Sacrifices can heal Nigeria. Happy Easter again to all Nigerians!
By Orefo Nnamdi Onochie
Happy Easter to all Nigerians, especially the Christians, who know that the sacrifice of only one, the one in whom God is pleased, redeemed Mankind: our individual
CAN A GOVERNMENT ADJUDGED ILLEGITIMATE HEAL AN ECONOMY AND POLITY ALREADY ON THE BEND – WHAT NIGERIA MUST DO TO
HEAL IN 2023 AND BEYOND?
The level of healing required to keep Nigeria moving progressively forward, is enormous and perhaps psychologically impossible to achieve by the nouveau leaders of post General elections of 2023. Previous epoch and election circle of 2019 had ingredients that were absent in 2015, yet things have gotten much more worse after 2019-2022, and between January and February 2023, scarcity of petrol and Naira redesign/scarcity brought the Nigerian populace to their lowest and their knees: millions walking miles, daily to go to work, and sitting on the dusty/sandy floors of ATMs for hours, from as early as 4am for more than 40 days. These prior sufferings and deprivations were so overwhelmingly high, and I must list them as truisms and further proof of what new challenges are about to confront Nigeria. My warnings to government in November 2022, were neglected and the repercussions were historic, and never seen before. Number one, was the multiplication of promoters of insecurity and forces of separatism and breakup of Nigeria – Boko Haram (2009-2010, avowed to make Nigeria “ungovernable “ for Goodluck Jonathan, still is unconquerable as Muhammadu Buhari disengages in 2023); ISWAP-BANDITS-FULANI HERDSMEN-UNKNOWN GUNMEN- KIDNAPPERS (2018-2023, defeated severally and technically by Buhari, and Military Service Chiefs whom he refused to change, until Secondary schools-Universities-Railways-Highways became most easy sources of kidnap ransom and funding for insurgency, yet Lai Mohammed/Rauf Aregbesola/Babagana Kingibe all rejected the dignity of resigning after several failed claims of defeating Islamic based insurgency); Separatist agitations to divide up Nigeria based on Constitutional imbalances and other tensions favouring Northern Islamic Nigeria more than Southern/Middle Belt Christian Animist Nigeria, aka BIAFRA-ODUDUWA REPUBLICS-AREWA REPUBLIC-MIDDLE BELT REPUBLIC-NIGER DELTA REPUBLIC and other smaller ready but yet to be declared Republics, symbolized/personified by Nnamdi Kanu/Sunday Igboho/Government Tompolo/Asari Dokubo etc, suppressed in prisons, on self exiles, now stiffened by the 2023 General election results/incidents such as presidential election rigging, suppression of Igbo citizenship/voting in Lagos, renewed emergent killings in rural Benue/Plateau States since after the 2023 elections: readied re-emergence of clashes/killings/injuries between protesters and security agents in Aba, Abia State, due to disaffection from alleged 2023 Presidential election rigging, Naira scarcity and chaotic economic disparities; worsening recession of economy, infrastructure denouement, persistence of electricity shortages, sky high inflation and permanent rise in cost of living (1,200 % increase since 2015-2023, in several and many cases), run-away forex exchange rates since 2015 , from N254.00 to N750.00 in 2022-2023: closure of public Universities for 8-months in 2022; incidences of high prosecuted corruption and embezzlement of public funds by very senior government officials since 2015-2023: unprosecuted public known votes/delegates buying in SW 2022 Governorship elections, 2022 Presidential Conventions in Abuja, violations of Zoning/Rotation clauses or understanding of PDP -APC political parties during the 2022 Presidential Conventions; impunity and refusal to arrest or prosecute APC members who violated the 2022 Electoral Law, in Lagos, while other political opponents were and are still threatened with or committed straight to detentions or imprisonments, on treason charges, and are publicly counseled to leave Nigeria on self imposed exile,all point to the new and gradual descent into civil disobedience, threats of sit-at-home, anarchy, and Federal totalitarianism, where some citizens are untouchable, media houses are fined due to private views of interviewees, (could Channel TV have stopped Datti-Ahmed from speaking or just switched off his microphone?); and some citizens are second class citizens and subjects of other ethnic/religious groups.
