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They usually show up on the political scene with no real contributions to the well-being of the masses, no bonafides, if you must. However, they somehow manage to acquire megaphonic synchophants who swear to their "incorruptibility", their acts of "empathy" with the down-trodden or their "common" man background. These phony stories are quickly soaked up by the masses, thirsting as they were for a hero, perhaps a messiah, amid the myriad of problems that daily sap their will to live - like an oven-dry sponge in contact with water.

Obasanjo could be seen as the start of these breed of fakers, as it was not his "will" during his first coming, and he was "born again" by his false imprisonment experience in his second coming. These did not stop him from imposing the the "amiable" school teacher turned "clueless" president on the nation in 1979, and attempting to impose himself for a third term in 2007. After the corruption ridden Shagari goverment, we met General Buhari, the "incorruptible". Although the man is indeed austere, he went to work for Abacha who had usurped the best democratic election in Nigeria's history. Indeed, his and Tunde Idiagbon's callous treatment of the masses betray thier lack of a genuine basis for their desire to take the reigns of the nation. IBB the gap-toothed general soon showed up with his broad smile, promising political freedoms, economic reform, plus heaven and earth. Alas, IBB ended up instituting corruption, eliminated political enemies and friends alike; Dele Giwa, Abiola, and Vatsa were of the inner-inner circle of IBB, but they all ended dead through the machinations of the maradona and the "evil genius" of our doom. IBB was Vatsa's bestman at his wedding; so much for the "legendary" compassion of IBB. According to the story on the street, IBB would go to any length to help to his friends; alas we failed to realize that the same IBB would go twice the same length to kill the same friend. Abacha was supposed to be the strict military man with "absolutely no political ambitions", but history would show us that he came closest to being the only dictator to extend his stay indefinitely in Nigeria through his infamous "five fingers (read political parties) of a leprous hand". Billions of dollars were recovered from his Swiss accounts and his sons. Need I remind you that the "incorruptible" nature of Y'aradua was drummed into our ears in 2007. Heck, the man was so down to earth that as governor he would go down the street to buy a pack a cigarettes - he had no other earthly ambitions than to serve, so were the words of false witnesses. His 7-point agenda was second to none, and he achieved none of it. Famously known for his "servant leader" and "rule of law" promises, he ended up leaving the nation rudderless for 90 days, while he was supposed to be "recuperating", but was actually "dying" - a shameful episode never heard of in the history of Nigeria, as his aides desecrated the dignity of our president and nation. His "rule of law" ended up as the greatest "ruse of law" in our history. Ibori who bought his way any which way possible and is currently in jail for money laundering in London became a regular feature of Y'aradua's government. All charges were dismissed against Ibori under Y'aradua the incorruptible's watch for lack of evidence. The same offences that led to his imprisonment in a foreign land. The vagabond Attorney-General performed unimaginable mental and verbal acrobatics to justify the "open sore" of an absentee president to the world.

That brings me to my classic case in point. President GEJ was supposed to be the "humble, quiet and cerebral" one. He also had an unassailable "shoeless as a kid" story. Events have since showed that the man is neither cerebral, nor humble. What he is is a cold, political calculator who conducts "ethnic cleansing" of organs of government without battling an eyelid. Going to church on Sunday to promise the masses never to imposed hardships on them, but welcoming them to a new year soon afterward with a large increase in petroleum prices . Before all was said and done the national economy grounded to a halt for almost a month, and his security agents turned their nozzles on 19 innocent lives. The "humble" president recently opined that the national pain and ensuing spontaneous protests that have accompanied this same callous behavior - even under the most brutal military regime - was "sponsored". The man is a phony true and true - never has a president being so brazen as to attempt to use hordes of "animal farm squealers" to hoodwink the masses about obvious incompetences and unimaginable utterances that daily emanate, like the aftermath of a heavy meal of beans, from Aso Rock.

Why write these admittedly phenom-like words? The reason is that the danger for Nigeria from continuing along this path is real. Nigeria will collapse, if from nothing else, under its own weight of corruption, incompetent leaders and what have you. With half of his country under an armed insurrection, and his bungling and bumbling response, the man GEJ is busy putting in place arrangments for a second term in 2015.

Ah ah, 2015. When 2015 comes, GEJ must be flinged so far out of Aso Rock he would need a binocular to see his house in Otuoke. The charlattans that show up to replace him must be immediately dismissed as what they are - frauds. We know some of them that are already gearing up for Aso Rock, and we must say never. David Mark of the "telephone is not for the poor" fame, who saw only the political advantage of a "state of emergency" when Lagos flooded over in 2011, comes to mind. Roll forward to 2012 with floods swallowing up one state after the other, including his own home state of Benue, nothing about a "state of emergency" has been heard from the man, nor worse still, any plan as Senate leader to help the masses.

President GEJ spent his first few months getting back at Tinubu over an exchange of "rascals" and "drunken fisherman" words, while Boko Haram festered. He supported the take-over of Tinubu's ACN Lagos State under the pretense of an emergency declaration to help the state. Clever by half, he and PDP failed to show us what capabilities the FG had to deal with the floods that the Lagos State government did not possess. Their real objective, all too clear to us, was to remove the best governor in Nigeria in the last half-decade. The masses and more than 20% of the economy be damned as long as PDP "captures" Lagos. The same GEJ, with several PDP controlled states, including his home state of Bayelsa, under water in 2012 is dolling out N18 billion and calling for fundraising to deal with the effects of the flood. No state of emergency here. To think the unprincipled leader directed Lagos in 2011 to work with the ecological fund to find relief, since they won't accept the declaration of the declaration of a state of emergency. I could go on, but the bottom-line is that we must keep charlattans at bay in 2015.

The above leads to only one conclusion as to why the above men never left, and will not leave lasting legacies - they lack an all-encompassing nationalistic vision. Even when the vision seems clear to us and they vow it, we find out too late that their interpretation of a vision for Nigeria is a gigantic ego-driven desire to be "worshiped", "loved" or "great", supported by sectional and sometimes religious agenda.

In 2015, Nigerians must look for that people-loving, excellence-seeking, and most of all truly principled and patriotic leader. In 2015, many will come saying "I am he" and there will be megaphonic syncophants bearing "false witness" in their steps, but each candidate must be thoroughly tested, challenged and yes, "integorrated" lest another charlattan smuggles his ill-intentions into Aso Rock. The work starts now - a real conversation about the future of Nigeria must begin in the villages and hamlets, cities and universities. . .Abuja and Lokoja.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed.