By: Shehu Bashir Esq.
People are suffering. There is no doubt about this. The hardship is much and becoming unbearable. We have to alleviate the hardship. We cannot pretend about this any longer, not even with a silver spoon in the mouth. We cannot continue to pay lip service to its solution. It’s time to go real, fair, honest, actual, practical and pragmatic.
Enough of hypocritical diplomacy. Let the spade be called a spade. There is crises in the land. The populace is getting frustrated. This is even further fueling crime in the society. People are getting peevish and justifiably so. You cannot be calm with an empty stomach. This is not the time to flaunt wealth, let alone being prodigal with your spendings. The town is not smiling.
People are getting desperate to live and survive. No one is safe from this. It is taking a toll on all of our life - our mental, emotional and physical health. We are hungry and dying by little.
Everybody’s purchasing power is getting low day by day. No one can boast of assured fairness in our essential needs purchase. We are just improvising to stay alive. If we can afford a crate of egg, we go for “beske” as protein substitute.
The hustle is real. Everyone is looking for alternative means to survive. Only a few are shunning the temptation to compromise their integrity. People’s hard work are not yielding the right result anymore. Crime is now wearing the crown of praise. The strong are appearing weaker and demoralized. Only the strongest will stand.
It is becoming increasingly harder for people to even feed let alone attending to other needs, medical and social. The inflation is hitting everyone hard. Even those who have are spending more than usual, let alone those who cannot ordinarily afford to buy stuff.
Our security is no more secure. We are on the precipice. Anybody who is denying this fact or feigning ignorance of the dire situation is either satanically hypocritical or devilishly mean.
Let us deflate this balloon before it bursts into a bang. Let us apply a break in our quest for wealth. Opulence is not a gate pass to paradise. Nigerians have paid too much through their blood. Enough of sacrifices of the future of generations.
Come down to terms with the reality, this style is not sustainable, you might be fueling the tank of principled resistance. We are using too much untested adhoc policies, let us go practical and scientific as it suits Nigeria situation. Foreign borrowed idea is not working for us and it’s never going to work. There is no shame in starting all over again as long as the outcome is positive and truly progressive.
Nigeria is not a guinea pig for research, we cannot continue to be used as the laboratory for inorganic test. We cannot afford to import genetically modified crops that may endanger generations yet unborn. We need to separate business from humanity. Humanity before business.
There is need for emergency succour. Immediate provisions must be made to alleviate the hardships. Now, we must de-emphasize focus on making more money to focus on spending more in the right way to bring down the general inflation.
There must be a working instrument for commodity price control and regulation to stop the arbitrary increase in prices. It is time to be accountable on every sources and resources that have been made so far and how they were utilized.
Corruption continues to be on rampage as it has always been. It has only been taking a cover in crockery. No sign anything is being done in actual and scientific sense to rein it in. It has only been cosmetic strategy to the fight against corruption. Nothing extraordinary to help in the eradication of the carnage called corruption. Mediocrity is definitely on display.
The economy is not receiving the real monetary circulation. The money for the reflation of the economy are in the hands of a few privileged ones who are customizing the comfort and wellbeing. Everyone is on “grabbing mode”. No conscience in governance at all.
It is a waste of time, resources and application of poor strategy giving more cash to the states who will ultimately divert and embezzle the fund. Let us spend all available financial resources to expanding pragmatic mechanized agriculture. Let us declare emergency on oil sector and let us demystify all the clog in the wheel of progressive of this innocent country. Enough of capitalistic mentality. Let’s change to welfarism, atleast for now.
Now, we need a workable and aggressive policy on agricultural revolution, technological innovation and oil production efficiency. There is no magic in governance. Governance is not a rocket science unless there is a compromise in-between. Security is not a mirage unless someone is profiting from the artificial blurry creation. All we need is deliberate and honest actions to do the right thing.
Let’s stop pampering crime and criminals. Let us reset the system. The fun of governance is in the security of the future. Insecurity is a threat to anyone, let us tame it before it cages all of us.
It is time to address the immediate cause of the hardship and proffer ultimate solutions. It is time to loosen up on the conspiracy around crude oil production, sales and subsidy imbroglio. Let’s break the shell around the oil cartel so that we can turn the oil into prosperity rather than the liability that it has become. Enough of hide and seek. Let this country breathe.
Let there be transparency. The veiling causing the opaqueness should be removed. Let us govern Nigeria in the Nigeria way that will prosper Nigeria and comfort all Nigerians. Let us do the right thing as though it is the last thing we will do on earth for us to receive the mercy of our Creator.
May God ease the affairs of Nigerians, Amin.
GOD IS HERE.
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Opinion