The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President Buhari

  • President Buhari and Fulani herdsmen

    I think it is a great pity that the Buhari presidency, which started with a promise of change and hope for Nigeria, is now letting itself be defined by the most primitive development that this country has ever experienced. I refer to the series of barbarous invasions of various rural communities and small villages across Nigeria by the people whom we all call Fulani herdsmen.

    In the past few years, the rampage has been mostly in the Middle Belt, where a long succession of destruction of villages and massacres of their inhabitants has ultimately painted an unmistakeable picture of deliberate and systematic genocide. Today, no serious minded Nigerian can doubt what the citizens of the Middle Belt have been saying – namely, that there is a plan by the Fulani to wipe out some Middle Belt peoples and take over their territories.

    This Middle Belt picture is bad enough. The fact that it is taking place in today’s Nigeria disqualifies Nigeria to be regarded as a member of the modern world’s comity of nations. Worse, it is enough to eliminate Nigeria’s claim to be one country at all. And it continues, without any hope of letting off.

    At first, only few scattered forages of this sickening crime reached the states of the Nigerian South. But that has now changed. The rampage has now spread fully to the states of Southern Nigeria, even all the way to the states in the thick, and sometimes mangrove, forests of the Atlantic coastlands where there is not much grass to attract cattle. Suddenly bursting on rural communities in the dead of night, blatantly killing, maiming and seriously wounding men, women and children, burning homes and barns, and, reportedly, raping women, and then slinking away in the dark, this army of invasion has struck in almost every state of Southern Nigeria. A couple of weeks ago, the governor of Enugu State burst into tears when he saw the scene of total horror left behind by the invaders in a part of his state. Today, the Governor of Ekiti State is mourning the dead and struggling to save the lives of the maimed and wounded men, women and children of the small town in his state where the invaders struck a few days ago.

    It is getting worse. From the way this whole thing is shaping up, it can only get worse and worse. Nigerians are wondering why none of these desperadoes are being arrested. From time to time in the war against Boko Haram, we get reports that some of the Boko Haram terrorists have been captured and arrested; we are even shown pictures of these in the media. Nigerians cannot help asking, why the difference? Why are these people not being arrested?

    Indeed, why are they still able to move across this country at will and strike at will wherever they choose to? Why does it seem as if nobody, no authority, is doing anything to stop them – or even to restrain them even a little?

    Yes, Nigerians know that the president has ordered the military and police authorities to stop these people’s attacks on villages and farmsteads. But why is it that the president’s order seems to be producing no measurable result? Why, in spite of the president’s order, are these killers still freely and boldly spreading across Nigeria, killing, maiming and destroying, and getting away through long distances, all without encountering any disturbance by Nigerian law enforcement?

    Can Nigerians be blamed if they say, as they are now increasingly saying in the open media, that they suspect something fishy in this whole situation? Can Nigerians be blamed if, for instance, they say, as more and more of them are openly saying that they suspect that Nigeria’slaw enforcement authorities are afraid to deal with these killer herdsmen as they would deal with all other citizens because the killer herdsmen are the ethnic kinsmen of President Buhari?

    Moreover, since the Nigerian government has chosen to give little or no information to Nigeria about this killer gang, about its ways and means of operation, and about its purpose and objective for its hideous brutalization of peaceful Nigerian citizens across the face of Nigeria, is it surprising that Nigerians are themselves finding ways to fill the information gap? We have all tended to identify these people as Fulani herdsmen, but most of us are now saying that, though many of them are indeed Nigerian Fulani herdsmen, very many others are neither Fulani nor herdsmen. That very many are foreigners who have come to Nigeria.

    Very importantly, President Buhari himself has strengthened these suspicions. Without directly informing Nigeria, President Buhari let out the information in an interview with the CNN in London some days ago that many of the killers are indeed Libyans, elements from the highly trained and well-armed private militia of late President Ghadafi of Libya, most of whom fled south into West Africa after the fall of Ghadafi. Nigerians at home and abroad are wondering and asking, why did President Buhari not give this very important information at home and to his country? Why has he not done so even days after his London CNN interview? Why?

