Our Girls are still missing since April 15, 2014. Where is their ‘CHANGE’ and protection under the law in this democracy?
Be careful what you wish for. The internet brought communication with business and brought loved ones closer. Yes, but it also brought the rapid spread of indoctrination, religious radicalisation, instant reality events like extremist executions and suicidal blogging, yahoo-yahoo and internet scams, identity theft and bank fraud.
From May 29, ‘Day 1 of CHANGE’, President Buhari, as President of all, should be a truly national leader during this stage of Nigeria’s dark history. SWORN ASSET DECLARATION FOR INCOMING OFFICIALS SHOULD ACCOMPANY THEIR ACCEPTANCE LETTERS FOR APPOINTMENT. Also nationwide growth and progress cannot occur in a military-style unitary system or a FEUDAL FALSE FEDERALISM favouring divine right to rule. ALL NIGERIANS have rights to A SENSE OF BELONGING. Let freedom for development reign. Buhari must ‘LIBERATE THE STATES’ from a historically oppressive federal government –made up of a few ‘FEUDAL FALSE FEDERALISM FOREVER’ myopic men, sitting in conclave in Abuja on every ‘federal decision’, and vetting or vetoing it and enforcing directives and archaic militarist and colonial laws condemning Fellow Nigerians to 19th Century underdeveloped perpetual poverty. This backward cabal of oppression has had a role to control, command and destruction of ideas like state railways, water controls, roads, building projects et cetera. We have suffered this in Lagos State. Can Buhari be more progressive than his predecessors?
About 95% of the true population of 120m lives in the 36 states but get 35% of the budget. However states, when paid colossal sums between 1999 and 2014, did little for the citizens – corruption. The federal government and National Assembly (NASS) must reduce size, budget and federal powers for states to get more independence though states misused their allocation over the years. Every Nigerian state has a population bigger than 50 countries. They are the direct responsibility of governors, local ‘heads of state’.
The 2015 Federal budget is unacceptable. NASS is not a ministry! The N150b NASS budget is more than the allocation to 23 ministries and must be cut to N10b size. Policies cutting stupid salaries and perks, part-time legislation, sitting allowances must be introduced by NASS or by referendum.
Three items in the press demonstrate oppression of Nigeria’s masses. One is the CBN’s ‘concessional’ 9% loans for agriculture while we borrow from bloodthirsty banks at 21-25% with 13% going to CBN as the MPR, non-existent in most countries. The second is an advert boasting ‘we allow/demand 30% down payment on the N85m homes for sale while the rest is spread over ONE year’. The third is the naira exchange rate N200-215:$1, making the naira ‘toilet paper’. This is down from N1 for $1.5 when I started work in 1974 and we had such misplaced pride in a Nigeria whose leaders had a secret malicious monetary policy. These are cases of systemic corruption and failed leadership. Nigeria fails in financial services to its millions seeking small survival or business loans or housing mortgages– essential for a just society. Can Buhari change our economic woes and listen to Henry Boyo the economist to achieve poverty reduction policies.
Is PDP trying to postpone or sabotage the May 29 inauguration? The massive corruption and round-tripping surrounding the fuel scarcity has changed my mind as Nigeria dies from being strangled. Buhari should initiate IMMEDIATE FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL and urgent ESTABLISHMENT OF MULTIPLE SMALL NEW REFINERIES for home-grown fuel and the 100 useful by-products we never hear about but need for industrial growth. We are already paying N130-400. Is the punishing fuellessness plaguing Nigeria a Machiavellian ‘PDP Venomous Poisoned Parting Present’-fuellessness and powerlessness? Buhari can BLAME PDP INCOMPETENCE AND CORRUPTION for a need for the ‘Immediate Effect’ removal of subsidy.
Beyond the Boko Haram War, when a country losses its farmers, families, children and armed forces members within the country, it must face the ‘internal terror situation’. If it is true that the Fulani herdsmen are a few ‘common criminals’ then they should be emasculated with military precision.
An angry Buhari, a prominent Fulani General, and a former head of state once led a protest delegation to Governor Lam Adesina about a deadly clash between Fulani herdsmen and Oke Ogun, Oyo State farmers. He was educated on who was to blame. With the death of soldiers it seems little has changed except that the herdsmen are better armed, so imagine how they TREAT OUR FARMERS WHO ARE ONLY LICENCED TO CARRY DANE GUNS AND MACHETES. The cattle routes can be guarded easily. The herdsmen have robbed and killed many, including a General in Lagos. Disarming farmers but not herdsmen is ethnic, political and genocidal. What is Buhari’s blueprint on this ‘The Other War’? Let us threaten to stop the North-South cow herd trade until the herdsmen respect other Nigerians –farmers and soldiers. No country whose soldiers are killed can sleep at night. No soldier joins up to be killed in ‘petty cow squabbles’. What ‘medal’ do they get?
Who is funding Fulani herdsmen weapons? Is their wider mission to destabilise regions of Nigeria or expansionist? Is it about ‘INSISTING ON RIGHTS OF PASSAGE THROUGH FARMLANDS AND FREE FEEDING/WATERING FOR COWS? The Fulani herdsmen-Farmer War is internal, not ISIS. A solution must be quickly found. What a waste. Death, so we can eat meat, makes no sense. We demand ‘change’.