and other Nigeria Media Executives in Europe as they are put under immense pressure to dig out answers as regards the where-about of the President.
Ever since arriving back in Nigeria the nation’s president health has been managed by his close associates who have brought the country into world focus in the way the president had been shielded and over guided and protected like a personal property by his cronies.
“Nigerians have been facing the embarrassing challenge. We are all being asked the question about the situation in Nigeria as concerned the health of the president.
The point is that as Nigerians, we are not being treated at all as a country with dignity and our image has been terribly dented”.
“It is our right. We should know the welfare of our President. We elected him in and he is answerable to us. I have a stake in this matter and all of us have a stake as Nigerians”
The Ben Television Chief Executive who is the current Chairman of Nigerians in the Diaspora Organisation Europe(NIDOE) made specific point to the fact that 2010 is a year of the nation’s 50th year Independence anniversary and for a country that is perceived as the America of Africa and a country that holds the status that Britain holds in Europe, the image of the country is in total shambles,”I say complete shambles”.
According to the Diaspora,s spokesman, all Nigerians are under immense pressure to dig out information and to account for the president’s where-about.
He claimed Nigerians in the Diaspora are worse hit in the power rumba dance which had been choreographed, perfected, stage-managed and beamed to the entire nation by a group of cabal holding the nation into ransom, while the world watch with consternation.
Mr Alistair however noted that Nigeria’s politics would soon change in no time regarding power manipulation and the denial of people’s rights by certain government stakeholders hand-twisting the nation.
He added that the level of abuse of power by the stake-holders had degenerated to this level because in the past, Nigerians are known to accept their fate with many given excuses from various quarters of government institution due the nature of the people.
According to him, things are fast changing with the emergence of many human right groups and activists and especially with the exposure of the people to the outside world through various electronic communications.
He claimed that now, Nigerians know how to fight for their rights.
Alistair and Nigeria High Commissioner to United Kingdom, Alhaji Tafida.
He indicated that in recent times, political textures in Nigeria have changed and people may now be forced to fight for and grab back anything that belong to them or that they are denied.
“We elected our President. We put him in and so we need informations”, the media guru emphasized.
“The power belong to us the people even though ultimate powers belongs to God” he continued adding:” the cabal holding the nation into ransom has made a mockery of the nation and her image and that shouldn’t be”.
In his own reaction during the programme, the head of the Civil Liberties Organisation(CLO), Mr Chijioke Odom claimed the unfolding circumstances has portrayed Nigeria as operating a ghost and phantom presidential type of government.
He said:” Let Nigerians search political archives and go through the political profiles of all the leaders of the world and let them tell us if you can find any nation at any point in time that has a ghost President or operating a ghost presidency. As it is today, Nigeria is operating a ghost presidential system”, he submitted.
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