    Is President Buhari aware of the implications of that information to the CNN? Can’t he and his officials see that our president has said that foreign militia elements entered our country – invaded our country – and are killing people at will across our country, and our government has done, and is doing, nothing about it?

    How is it that they cannot see that a full statement – a full explanation of all circumstances of this crisis – has long been due from the President of Nigeria? Are we to live with the disturbing surrender to the fact that such a statement will never come from our president?

    The effect of this whole shady handling of this crisis is being reinforced daily by the kinds of statements emanating from significant Fulani citizens. Since these significant citizens know that foreign militiamen have been involved in the attacks on various parts of Nigeria, why have some of them been repeatedly claiming that the attackers are all Fulani herdsmen, Nigerian Fulani citizens who, as citizens, are free to go anywhere in Nigeria? Why that huge piece of misinformation?

    Is it surprising then that Nigerians are now increasingly coming to the belief that some very major, some extraordinary, objectives underpin this whole development. Many Nigerians are asking openly in the media whether this is not a heightened phase of the old Hausa-Fulani efforts to establish their sole and perpetual control over Nigeria, or to forcibly Islamize the whole of Nigeria. That is, have some in the Arewa North elite now gone so far as to recruit and bring into Nigeria Ghadafi’s uprooted private army, to hide among Fulani herdsmen, and to masquerade as Fulani herdsmen, for the purpose of intimidating the rest of Nigeria into some sort of surrender?

    Inevitably, over-arching the whole atmosphere of fears and suspicions generated in this crisis is its impact on the Buhari presidency. If President Buhari does not hurry to come open before the people of Nigeria, to give them full and ascertainable details about what is happening in their country, and to announce and convincingly follow up with plans to rid Nigeria of this terrible threat, his whole presidency could be doomed. Already, he must be aware that his stock has been falling gradually. Even his anti-corruption war, which started with a great deal of excitement and support, is losing enthusiasm and support as this Fulani herdsmen crisis grows bigger and bigger. It would be a great pity to see Buhari lose his once   considerable political capital over this squalid issue. It would be a greater pity to see Nigeria fall over it.

  • Is President Buhari out of touch?

    SIR: I was once hopeful that the slowness of the Buhari government portends deliberateness of agenda.  The escalating chaos in our system as a result of fuel scarcity, inadequate power supply, lack of infrastructure, economic hardship and obscurity of policy direction are becoming vital causes for social uneasiness.

    I am always concerned that the president may not be prepared for the ways of modern politics.  I’m not making a case against his intentions being genuine to offer our people a decent government.  Only, it may be backward thinking to expect someone who has been living a life of ideological isolation to be able to surf the web of internet speed politics.  The president did not make any bones about his discomfort with anyone who does not share his ethnic background judging from his selection of members of his kitchen cabinet.   A contemporary leader would have stretched the canopy of his inner circle to include the totality of the nation.  I believe that such a political gesture could not have been in vain, at least, to expand his horizon on issues of governance.

    Again, the pertinent question is whether the capability exists for the president to process the day to day rigors of modem politics.  Obviously, nothing from his military background prepared him for the etiquette of democratic dispensation.  The emotional unrest the delicacy of his movement causes before the national audience on television begs for certification of his health.  Still, those who believe that he is in office to serve their interest shield him like an egg.  These unfortunate circumstances do not add up to the sharpness of mind necessitated of a president in the climate of real time politics.

    The president may evidently mean well going by his zealousness to fight corruption.  My distress is that he has exhibited flaws in his soundness in the dictates of democracy and that may wound up undermining his ambition.  Criminality, for example, is for the courts to decide.  His role as the commander-in-chief is to be steadfast in defending that the framework of government is strengthened in order to fully support due process.  Thereafter, he should trust the organs of the system to superintend their constituted roles.

    I believe most Nigerians want to be alive to enjoy the dividends of President Buhari’s leadership.  By the spate of social and economic disorder in the country, he should be alarmed that a sizable number of the populace is being threatened by the old wartime disease of kwashiorkor as a result of his do-nothing policies.  I strongly plead with the president to bring in capable hands to steer the government to the best height that it could get. The nation will benefit from his discipline as a leader.  The byproducts of his prowess are already showing.  I don’t want to instigate the evil minds but let us pray that Boko Haram insurgence has been killed in the North-east.

