Category: Letters

SIR: For several months, naira- related issues have principally hugged our television channels and unarguably topped most of our radio programmes. It seems every gathering or place gets awash with the same matter – naira. Our religious homes and centres were equally not spared. School children, whatever their colour, age, and tribe are similarly not exempted as the phrase “ no cash” became the new anthem in their various homes. Going further, it has been reported that almost every telephone call from the villagers to the city dwellers interestingly and sadly starts and ends with “naira” or “ no cash”. With this in mind, one is left with only one choice, which is to salute the naira king.

A king, we know, is supposed to increase in value and global rating, however, the opposite is the truth in this case. The naira has been questionably scarce for some sorts of reasons; from economic to political. Naira is being mopped up to promote a cashless economy, some have highlighted, with the others astutely reading and sensing a political undertone. To the extremist or fundamentalist, in fact, this scarcity is the handiwork of the devil. Whatever it is, what can Nigerians remember this scarcity for?

A moment of unforgivable and unforgettable hardship – yes – at least, that was the general experience. Hardship, in the language of a layman’s, is a time when everything is hard and difficult. Getting money from the bank is more than a day’s job as queues barely show signs of fatigue. Proceeding from the exterior of the bank down to the cashiers could take mountains of hours. Time meant for relaxation, work, and socialization among others is wasted on the queue.

This period, in my thought, is a season of exploitation and hyper – inflation. To exploit means to treat people unfairly. Regarding this, encounters with the POS agents are worth narrating. While a few had a soft shoulder to have their fellow countrymen rest their aching head, for the others, it was a time to hit it big. Outrageous interest and absurd charges dominated the business. These ones deserve a national award for a callous business they have done. The extortion goes on to some filling stations with a terrible eye for an overnight wealth. You will either have to cough out the cash or pay charges for using their POS.

Prices of essentials are regrettably found to be high, too. Who cares? Does anyone really care? In Nigeria, greed is the attraction for businesses. The sustenance of the supply chain is secondary. A moderate profit just doesn’t make sense. It was a time we may describe “buy cheap and sell very high”. This period barely has anything good to be written or spoken about. Indeed, it is a catastrophe.

To draw the curtains on this matter, this government left many legacies and memories. As for most Nigerians, they will live to remember among others, the era of the ‘Naira king’, when naira became artificially scarce and invisible in many homes. It was a period when some banks were set ablaze in a blaze of masses’ anger. A time when Nigerians were purchasing their own currency and above all, a time when the government was in “ sidon – look” mode.

•Samuel Ogunnaike,

Lagos.

SIR: After a year in office as Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Charles Soludo stands at the centre of a storm. Soludo has ignited controversy with a pattern of “disruptive change.”

Over four decades past, the acclaimed novelist, Chinua Achebe, paying tribute to the poet Chris Okigbo, had noted that the latter could not walk through a room without leaving a mark of his passage behind. Soludo, it seems, has a way of impacting his constituency and assignments.

As economic adviser to the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency, he captured the attention of Nigerians with the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) and States Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (SEEDS). His tenure at the Central Bank will for long remembered for the bang of banking consolidation.

Simplicity of office complemented with the dress sense of akwete cloth, a local fabric, which choice reflected symbolic support for the local textile industry.

The indigenization policy had few more surprises. It knocked imported vehicles out of contention for government patronage. Refreshment at Government House henceforth took native complexion. Though curious about the sustainability, many got the message that to grow, we must look inwards.

Tenor of the new leadership became clearer with emphasis on service rather than entitlement. While refocusing on problem-solving, salaries of political office holders were slashed. Peeling off the perks and perquisites of the old order, the economist – governor achieved significant reduction in cost of governance. According to an analyst, “facilities management dropped from N137m to N11m thereby saving a whopping N126m every month.”

Endeavours with a physical side were more easily felt. Many appreciated the huge improvement in security. Gunmen had laid siege to Anambra South Senatorial District for some time. Today, the area is largely safe. And the governor’s promise to upturn the Monday curfew imposed by militants has come true. How did he do it all? We may never know the closed – door strategic moves but the will is always a decisive factor in challenges. But the importance attached to law and order is seen in the creation of Ministry of Homeland Affairs.

The planting of a million coconut and palm seeds may take a while to blossom and fully appreciated by the public. But the initiative opens a window to the socio – economic engineering of the administration. It seeks to revive a neglected area of comparative advantage. Cash crops will engage the youths, put money in the economy and offer a shield against soil erosion.

