The only permanent thing in life is change. Everything is in a state of flux. And Nnamdi Azikiwe, a pan- Africanist, said this: no condition is permanent in this world. It is the incontrovertible truth. Nigerians have been labouring under the yoke of economic hardship for long. So they voted in Muhammadu Buahari as the President of Nigeria. He was trusted to usher in change in our polity given his antecedents and Spartan lifestyle. Sadly, soon he will complete one year in office without recording any meaningful achievements. But, incredibly, the change he promised has continued to elude us.
Daily, the long-suffering and unlucky people of Nigeria are offered lame excuses by their political leaders for their inaction, mistakes, and failures. Bashing the immediate former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, is the in-thing now. They have continued to bandy the stale tale about how Jonathan’s administration mismanaged the economy to the extent that it will take the current occupants of political offices in Nigeria eon years to fix it. Jonathan is their scapegoat now.
But did Muhammadu Buhari come into office with workable economic blue-print on how to address our myriad economic problems? A person jostling for political power at the topmost level ought to be cognizant of his country’s diverse socio-economic and political problems. Before assuming the mantle of leadership, he would articulate and formulate solutions to his country’s problems. But the bane of Nigeria is that it has the singular misfortune of being led by incompetent and myopic leaders. The factor of imposition of leaders on the populace has always led to the emergence of mediocre national leaders.
APC was a vehicle for the removal of Goodluck Jonathan. Nigerians bought into APC’S change agenda and voted in Muhammadu Buhari, a man believed to possess the magic wand and Midas touch for the revival of our comatose economy and advancement of our technology. But does he have the intellectual wherewithal, mental acuity, temperament, and gumption to take Nigeria out of the economic woods?
Muhammadu Buhari is known for his zero tolerance for corruption. So it is not unexpected of him to wage a war against corruption in Nigeria. Now some politicians who served in the immediate past political regime are standing trial for corrupt enrichment. But we are not unaware that corruption is the leukaemia debilitating our country. But the prosecution of those alleged to have committed financial misdemeanours should follow due judicial processes; and it should be shorn of any manifestations of political witch-hunt. More so the money recovered from them should be accounted for, and channelled into the development of infrastructure across the country.
Corruption deepened and festered in the country as oil boom translated to the abundance of easy cash, which our political leaders do divert into their private bank accounts. But with the crash in global oil prices, Nigeria’s economy has become distressed. Our country is badly hit by the slump in global oil prices as our economy is a mono-economy that is dependent on oil revenue for survival.
Now, some states in the federation are insolvent. They go cap in hand to the federal government begging for financial bailouts. Sadly, they owe workers in their employ backlog or arrears of salaries. These cash-strapped states may be forced by financial constraints to lay off workers in their employ. Now millions of Nigerians with university degrees are without jobs. An unemployed person is vulnerable to manipulations by either Boko Haram insurgents or agitators for statehood. Those disgruntled, jobless, and impecunious elements are not incapable of creating anarchy here.
So how is our president addressing the issue of our parlous economy occasioned by plummeting oil prices? Isn’t it high time our economy was diversified? Can’t we revive the practice of agriculture among our youths, who are in the search of elusive white and blue collar jobs? Agriculture can offer employment to millions of Nigerians, and earn revenue for us. In the past, our country realized huge revenue by exporting cash crops, such as cocoa, palm oil, grandnut to foreign countries.
More importantly is the fact that a gainfully employed person will not have the luxury of time to risk his neck in the crime of abduction for ransom. Crime wave is in the upswing now. And there is a correlation between unemployment and increased criminal activities in Nigeria.
But more worrisome is the murderous activities of the Fulani herdsmen. They destroy farms and murder people with impunity. They are untouchable. They have wrapped proprietary arms round the neck of the presidential seat. Is their kinsman not at the helm of affairs in Nigeria? But the murderous deeds of the Fulani cattle rearers have the potential of igniting civil war in Nigeria. Sadly, the government’s response to the issue is misconceived and discouraging. The grazing bill that is designed to give cattle herders grazing land across Nigeria is tantamount to dispossessing people of their rightful inheritance. The federal government and the law-makers should not stampede us into another civil war by facilitating the passage of the bill.
The issues of the Fulani cattle – rearers murderous acts, Boko Haram insurgency, IPOB agitation for political sovereignty, the depressed and distressed economy, and the unemployment saga can make Nigeria bowl over. Add these problems to the pervasive corruption that has held us down and hostage, then you’ll concur with me that Nigeria is unwittingly and inexorably marching steadily to chaos.
Chiedu Uche Okoye & Uruowulu – Obosi