     

    Pius Okaneme,

    Umuoji, Anambra State.

  • Majek drums up support for President Buhari

    Majek drums up support for President Buhari

    Veteran reggae singer, Majek Fashek has urged Nigerians to support the effort of this present administration to strengthen and rebuild the country. The call was made by the artiste during his performance at the 10th edition of AY Live, an annual comedy and music show organised by comedian, Ayo Makun at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

    Majek told the audience that Nigeria’s problem was poverty and not just corruption, adding that the President should tackle poverty. According to him, President Buhari should support the poor people in Nigeria because that is the only way Nigeria can rise.

    AY, who spoke to NAN after the show, called for more support for the entertainment industry.

    “We always need more support for the entertainment industry and its practitioners because entertainment is one of the major attractions of Nigeria. Without entertainment and shows like this, festive and holiday periods will never be much fun to the people. The government and the people should please keep supporting us,” he said.

    The show, which started at 8:10pm and ran till the wee hours of Monday, was hosted by On-Air-Personality, Freeze, and had performances from various comedians and musicians.

    Among artistes who thrilled guests at the show were Bowjoint, Short family, Doctor Warri, Ovie De Generous, Paparazzi, Elvis Grey, Odogwu, Monkals, Romeo, Pencil, Ajebo, Dance na the Main Thing, Vintage Band, John Agoha and Rachel Kerr.

    Others were Tee-Manay, Sexy Steel, Vector, Princess, Chigurl, Falz, Helen Paul, Elenu, Klint da Drunk, Whalemouth, Godwin Strings, Ras Kimono, Seyi Law, Kenny Blaq, Acapella, Dan D’Humorous, Gordons and Akpororo.

  • Memo to President Buhari

    SIR: I write this open letter first to cheer and encourage you on the ongoing anti-corruption war. Anyone who thinks that any other matter takes precedence over the fight against corruption must have a corrupt mindset. Corruption is the bane of our pitiable and indigent social and economic condition. It needs men with a lion’s heart to lead a crusade against this national menace.

    Second, I wish to register my disappointment that not much has been done in the area of economic transformation which is key and supportive of the anti-corruption war. There is an air of despair and loss of hope in the ability of the APC government to address the dwindling economic fortunes. The high expectation that greeted your victory at the polls is fast plummeting to a level where a crash may cost your government and party irreparable damage.

    Dear President, there is so much work to do and little time. It is an understatement to say that we have a primitive police system. The British bequeathed an efficient police to us after independence but prolonged neglect of this critical security arm has left it as an oppressive rather than a protective outfit.  The police needs to be positioned to carry out their statutory duties by injecting added value in intelligence and forensic capacity. This will aid and enhance the war against corruption, kidnapping, cultism, robberies and the herdsmen/farmers crises among other violent crimes.   For those who clamour for state police, they should be told that British police and Scotland Yard have decentralized jurisdiction in all the union-states of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

    Revolutionize the economy through local production. Embrace the Organized Private Sector (OPS); Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); and the Chambers of Commerce (NACCIMA) to formulate an economic blueprint to bounce back the real tier which is the mainstay of any modern economy. I recommend that government designates two seaports as industrial free ports for the importation of ABSOLUTELY essential industrial and agricultural equipment and essential but locally non-available raw materials for a period of at least three years.  One eastern and one western port should be declared Duty Free industrial ports with NO DUTY paid on the listed items.  All finished goods are ABSOLUTELY prohibited in these ports.

    In addition to this, the Central Bank should enter into continuous dialogue with local manufacturers to determine their foreign exchange needs and to do the needful to meet, if not all their needs, but supply part.  This singular bold measure to boost local production will generate massive employment; prices of goods will stabilize as locally made goods flood the markets and in some exported.  Forget custom duty for a while and increase local production. This measure will impact on the value of the naira as investors can source their funds and enjoy the tax free incentive.