The main wealth creation programme has since taken off. Five thousand youths are undergoing training in two choice skills. Designed as an annual scheme, Soludo is optimistic that with requisite mentoring, the system will produce hundreds of millionaires.

With 270 kilometres of road construction going on simultaneously across the state, Anambra’s landscape is set to change. Determination to ensure the high quality of the roads is not compromised is easy to see.

A few months into office, protests greeted the administration’s tax regime. Citizens complained that the items were too many and the rates on the high side. An opposition group seized on the opportunity to regurgitate the sour grapes about Soludo acting stubborn, arrogant and all -knowing. To their consternation, the governor announced reduction of the tax regime as well as tax waivers for the lower rung of daily income earners after due consideration of the cases. The action was an eye-opener on responsive leadership.

Another test of leadership came with repeated misrepresentations of the state’s cumulative financial profile in the public space. Correcting the sensational claims would be politically inconvenient but condoning the distortion would be disservice to the people he had sworn to serve. What to do? Pander to cheap popularity or the cause of good governance? He elected to stand on the truth.

It’s gratifying to see that Chukwuma Soludo is rowing on in the storm in service of Anambra State.

•IfeanyiChukwu Afuba, 

Awka, Anambra State.

SIR: The emergence of Dr. Umar Dikko Radda, former Director General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) as governor-elect in Katsina State in last Saturday gubernatorial elections was devoid of rancour and violence that characterized elections in other states. 

Apart from competence, sound education and proven records of achievements in public service, Radda’s victory was influenced by his appeal to youths population who yearned for better governance and his wide acceptability among the people of the state especially the elites who believe the young and promising politician can provide visionary and purposeful leadership that will return the state to its preeminent status as the most peaceful and hospitable state in the Northwest.

His election is indeed a bold relief for the teeming unemployed youths in the state who have been agitating for better living conditions, opportunities and a brighter future. Also, the good people of the state who had suffered untold hardship in the hands of kidnappers, bandits and sundry criminal elements in more than a decade would like to see their state return to peace and security and even development as the home of peace and hospitality.

It is gratifying to note that Radda will be bringing to the table his wealth of experience as a technocrat and as a consummate politician who had held various public offices at different times. He had served as a local council chairman, Chief of Staff to Governor Masari before his elevation to the position of Director General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) where he was adjudged by his staff as outstanding in turning around the fortunes of the hitherto moribund agency.

Given his pedigree, the governor-elect who is no stranger to the development challenges of the agrarian state, will quickly settle down to work. Picking members of his cabinet will not be a herculean task either as he is already at home with the state’s technocrats, bureaucrats and the business class just as he is chummy with the religious and traditional  institutions. His cognate experience as a one-time local council chairman and former chief of staff to the governor will stand him in good stead in working with the state legislature which is already dominated by his party, the APC.

Regardless of one’s political linage, one must credit the past administrations of former governor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua for kick starting the development strides consolidated by his successors, Ibrahim Shehu Shema and the incumbent Aminu Masari. No doubt, the state has witnessed tremendous development in agriculture, education, housing, health and infrastructure development.

With painstaking efforts, the state can embark on massive irrigation development in all parts of the state to arrest youth restiveness, rural-urban migration and improve the socio-economic leaving conditions of the populace. Already, the state is host to various irrigation infrastructure projects in Jibia Dam, Sabke Dam, Ajiwa Dam, Dutsin Ma Dam, Gwaigwaye Dam and lots of small earth dams under the auspices of the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority. Besides irrigation, these water bodies can also be used for fisheries, livestock development and hydropower generation. As the largest employer of labour, agriculture plays a catalytic role in commerce and industrialization providing raw materials for industries and creating jobs through the multiplier effect.

The state is also endowed with tourism potentials such as the famous Gobarau minaret and City Walls in Katsina, the Kusugu Well in Daura, Durbi Ta kusheyi in Mani, Kogo Cave in Faskari, the Dajin Rugu Forest Reserve and colourful festivals such as the annual Durbar in Katsina and Sallar Gani in Daura. The state government can improve on these cultural monuments and festivals to attract tourists to the states which enjoy relative peace and tranquillity.