It is impossible to see how national cohesion, unity or prosperity, can be achieved through a cascade of events, situations and positions such as these, in a country such as Nigeria. There cannot be peace, economic development and unity in such an oppressive society. Citizens will be working at cross purposes, the Rule of Law will be so selective that the core sense of patriotism that places nations above others will be impossible to achieve, and based on these corrupt preferences, that country will be torn to shreds and blown into small ethnic and religious republics. This is the direction that is tragically facing Nigeria in the next 12-24 months: the more brazen and imperious the results of national democratic pursuits, such as elections and constitutional restructuring, the more impossible it will be to achieve unity, cohesion, security and prosperity. On the surface, it would appear as though the country will weather the storm, but at the slightest volatility, every thing, literally will go up in flames: at that time, it will be too late to save the sovereign strength of the State or country. That is the tragedy that confronts Nigeria today. Is this what we want, is that the very best we can, especially as the elite, bequeath to the country? Here are the most immediate remedies we must apply to SAVE Nigeria:
1. Immediately after May 29, 2023, a Constitutional Restructuring Conference must be convened, of all ethnic nationalities, to change Nigeria back to a Parliamentary Democracy, away from the current Presidential Democracy, that our GDP can support, with hundreds of Nigerians who can competitively aspire to lead our country, not where only 4-6 persons can steal from our Treasury/Economy, bribe and buy their way to the Presidency: ethnic irredentism and religious intolerance will be eliminated in good time, including Boko Haram, all the small hostile republics and kidnappers
2. Convene a Cost of Living Reduction RoundTable, and structure the parameters to reduce the cost of living, in Nigeria, and stabilize the temperament of the populace, and remove the intense competitiveness that leads to hostile ethnic/religious sentiments that fuels Nigerian politics, used by politicians to further denigrate our people
3. Stabilise national cohesion by abandoning any sense or policy that will tamper with Petrol cost or subsidy, reduce per liter cost to N75.00, from current prices, to hold back skyrocketing inflation
4. Peg the US dollar/Naira exchange rate at N92.00 Naira per $1.00 USD: maintain only a single exchange rate mechanism, not the current multiple WAYO (fraudulent), windows, that destroys the economy and creates billionaire bankers who periodically trade/devalue the local Naira, over the growth/ strength of the national economy
5. Fund education and medical health services fully, so that all Nigerians can get FREE EDUCATION AND MEDICAL HEALTH SERVICES, towards a greater more patriotic citizenry, removing strikes or stoppages in these two strategic sectors
6. Pay up-front, and build within 24 months, 7- new electricity generation plants of 2,620 Megawatts of Electricity, respectively, daily output, to increase electricity supply and revive national industrial production and reduce unemployment.
7. ZERO CORRUPTION AND ZERO FOREIGN LOANS, and increase of judicial capacity to reduce Court trials to 3-7 months per case, and ensure that Judges/Magistrates are not assigned more than 300-case files annually: whistle blower identified corrupt persons will, based on the Rule of Law, be quickly tried and if guilty, imprisoned as deterrent to others
CONCLUSION
It is clear that though Nigeria appears calm, a deadly volcano is rumbling under the subterranean faults exposed in more 30- years of the imbalances and oppressive Constitution, that has been wholly exposed in the moneycracy that was manifested in the 2023 General Federal National Assembly,Presidential and State Governorship and Assembly Elections of February 25, and March 28, 2023. Several negative issues and consequences, all highlighted already, are set to light Nigeria, afire, in the next 12-24 months: we believe the country can weather through, but the FAULTS are too deep now. We must call up our ethnic nationalities, immediately after May 29, 2023, to Restructure the country back to a Parliamentary Democracy, where even minority political parties are not excluded in government, and no winner takes all. Unless we re-engineer Nigeria along the suggested lines above, our TRAGEDY will get worse. A stitch in time, saves more than nine!
Signed:
Dr. Orefo Nnamdi Onochie
Convener/Chairman NACOPPIN NIGERIA 2023
April 8, 2023.
