At Last, Farewell To Poverty, By Hafsat Abiola-Costello

Dear Nigerians,

Saturday is D-Day. It is a moment
of joy that Nigeria has again been given an opportunity to stand on its feet.
In this, I see clear evidence of God’s love for us. But we must now do our
part. Let money not blind us to the task that is ours to do for the wealth that
can be ours is far greater than any that our friends might offer us to induce
our support for their candidate. Continue below…

Over the last few days I have had
the opportunity to meet with the foreign minister of the Netherlands and later
to speak to members of his staff. They sought my opinion on the rape of girls
and women by Boko Haram. Is rape being used as a weapon of war as is the
situation in Congo?, they wondered. What can be done to address this problem?,
they asked. Perhaps it was wrong of me but I had already moved ahead of the
particular challenges of abductions, poor education and healthcare, corruption,
and other symptoms of failure in our society. I was already in the future where
our country was being governed by a leader I could trust. A leader who spoke
with a simple sincerity and integrity and had the will to match his words with
actions. I looked at them and told them that Nigeria will soon be able to
address its challenges because our actions in the coming days would place us
under a leadership capable of tackling our problems from their roots, once and
for all.

I trust in you, the people of
Nigeria, because my father trusted you. I trust that in spite of all the money
that has been given to some of our leaders over the last few weeks, in spite of
all the lies some have been peddling, that you understand what is at stake for
Nigeria. It is no less than the fate of 170 million people. Only sincere and
effective leadership can secure our country and secure for us a tomorrow worthy
of the sacrifices of our heroes, worthy of our ambitions for our children. I
know that things are rough. I know that the incomes in most households cannot
meet the burden of your needs and that some of you are sorely tempted to just
take care of yourself and your nuclear family. But even if you individually are
connected and can access the spoils being divided through the bankrupt system
that has been used by Nigeria’s government, can that be said for all those you
care about? Can that be said for the majority of Nigerians? By now we should
understand that we will do best individually when we look out for everyone collectively.

In reaction to this letter, some
will tell you that I am only being partisan but let me ask you if, since 1999,
I have ever publicly endorsed a candidate? The truth is that my parents
sacrificed everything, including their lives that Nigeria may work. It is not
working and cannot so long as some hold the whole country to ransom. What our
president must do is to transform a system, not simply replace the few
benefiting from it with a different group of chosen few. A true transformation
may mean that the few will not be as rich but the majority will no longer be
poor. So let us take a stand so that Nigeria is no longer for sale. No one can
buy what we will not sell at the market. When we refuse to sell our country to
the highest bidder, we will also be protecting our legitimate aspirations to
live in dignity, security and prosperity.

Today the world celebrates Lee
Kuan Yew of Singapore for moving a small island country in Asia from third
world to first. But imagine if the people of Singapore had never given him a
chance to lead them. Would the world even know that the country existed today,
talk less of recognising it as one of the world’s success stories? That is the
task before you on Saturday. Everything depends on you.

One last message for President
Jonathan. Thank you for your efforts to lead Nigeria. Should the results of the
elections not favour you, please be aware that a smooth handover would still
secure you a place among the giants of Nigeria. The curses that surround those
that stood in the way of the peoples’ mandate on June 12 will never be yours
should you lose and yet demonstrate the exemplary leadership that others failed
to show then. Do not doubt that your name can yet be written in gold.

So in closing, to avoid any
confusion, let me say clearly: in the 2015 presidential elections, I endorse
General Muhammadu Buhari fully and without reservation. In 1993 my father
promised Nigerians that if given the presidential mandate, our people would say
farewell to poverty. We know that because the elections were annulled, he could
not fulfil that promise. Sadly, that promise remains unfulfilled till today. It
is my honest conviction based on a disinterested assessment that General Buhari
is our best chance of seeing that promise fulfilled.

Thank you all for reading this.

Hasfat Abiola-Costello, daughter
of Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the 1993 Nigerian presidential election,
writes from Abeokuta.