Since successive administrations have made giant strides in infrastructure development and capacity building in the state, and given the dwindling fortunes of the monthly allocation, it is right and proper for the in-coming administration to embrace economic diversification especially in agriculture, tourism and solid minerals to generate employment and create wealth for the teeming masses of the state.

•Ibrahim Mohammed,

Funtua, Katsina State.

SIR: In the strictest sense, the March 18, election is the first real election in Enugu State since the current democratic dispensation. For the first time in recent memory, Ndi Enugu are witnessing a hotly contested election with serious campaign efforts to woo the electorate.

We have been inundated with memorable jingles and persuasive radio commentaries. We have been nonplussed by flaring emotions and dramatic outbursts, even in the churches.

Our brothers, Frank Nweke Jnr of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party and Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party are, in my view, the top three candidates. They all mean well for Enugu.

Predictably, our three frontline candidates have good intentions for Enugu. Their manifestoes bristle with ideas of what they would do to turn Enugu to an Eldorado, if we give them our votes on Saturday.

In my view, there are five key criteria with which we can assess these aspiring leaders. These are competence, capacity, character, courage and compassion. It is fair to assume that after months of intense campaigning, manifesto-flaunting and grassroots networking, Ndi Enugu should be familiar enough with these three gentlemen to rate them on these five parameters.

However, there are immediate fears the candidates and their parties must allay. First, reports that some candidates are recruiting thugs and stockpiling arms to foment trouble in the coming polls are dangerous and bound to affect the outcome of the elections.

These will dampen voters’ enthusiasm and inevitably lead to results that will not reflect the electoral choices of the people. Since democracy is the enthronement of the preference of the majority, our candidates must do whatever they can to douse this reigning fear and increase our collective sense of safety in the coming elections.

Second, the growing interest of our people in participating in the electoral process to choose their preferred candidates must not be stifled by personal ambition. For the first time since the advent of the Fourth Republic, Enugu recorded a surge in voter registration to bring the total number of registered voters in the state to 2,112,793. Interestingly, out of this figure, only 468,891 (22 per cent) voted in the last presidential election. Obviously, if nothing is quickly done to shore up a sense of public safety, the coming elections will witness even poorer turnout of voters in the state.

Indeed, anyone who truly wants the progress of Enugu should be happy that after 24 years of ruling the state, PDP is finally being challenged for the first time. Accountability is the defining character of democracy. Ndi Enugu are finally asking questions about PDP. As the ruling party in the state, PDP has never had to break sweat over elections.

The total lack of opposition had given the party an entitlement mentality and a false sense of safety. Successive PDP governors had erroneously mistaken the peaceful nature of Ndi Enugu for docility or spinelessness, or both.

Not only have they been short on dreams, they have not also been long on empathy. Enugu has not experienced any great physical changes in the past 24 years. There are no monuments, no legacies and no landmark infrastructure for PDP to point at. It is as though time had stood still.

Indeed, it is hoped that this landmark season in our political evolution will instil in our leaders the desire to rise above the seeming bug of averageness; to dream big and touch the future. We all want a new Enugu; a modern city with first-class infrastructure, a city where something as basic as water can be taken for granted as in all other cities.

Finally, we, the indigenes of Enugu and notable members of the civil society are monitoring every development in these elections with keen interest. There are no behind-the-scenes operations in Enugu’s political circle that go unnoticed. We are fully committed to making the basic sacrifice in safeguarding our newly found democracy. To that end, we should all troop out in great numbers to cast our votes for the candidate that meets our leadership criteria of competence, capacity, character, courage and compassion. As for me and my household, of the five leadership traits to look out for, character is the greatest.

•Prince Ike Chioke,

Lagos.

SIR: The February 25, election was very interesting to observe. Nigerians came out en masse to exercise their right to vote. An interesting aftermath of the election is the sudden increase in the number of political analysts, especially among Nigerian youths. Before 2020, most of these youths maintained a nonchalant attitude toward anything relating to politics, public policy and governance.

Now, we have a movement of youth somewhat determined to take back their country. Problem is, majority of these youths are flying high on sentiments.

Sentiments are great for politics but detrimental to public policy and governance.

In the last elections, sentiment proved itself. Career politicians were voted out and fresh faces voted in simply on the merit of their platforms. For the first time since 1999, a political third force fought on equal footing with both the ruling party and the major opposition and came out strong. 