    I recommended an Executive Bill for An Act to Provide Free TUITION for all Nigerians from the Primary to Tertiary in all public institutions in Nigeria. To achieve this, the Bill will appropriate 25% of our GDP to fund education at all levels. Involve the NUT, ASUU, ASUP and other stake holders to design a blueprint to turn around our medieval education system and chart a new course that will launch Nigeria into a techno-industrial giant in the next decade.

    Change cannot come by rhetoric but through a bold and well researched, innovative and dynamic action which can arouse this giant of our country from slumber and transform it to a beehive of economic activity where all and sundry will work and participate for the benefit of everyone and future generations. No endowment is greater than our huge and divine resource of 170 million industrious people burning to be engaged in nation-building. They are watching to see if the dreams they dreamt when they massively voted for APC last year will come to pass or become another nightmare. Time is of essence.

    • Elder Tommy U Okochi,

    Agbani   Nkanu West LGA, Enugu State 

  • FG appoints Peterside as DG NIMASA

    FG appoints Peterside as DG NIMASA

    The Federal Government on Thursday appointed Dr Dakuku Peterside as the Director General of Nigerian Maritime administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

    A statement signed by Yetunde Sonaike, the Director, Public Relations, Ministry of Transportation in Abuja said that the appointment was with immediate effect.

    Peterside was the governorship candidate of APC in April.11, 2015 governorship election in River state and also a former member, House of Representative from 2011 to 2015.

    According to the statement, Peterside has a Doctorate Degree in Management Science from the University of Port Harcourt and MBA in Business Administration.

    He also holds a Bachelor Degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences (B.MLS) in Hematology from Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

  • President Buhari needs help

    In less than three weeks, it will be a year since Nigerians vengefully voted out President Jonathan  for presiding over the pillaging of our country, confiscation of our patrimony, unleashing  Boko Haram and Niger Delta insurgents on Nigeria and running a government of ‘delegation by abdication’; a president who was never really in charge. But nine months into APC administration, many are saying as against governance, what they see is creeping dictatorship and offensive indolence from a government of a party dominated by young and vibrant intellectuals from whom people expected nothing short of miracles.

    The leadership of APC, an amalgam of the fine and the ugly, unfortunately underestimated the level of mischief of some of its members and the desperation of its defeated PDP opponent. Determined to destabilise APC, they embarked on a mission of creating a ‘Leviathan’ out of politically naïve Buhari. It was not an accident that it was a PDP stalwart, Shamsudeen Usman, a Minister of Finance and National Planning at different times that first reminded Buhari that the contribution of Tinubu and the Yoruba to his victory was over-exaggerated.

    Suddenly Buhari who contested with Dr. Chuba Okadigbo as running mate in 2003 and lost; in 2007 with Edwin Ume-Ezeoke who after losing abandoned him to join the ruling party describing Buhari as ‘having no electoral value in ANPP’; and a man who contested with Tunde Bakare in 2011 and lost but won in 2015 using the APC platform was described as an asset to the party that made him president after his fourth attempt.  PDP sympathetic newspapers lionized Buhari and demonized Tinubu and went ahead with crooked logic that Saraki’s treachery against APC was to protect Buhari from the overweening influence of Tinubu.

    And when Pa Akande called attention to the despicable activities of some self-serving northern elite who love neither Nigeria nor Buhari, the conversation became bizarre. What do the Yoruba want, they asked on the pages of their papers. Suddenly we were told, Bukola Saraki, whose father not too long ago publicly admitted he was a descendant of Fulani migrant from Sudan, is Yoruba. Toyin, his wife we were reminded is also Yoruba. What else, they asked, do the Yoruba want in Buhari government in which Professor Yemi Osinbajo, a Yoruba man is the vice president.

    Slowly and steadily, those who tried to frustrate the emergence of Buhari as president soon created a Leviathan out of him. Buhari, a man with heart of gold who learnt very little from intrigues of politicians in his ANPP days probably believed those who claimed they were protecting him from the overweening influence of Tinubu and APC. Lionised, he was to declare at his inauguration: ‘I belong to no one’. He went on to declare he was ready to work with anyone who emerged as leader of the National Assembly, thus shooting himself in the leg as that paved the way for its take-over by PDP men in APC cloak.

