Dystopian State & Looming Anarchy: A Stitch In Time Can Save Our Nine, Buhari – By Sheyi Babaeko
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“Tell no lies, claim no easy victories…Tell it to the people the way it is” Amilcar Cabral.
On the 29th of May 2016, the incumbent President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria would have spent a year out of his four-year tenure in office and as a citizen of the country, I am therefore historically compelled and generationally duty bound not only for our generation but the generation yet unborn to put pen to paper so that my place in history will never be with the cold and timid souls.
Mr, President Sir, I congratulate you in advance on your one year anniversary in office. Permit me to, however, remind you that things are no longer easy for Nigerians and to be honest with your Excellency, there is urgent need to quickly readjust your policies with the view of setting Nigeria to the recovery path so that the death of our heroes past, who gave up their lives for the democracy that we celebrate today, will not be in vain.
Figures that emanate from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), show that our GDP has declined to 0.36% and unemployment has risen to 12.1%; the nation’s growth rate has also declined to 0.36% in the first quarter of 2016 from 2.11% in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Judging from that, my opinion at this point in time is not to dwell much on how we get here as a nation. My pain and concern is why we remain here.
We must therefore collectively rise above pedantic pettiness, political ideology, and religious differences to join hands in building the nation.
It is obvious that there is no better time than now. Owing to the tensions from the Biafra agitators in the South East, the reactions of the Niger Delta Avengers from the South-South, the killing and maiming of citizens by herdsmen across the country, the kidnapping and armed robbery in South West and the Boko Haram menace in the far North are strong indications that all is not well with my country.
President Buhari’s fight against insurgency is very commendable but still, the people of the North East cannot sleep with their two eyes closed because anything could happen in the affected areas at any point in time.
Moreover, the decision to remove the subsidy on PMS, otherwise known as petrol, without the necessary palliative measures in place amidst these growing tensions is an invitation to anarchy because a hungry man is an angry man.
It is with the above reasons that I am calling on the president to be bold enough to tell Nigerians the truth, especially now that nearly all the pre-election promises of APC have been cancelled.
President Buhari should, therefore, come up with realistic policies that will have positive impacts on the lives of average Nigerians.
Mr. President sir, Nigeria as a country must not fail to get it right at this time. If we could manage our difference, amidst the heterogeneous and bipolar demarcation under the promised change, then we would all be proud of your leadership.
The way forward and recommendation include:
•The immediate review of the fuel subsidy policies with the view of reducing the pump price;
•dialogue with all the aggrieved groups and parties;
•development of empowerment schemes to alleviate poverty and create reasonable jobs and not the menial ones that Nigerian leaders are used to creating for educated youths;
•Re-orientation of the citizens in a view to carrying them along in governing the country. Long Live Nigeria!
Oluwaloseyi Babaeko, who recently concluded his Masters program in Conflict, Development and Security from the School of Politics, University of Leeds, UK writes in from London.