Dear Cross Riverians,
If anyone says what we are doing is a waste of time or that social media talk is not working, call that person a liar.
Very quick ones that we have achieved within the past one month.
1. Our collective social media shout temporarily frustrated the plans by our governor to coerce the HOLGAs to tamper with LG funds. I say temporarily because that battle is not over. We have to continue to keep a watch and still be willing to rise together if there is a return match, until LG elections are conducted.
2. We collectively stood against our governor’s previous journey to Oslo while his colleagues were in a security parley in Abuja and he had to run back home.
3. Like the legendary Nero who was frolicking while Rome burnt, he is currently sojourning in Europe without the consent of the voters who hired him while Obudu, his hometown is at war with their neighbours. But our collective social media monitoring is again mounting pressure on him to return home.
4. Our governor who is usually a freak of pomp and fanfare, for the first time, left the country with a directive to his close aides not to tell anyone because he is afraid Cross Riverians will bash him. He may also return this time without the now customary airport welcome party.
5. For the first time in four years since he has been travelling, the governor has not sent any picture of his activities in Germany back to his aides to spread on social media groups. Ask yourself why?
These media aides are usually listed on his itirinary to travel with him and the travel expenses are redeemed but the aides are left behind, only to be sent pictures to circulate. This German journey is reportedly costing Cross River state N75million.
Now this is not a win or lose game. It is simply called citizen determination to hold our “employee” to account. A mission to constantly remind our leaders that they are our employees who must always revert to “we the people.”
It is my civic duty
It is your civic duty
It is our civic duty
It is the duty of the media
It is everyone’s duty
It is the way democracy works
It is the will of God.
The egos of our leaders must be busted. Let us collectively bring them back to their senses and remind them that they are employees who were hired on election day by voters.
Let us increase our volume. Increase our participation. Increase our interest. Tell someone to tell someone to tell someone, that if we all stand afraid, if we all stand akimbo, if we all succumb to food-on-the-table and stomach infrastructure, our leaders will continue to ride roughshod and think they are Lords. But if we shout with one voice, we can call them to order when need be.
Amaaaaandla!
Yours Sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.
#1414DaysToGo
#HoldYourLeadersAccountable
#FollowOurMoney
#LeadersAreServantsNotMasters
#NoToUncompletedProjects
#AyadeMustWork
#AyadeMustSucceed
#AyadeLegacy
#100DaysIn2ndTerm
Citizen Agba Jalingo is the Cross River State Chairman of AAC and writes from Lagos.
NOTE: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Agba Jalingo, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.