    As against a think tank, Buhari like all oligarchs surrounded himself with short-sighted people who are more interested in protecting what they think the north is currently benefiting from our federation, the only one of its kind in the world where according to Soludo, ‘the centre doled out monies every month to Local Councils that are not accountable to it’. Surrounded by those subservient to him while distancing himself from the party oligarchy that can question him probably account for the paralysis or what critics describe as indolence. For instance, it took Buhari about six months to constitute a cabinet.  And now nine months after inauguration, over 500 small governments that in reality drive activities of government are in the hands of PDP appointees who do not share APC philosophy. Add that to the fact that nearly all the chairmanship of critical committees of the National Assembly are controlled by PDP.

    All the university boards with the exception of the 11 new ones where even the president’s recent intervention was mismanaged by his subservient kitchen cabinet are still in the hands of PDP sympathizers. Professor Jerry Gana who has been in government since 1984 who donated N5b on behalf of his unidentified friends to Jonathan’s re-election bid was in University of Lagos over the week end to pontificate. Omeri, Stella Odua’s deputy as chief mobiliser of Jonathan election, a man who worked hands in glove with the likes of Dasuki trying to sabotage the 2015 election was in government until recently. Even for its symbolism, people like Gana and Omeri ought not to be seen representing APC government of change.

    It is probably because everyone is watching the body language of the Leviathan while governance receded to the background that accounts for the re-emergence of fuel queues, with independent oil marketers impetuously declaring on television that NNPC importation of 80% of fuel will not solve our problem because NNPC has no storage facilities, long after Nigerians expected Buhari to have ended such national embarrassment. It probably explains the inability of Dr. Kayode Fayemi of solid minerals ministry to act on the scandal that was the sale of Ajaokuta and call the bluff of some Indians currently holding the country to ransom. It is the only plausible explanation for why Fashola (the president foreman) think building toll gates and increasing electricity tariff take precedence over supply of prepaid meters or informing the public of the obligation of the 60 licensed Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to consumers after negotiating tax free ‘importation of gas-related machinery and equipment’ and bail out of more than half a billion naira with the last administration. And finally, it is perhaps why Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture has been going around doing the job of EFCC and that of the president’s Senior Special Adviser on Information, telling us the number of those in court facing EFCC charges and defending the president’s trips abroad instead of focusing on just the culture component of his ministry which has the potentials to generate billions in foreign exchange for the country.

    It is apparent every APC member seems to have been bitten by the ‘Leviathan bug’. No one, including the party oligarchy has been able to look at Buhari in the face and tell him the truth. Must the President spend all his time travelling now because we have problem?  Obama inherited two wars and a debt of 16trillion dollars piled up by his predecessors. He sat back at home and did the job. In our own case, our foreign debt is only about $10b. This cannot be a death sentence for a resilient people made up the good, the bad and the ugly that has stolen about $200b kept in already identified banks in the Middle East, Europe and Americas. Outside of Buhari’s first round of foreign trips to the US, UK, Germany and France to thank their leaders for their contribution to our peaceful transition, all other foreign engagements can be handled by our foreign minister whose name unfortunately few Nigerians can remember. And no one has asked the president why he needed more than nine months in office to fulfil his campaign promise of selling off the inherited Presidential Fleet of 10 aircrafts or convert them to form the nucleus of a national carrier and save the country of billions we lose to foreign carriers.

    And what is the way forward since failure is not an alternative? I think Buhari needs help. Modern government is a science and democracy is a game of consensus and compromise where delegation without abdication has been found more productive than centralization which produces nothing but paralysis. Tinubu should tell the president the secret of his success in Lagos. Buhari should allow young people trained in science of modern government run the show while he provides cover with his integrity and honesty, virtues Nigerians know he has in abundance but which they are aware are not enough to make him a successful president just as they were not enough to win him the presidency during his first three attempts.

  • Buhari congratulates new Olubadan on his coronation

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the new Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji Aje Ogungunniso 1 on his coronation on Friday.

