If regional sentiment were to be the basis of statesmanship, the trio of Generals Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and Vice President Atiku Abubakar would have been qualified for gold medals.  Their romance in recent times, has been viewed as a union  of necessity rather than an alliance for change.

By Tare Raine,

It is apparent that the Nigerian state is a mad house. A people that sit in the midst of plenty but use their own spittle to wash off the dirt and excrement on their bodies, thereby worsening their already sorry plight. I have sat down for over sixteen years as an adult citizen of this country and rode along with the madness that has characterized our polity. A madness that grows deeper as we age in our years, and as we increase in our ungainly habits.

Is there a “spirit” of June 12, 1993? Very often, in the passionate debates over the whys and wherefores of the presidential election of that date, there is often a lot of controversy as to whether it has left a lasting legacy for Nigeria. In spite of those who claim that it was merely the climax of a flawed process, without any lasting effects whatsoever, it cannot be doubted that, whatever its shortcomings, June 12, 1993 brought into being a new set of attitudes and ways of thinking that have continued to influence the country’s approach to issues of governance, ever since.

The Punch Editorial
As the nation moves towards another general elections, voters should look carefully before they leap. The nation’s democratic institutions are still fragile. They require down-to-earth democrats to nurture them to maturity. The khaki men now wearing agbada should not be allowed to weaken them the more.