Now, we have 40 faces from the third force occupying seats at the National Assembly. In succumbing to sentiments and voting for platforms, Nigerians have given the reins of political power to untested candidates. We have a new reality. 

Will these people become the harbingers of the change Nigerians so desperately want? Can these new faces compete fairly at the National Assembly where hierarchy plays a major role in determining who speaks during plenary? In our outrage for change, did we give up proven competency and experience?

Is our anger at the existing system enough for us to dance with the “Angel” we do not know?

Nigeria is yet to have a true ideological political party where party executives, candidates, party stakeholders etc. are thoroughly scrutinized and bound by a passion to drive positive change in the country. Even the newfound third force is hinged solely on the sentiments attached to the curated image of a single candidate. At any point, if this image becomes tainted, the entire movement will be threatened. Although Nigerian youths are very quick to explain how the movement goes beyond a single individual, evidence has shown that this is indeed not the case. 

Another election is coming. In a way, this election will be more impactful than the last. Instead of 469 seats that make up the National Assembly, this election will have 990 contested seats at the State Houses of Assembly level. We also have about 31 states holding their gubernatorial elections. So by Saturday, we are to determine who occupies 1021 political positions.

“Why is this important?”

The legislative arm of government is so often overlooked. Most times, we forget that our assemblymen are actually the policymakers. Not the executives. Not the judiciary. The legislators are empowered to make the laws that should guide our progress as a country. 

If we need to amend the constitution, call the legislators. Our executives need to be checked; that’s the job of the legislators.

Are the executives trying to ruin the country by making questionable policy choices? Blame the enabling legislative arm of government.

This arm of government is so influential and essential to the development of the country. The idea of “building sustainable structures” is intertwined with the mandate given to the legislative arm of government. Yet, we speak so much English and attend conferences to project and argue why and how the country is failing without admitting that just maybe our nonchalant attitude towards knowing who our representatives are at both the national and state levels might be a contributing factor to the problem.

Politics is local. The gubernatorial and state Houses of Assembly elections will be an excellent chance to vote for people we know, recognize, and can hold accountable for the next four years. Political platforms are important but not as important as a candidate with proven dedication to the people.

Again, there will be casualties and the biggest will be our blindness and blunt refusal to look past platforms to judge people based solely on who they are, what they represent, and how best they fit into the creation of the Nigeria we want.

Election may be a day, but our decision will stay with us for the next four years.

•Augusta Nneka,

Awka, Anambra State. 

SIR: Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) finally succumbed to the wish of the people by its decision to honour the ruling of the Supreme Court which extended the validity of the old naira notes till December 31. No doubt, the naira redesign policy which was initially welcomed enthusiastically by the populace has left a sour taste in the mouths of not a few. CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, the initiator of the policy should be held solely responsible for its shoddy implementation and the attendant sufferings by Nigerians. It is on this premise and more that I call for his resignation.

It is said that the Nigerian economy lost over N20 trillion as a result of the naira redesign policy. Thousands of businesses, mostly small and medium scale enterprises, were destroyed because they had no access to cash and online banking services worked poorly due to unusually large volumes of transactions which they couldn’t handle. Many Nigerians found it difficult to feed and pay their bills because they couldn’t access the money they had in their bank accounts.

Emefiele is arguably the first sitting head of a central bank in any nation to vie for the office of the president. He is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the platform from which he had expressed interest in the party’s presidential primaries last year.

Nigerians will certainly not forget those 500 branded vehicles and copious amounts of media space to advertise his presidential bid.

Since the failure of his presidential bid, Emefiele, in a classic case of sour grapes did everything within his powers to sabotage the election of the party’s presidential candidate – now president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The cash crunch which is a corollary of the poorly implemented naira redesign policy is one among numerous other schemes he conjured to turn prospective voters against the then candidate. His decision to initially ignore the ruling of the highest court in the land on the issue until it was apparent that he no longer had the support of the president and could possibly face jail time due to contempt of court, shows that his motive for initiating the policy wasn’t borne out of altruism but vindictiveness.

Emefiele has by his actions brought opprobrium upon the high office that he occupies. He is allegedly wanted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on charges of sponsoring terrorism. He is loathed by millions of Nigerians home and abroad because of the sufferings that they have passed through in the last few months. He is in the bad books of members of his party. If he still has any honour in him, now is the time for him to throw in the towel and exit the stage.

•Peter Ovie Akus,

New Jersey, USA.