    This is contained in a statement in Abuja on Friday by Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the president.

    According to the statement, President Buhari joins the indigenes of Ibadan, the family of the new Olubadan, the government and people of Oyo State in celebrating Oba Adetunji’s ascension to the ancient throne of his forefathers.

    President Buhari urged Oba Adetunji to follow in the worthy and commendable footsteps of his predecessors by working diligently for peace and development in Ibadan, Oyo State and Nigeria.

    The president also called on Oba Adetunji to do his utmost best, in his new role as the chief custodian of the traditions of his people, to preserve and propagate the admirable culture and customs of Ibadan.

    He assured the new Olubadan of the full support and cooperation of the Federal Government “as he strives to lead his people forward and contribute meaningfully to the development of his domain, Oyo State and the nation’’.

    He prayed that Almighty God would grant Oba Adetunji long life, good health and the wisdom he needs for a successfully reign.

  • Open letter to President Buhari

    A few days ago I came across an article in The Economist – The Secrets of Scandinavian Countries’ Success. The article focused on two main areas: Welfare and Pragmatism

    It was no surprise to me that a nation with a good welfare system as its foundation is more likely than not to be a prosperous and successful one.

    Why? Because a government governs best with its people in tow and in support; and a nation prospers most when its’ people and its’ government are in unison in ideology, desire, and implementation.

    If I were to score the performance of your government so far I would give it 25% – a score based entirely on your desire to build a new nation in which the less privileged are well catered for. I passionately agree with this desire, but unfortunately I’m not able to support your policies because as yet there don’t seem to be any.

    Has your government actually studied the principles of a welfare state? More importantly, are the members of your government fully in support of a welfare state? The unfortunate still-birth of your first budget suggests there are many within this government – both the executive and legislature – that couldn’t care less about the less privileged.

    Furthermore does the public you serve understand your vision? And the policies / strategies you intend to utilise in achieving it? Surely the support of your government and the people that voted you in is key to your success?!

    There’s something political leaders of developed nations have learned to do with such aplomb; and that is winning the support and backing of the public in order to enforce the support of your administration. Power is addictive. Once ministers and policy makers recognise that failing to toe the line can lead to an angry response from the electorate, and thereby a loss of their seat, they tend to behave themselves.

    But unfortunately we the public have absolutely no idea what your vision is and even less an idea of your policies. After nine months in office, not once have you addressed the nation -the very people that voted you in – to explain your socio-economic policies. A nation is built on the attitude of its people. The attitude of the people is often determined by the ideology, policies, and attitude of the government. The two are intertwined; hence the saying ‘you get the government you deserve’.

    We have no idea what you desire and how you want to achieve it. All we know is that you dislike corruption. We also dislike corruption; but surely there comes a time when anti-corruption news for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is no longer enough for our well-being!

    At some point we need to start believing in something else as well – such as a well structured economic policy. What really concerns me is that the statement many have been making for several months, but which I refused to accept is now starting to ring a little too true for comfort; and that is the grim possibility that your government doesn’t actually have an economic blueprint. Please tell me these statements are gravely misguided.

    The longer your administration remains silent on the direction we’re heading, the less we believe you know what you’re doing.

    Another prominent feature of successful nations is the ability of their governments to be practical.

    Surely it’s time to be practical regarding the exchange rate! I’m as passionate about self-sufficiency as anyone can be, but I also recognise that we cannot be an island. Allowing foreign investments to dry up completely (which is what leaving things as they are will inevitably lead to) is tantamount to economic suicide!

    Before going any further, I believe it is important for me to point out that I’m not speaking on behalf of the elite few. How could I be when my station in life is so very far from them? I’m speaking on behalf of millions and millions of ordinary, hard-working Nigerians.

    If you refuse to be practical then at least explain to us why you insist on not devaluing the exchange rate. Is there a cunning plan that will somehow make everything better? Or is this a case of sit tight and hope for the best?

