Are we having a Shagari Mark II or just Anti Government

I have tried not to post too heavily against the current PDP regime in Nigeria in spite of my earlier misgivings. It appears its latest decision to rescind the sale of NITEL the former government owned telecoms company to Transcorp (itself a flawed effort to create a Nigerian version of the Korean Cheabol organisations) puts things into sharp relief. Although the jury is still out but, this government does not inspire any great sense of purpose or engender any serious transformative instinct. It trades on the humility and personal integrity of the President without any evidence for believing he has good judgement or any coherent policy direction. We have had this before between 1979 and 1983 leading to a period of fascist rule. On the other hand this government in Abuja might be worse in that it panders to the worst populist instincts of the Nigerian elite which are rampant competition, disdain for process, short term addiction and a rabid anti Olusegun Obasanjo.

The result is that confidence required in any successful economy to trust in Government commitment is being damaged. The belief in sustainability of any Nigerian government commitment has become a lottery in which any subsequent regime can overturn at will prior contracts and projects. This is a very sad development. We are now unable to have any continuity of national agenda even when the voters appeared to retain the same party largely for that reason. When the confidence of the investors small and large as well as voters and tax payers are tarnished to serve the insecurity of the baying mob of cognescenti and glitterati. I wonder how that can be called governing . I think this government is quickly becoming the Anti- government.