Within the final 25 years, there has by no means been a time Nigeria’s democracy is put below intense strain and threatened than now. That is so as a result of these elected at numerous ranges to handle the affairs of the nation within the final one yr plus have been wobbling and fumbling like a rudderless ship violently pummeled by excessive ocean waves.
Regrettably, they’re displaying the very best stage of insensitivity with some financial insurance policies which might be inflicting excruciating and unprecedented hardships on the individuals, which they’ve, surprisingly, stubbornly refused to evaluation.
Proper from the federal to the native council ranges, it has been the identical unhappy story, the rationale hundreds of thousands of disenchanted Nigerians are slipping into crushing poverty regardless of the considerable pure assets of their land.
The instant elimination of gas subsidy as quickly as President Bola Tinubu was sworn-in on Might 29, 2023, was a very good coverage, whose implications weren’t well-thought out. That is the basis reason for the huge sufferings Nigerians are experiencing right this moment.
Since Tinubu and different presidential candidates then used the elimination of gas subsidy as a marketing campaign subject, even when no single public refinery is working until now, it is vitally apparent that they didn’t envisage the bandwagon results of this in any other case good coverage.
The palliative measures that adopted the hasty elimination of subsidy by this administration are as badly applied because the subsidy elimination itself.
As an illustration, sending trailer a great deal of rice and different grains to the varied states as palliatives is a totally failed measure, similar to transferring money into individuals’s financial institution accounts and different related measures.
All the baggage of rice and different grains despatched to the states by the Federal Authorities, not surprisingly, ended up within the warehouses, houses and outlets of politicians and some of their cronies.
Edo State below Godwin Obaseki because the governor, the place a gaggle of offended and hungry protesters, through the latest #Endbadgovernance protests, broke into warehouses the place baggage of rice and different grains have been saved by depraved and egocentric politicians, readily involves thoughts. Some politicians on the state stage additionally re-bagged and rebranded the rice for use as marketing campaign supplies for gullible voters.
One other palliative measure that has didn’t have any affect on the individuals is the conditional money switch as a result of the cash all the time results in the financial institution accounts of politicians and their sympathisers. Up until now, I’ve not seen any non-party member who has acquired such cash.
But, the corruption-ridden Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation retains reeling out fictitious figures of hundreds of thousands of households who’re supposedly benefiting from the shenanigans they’re doing within the ministry, the place a personality like Dr. Beta Edu, whose corruption case has expectedly been swept below the carpet by some highly effective people within the Presidency, presided. On the state stage, the state of affairs is even worse.
Most of the governors have turn out to be emperors of their states, simply as a lot of the lawmakers are holed up in Abuja and their state capitals, having fun with our frequent wealth with out minding what their constituents are passing by way of.
With the elimination of gas subsidy, the month-to-month allocations to the states have leapt significantly. However the individuals hardly see the affect of this improve in allocations of their states.
Throughout the size and breadth of the nation, it’s a cry of starvation, which ordinarily shouldn’t be had the governors invested massively in agriculture with the massive arable lands which might be losing away within the states and with the military of unemployed youths who’ve turned to Okada driving, web frauds, prostitution and different vices.
Apart from, had the Federal Authorities and the states ensured sufficient safety, the cries of starvation would have subsided as a result of all of the farmers who deserted their farms below the harmful and clueless eight years of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration may have gone again to the farm.
Nevertheless, and for example, within the SouthWest zone, individuals haven’t any trigger to be hungry as a result of the land is on the market, the climate is beneficial and the desire is there on the a part of the individuals. The zone additionally has the least of the safety challenges bedeviling different components of the nation.
Even the North will all its safety challenges remains to be attempting to provide meals for themselves and different components of the nation, courtesy of the efforts of the safety brokers, who’re battling the terrorists and the bandits, and plenty of of their governors who’re investing massively in agriculture.
However, of the six governors within the South-West, solely Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun, are exhibiting the required dedication to agriculture. Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State can be making efforts, however the affect is but to be felt by his individuals.
Although Lagos has the least arable land within the SouthWest, Sanwo-Olu has taken the daring initiatives to introduce some radical agricultural programmes like “Ounje Eko” (Lagos Meals) the place low-cost foodstuffs are offered for Lagosians at designated factors within the state. He’s additionally investing within the provision of fertilizers and different tools to make farming straightforward within the state.
Aside from making frantic efforts to open up all of the dangerous roads within the state to allow farmers deliver out their farm produce to the city areas, Abiodun has invested within the 200-hectare rice farm in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Native Authorities Space of the state, dubbed “Alubarika Cluster,” which has 200 farmers on 200 hectares of land that may meet the rice wants of the whole nation. This, with the rice manufacturing in Lagos, Yobe, and some different states, are spectacular and commendable.
There are the Farm Laboratories within the state, tagged Ogun Youth Agricultural Programme, which Abiodun is utilizing to encourage the youth to embrace farming. That is in addition to the distribution of free 24,000 baggage of fertilizers to 12,000 farmers throughout the nooks and crannies of the tate.
In the meantime, most of the governors are frittering away their elevated month-to-month allocations on inanities. They’re, on the identical time, making each effort to lastly bury the native councils that they’ve succeeded in killing, regardless of the Supreme Courtroom judgement which granted autonomy to the councils.
Sadly, Governors Charles Soludo of Anambra State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Siminalaye Fubara of Rivers State and plenty of of their counterparts are making all efforts to disobey and undermine the apex court docket judgement, sarcastically, in cahoot with some native council chairmen themselves.
In reality, the governors have succeeded in making numerous council secretariats mere Factors of Wage Assortment (PSC) for the council employees with no seen tasks to point out on the native stage.
Sadly, the lawmakers who’re supposed to place the governors on their toes to ship the dividends of democracy to their persons are additionally working hand in hand with them to pauperize the individuals the extra.
Many homes of meeting are mere rubber stamps, similar to the Godswill Akpabio-led Nationwide Meeting. Nevertheless, if these on the helm of affairs in several ranges of presidency within the nation hold digging the shitholes they’ve already put Nigerians, it’s sure that lots of them will probably be stoned on the streets quickly.
Any authorities coverage that doesn’t begin having little constructive results on the individuals inside one yr after its introduction could finally find yourself as a failed coverage. These on the helm can’t proceed to inform the ruled to be affected person within the midst of huge pains whereas they reside in opulence.
Yr 2025 is just some weeks away when politicking will go full swing; when the President and the governors will shift focus from governance to electioneering, as it’s progressively taking place in my state, Ekiti, at current, the place the governor marked his two years in workplace lately and the hungry residents of the state have already began campaigning for his second time period!
As soon as consideration is totally shifted from governance by politicians, the residents are achieved for. And with the sort of behaviour by the individuals throughout electioneering, will any politician ever take them critical?
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