    History tells us that no matter how long you sit tight for, you will eventually have to agree to officially devalue the naira. The parallel market has now become the official market as with all the restrictions and rationing, this is where most businesses buy their foreign exchange from. Goods with import content are now being priced against the parallel market rate, and the lucky few who are still getting N199:1$ are making wide profit margins. By the end of March the naira to dollar exchange rate will most likely have reached NGN500 to US1, if not more!

    Your Excellency, even your government, state governments, and their employees are presently reeling from the adverse effects of your refusal to devalue the naira. Their share of oil revenues is still being converted at 199:1; and as a result most of the states cannot afford to pay salaries. Furthermore the inevitable inability to balance your budget will naturally subject future generations to a debt burden once again. The words ‘a vicious cycle’ come to mind.

    I fully sympathise with your desire to cater for the masses, even if it means it is at the expense of the well to do. But the irony of your present stance is that the people who will be most severely affected are the masses. After-all, a large percentage of the masses are employed by the middle class. The middle class are the people that drive the small /medium sized business sector. Small /medium sized businesses drive the economy.

    I do wonder whether we the electorate are presently behaving like the Israelites did in the wilderness after God delivered them from captivity in Egypt. They grumbled on a daily basis; wondering whether it would have been better to remain in Egypt where they at least had a routine and knew when they would eat. However their situation was fairly different. They knew they were being taken to the promised land.

    Does the average Nigerian know where you’re taking him/her?

    Mr. President, the nation’s economy is in a critical state. Corporations are laying people off by the second, small businesses are barely existing, most people are struggling to make ends meet, government is not paying employees or contractors, and to make matters worse nobody has any idea where we’re going.

    I recall getting up at 6.00am on Saturday, March 28, 2015   to vote for you. Despite the knowledge of an impending 6km walk to my polling booth, the fervent hope of the better future your government of change would bring made it seem more like a 100 metre dash. A government focused on the welfare of the people; a government for the people, and by the people!

    I put my trust in you.

    We all put our trust in you by voting for you.

    It’s time for you to return that trust by telling us where we’re going, and how you intend to get us there. Kindly reciprocate the trust we put in you by respectfully explaining your plan for the next three years to us – in person, and not through your media spokesman.

    We deserve that much.

     

    • Akande is Managing Director, SBA Interactive and Founder of Arise Africa Foundation
  • 2016 Hajj: Buhari urged to seek quota increase for Nigeria

    2016 Hajj: Buhari urged to seek quota increase for Nigeria

    The Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), an NGO, on Tuesday advised President Muhammadu Buhari to appeal to the Saudi Arabian Government to increase Hajj quota for the country.

    This is contained in a statement jointly issued in Abuja by the National Coordinator and Publicity Secretary of the group, Messrs Ibrahim Muhammed and Abubakar Mahmoud, respectively.

    The statement noted that the visit of Buhari to Saudi Arabia provided an opportunity for him to plead for Hajj quota increment for the country because of its large number of Muslim population.

    It said that in 2015, Indonesia Hajj quota was increased by 10,000 after Indonesia’s president pleaded with the then King Salman during their bilateral meeting.

    “In the last three years, the number of Hajj seats allocation to Nigeria stands at 76,000 due to the 20 per cent cut necessitated by the Grand Mosque expansion project,’’ said the statement.

    It also recalled that prior to the 20 per cent slash Nigeria’s annual allocation was about 92,000; which the group noted was grossly inadequate.

    “Within the same period, however, countries like Pakistan, India and Indonesia are allocated 94,000; 143,000 and 160,000, respectively.

    “But as for Nigeria, a country with over 60 million Muslim population, got 76,000 Hajj seats,” the statement said.

    It therefore urged the president to request for more Hajj seats for Nigeria as more than a million Nigerian Muslims compete for the 76,000 available slots allocated to the country yearly.

    The statement observed that the reduction had made it difficult for those who have the capacity and ability to perform their religious obligation.

    It suggested that seats that were not fully utilised by other nations could be given to Nigeria to ease the challenge of scarcity of Hajj seats.

    It also urged Saudi Hajj Authorities to consider the request for increase in Hajj seats in view of the tremendous progress made by Nigeria in terms of compliance with Hajj rules.