Four Days To The General Election: When Will Bolaji Abdullahi Tell Us His Big Ideas?

Nigeria’s major problem is not to set forth ideas or system of ideas but how such ideas can be translated into real improvement in the conditions of life of the people.

With few days to the General election, the coast is getting clearer. Illusion is making way for reality. And the shrill voice of Big idea has continue to diminish in it’s intensity. Even the promoters of the slogan have been caught in the web of reticence, while the euphoria to bombard the media space with the slogan has waned.

The reticence is not because the phrase is no longer attractive on paper, but the shame arising from inability to answer constant questions of What and How. What Big idea is Mallam Bolaji bringing to the table? How different, from the previous or existing action plan of others ?

The ultimate goals of idea is to among other things, illuminate the reality and help reality to develop. Unfortunately, the more the PDP Senatorial Candidate, Bolaji Abdulahi engages the electorates, the less the electorates see, as to what constitute his Big idea. Usual rhetorics of the politician!

Keen political observers have seen through the antics of the phrase as a mere sloganeering that only aimed at hoodwinking the unsuspecting electorates with catchy but empty slogan, that offers no practical solutions to the myriad of problems facing the people.

Nothing unusual and novel about the campaign points he has advanced so far. They are familiar action plan and programs that dot our political landscape.

Nigerian’s major developmental challenge is not to set forth ideas or system of ideas but how such ideas can be translated into real improvement in the conditions of life of the people.

Since the country’s independence in the 60s, and till the present moment, government at all level has come up with robust ideas that have only observed in breach than reality. Sadly, the ongoing Naira redesign brouhaha is a typical example of one of such good ideas that suffers poor implementation.

At the inauguration of Senior Executive Course, National Institute for Policy and Strategic studies, 2021, The Vice President Yemi Osibanjo lamented the policy inconsistency and implementation gap as the country’s developmental bane. He charged the various institutions saddle with the responsibilities of execution to place more priority on “getting things done”.

One of the favorite topics of Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi, has been his time as Commissioner for Education in the State. Ironically, the success he thinks he recorded frittered away, even under the system he was part of, before the birth of Otoge government.

Schools were in shamble, teachers were demoralized, with discipline taken flight from the four wall of the class and staff rooms. These example and many more are pointers to what the major problems are. Nigerian’s developmental bane is more of inconsistency, will power and implementation gap than lack of development visions, ideas or programmes. Examples abound.

Given his public posture, and the burden of expectations on him as intellect, one would wonder if Bolaji Abdulahi has not betrayed intellect, by over flogging his concept of big idea for his political gains.

Whatever it is, Feb 25 will mark another milestone in the political trajectory of the people of Kwara Central.

The electorates will chose between the birds in the Bush, which Bolaji Abdulahi exemplifies or the bird at hand which stands for the visible impact that Mallam Saliu Mustapha has been making in the lives of the downtrodden.

M. T. Ibraheem writes from Abuja.*
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