In search of the messiah

By Bayo Ogunmupe

>        The alert that the occupants
> of the Bakassi Peninsula will soon become stateless, being
> refugees in Nigeria now, gives cause for concern. This alarm
> was sounded by the representative for Nigeria and the
> Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the
> signing of the memorandum of understanding with ECOWAS
> Parliament in Abuja recently. The alert drew the attention
> of the world to the displacement of the people of Bakassi.
> These people are Efiks wit linguistic and cultural affinity
> with Efiks of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Being Nigerians
> until Bakassi was ceded to Cameroon in August 2008 by the
> International Court of Justice.
>        Since then, Bakassi belonged
> to Cameroon but its residents remained Nigerians. Worse
> still, the two countries have not been serious in governing
> the territory inhabited by this people. Due to neglect by
> the Nigerian government, this people have nowhere to call
> their country. But evidence abounds that they are Nigerians
> because they registered and voted at Dayspring Island, Cross
> River State, Nigeria in 2015.
>        The people of Bakassi have
> chosen to remain Nigerians in spite of neglect. This is why
> we need a messiah to rescue Nigeria from predators who don't
> see more than cornering oil money in Nigeria. We need a
> leader ready to tackle those seeking to balkanize Nigeria to
> satisfy their security concerns. Like the Jews who are still
> waiting for their messiah, we should start searching for an
> emancipator now. We need a leader who will emancipate
> Bakassi and lift us out of poverty.
>        Amidst the great yearning
> for a messiah came the confirmation by the First Lady, Mrs
> Aisha Buhari that the government of her husband had been
> hijacked by a mafia. The senate president, Dr Bukola 
> first broke the news at the height of his feud with Buhari
> over his alleged alteration of senate standing orders last
> year. The confirmation of the mafia takeover was a huge blow
> to us who view Buhari as the much awaited messiah that
> transform Nigeria to the Utopian land of our dreams. It
> means this government is in the hands of a few jejune
> individuals.
>        Thus, our salvation is being
> deferred. Therefore we have to exercise ingenuity to salvage
> this country from the morass we are  in now. All the
> problems of the nation since independence stem from our
> inability to take proactive action due to ignorance and
> ethnic jealousy. Indeed, since Finance minister, Kemi
> Adeosun announced that Nigeria is in a recession last
> August, we have become interested in solving this economic
> impasse. Leadership is the key to recovery. Without expert
> guidance, there is no hope for recovery in the next few
> months. Which is why we must buck up on getting the leader
> with the vision and grit to solve the problems.
>        For solution to recession,
> we must adopt the Keynesian model of massive government
> funding of public works, the enthronement of a N750 billion
> interest free, collateral free full employment plan for the
> unemployed, young or old. That is how to revive the economy.
> Such loans may be accessed from any finance institution
> nearest to the applicant. It is primitive for every Nigerian
> seeking SME loan to go to only one bank be it Bank of
> Industry or Bank of Agriculture. Such loans should be
> accessible from the bank nearest me.
>        Moreover, we must stop
> domestic borrowing to finance the public sector. Governments
> have been wastefully borrowing money internally to finance
> domestic consumption. That is how we have been wasting over
> 40 percent of every naira earned to service domestic debts;
> such profligacy is unheard of anywhere in the world. Also,
> the way government is going about economic recovery isn't
> right. Let the N750 billion intervention fund be managed by
> the Central Bank; that is the way they do it. Promising
> money on infrastructure and creating a bank to manage it is
> the method of corrupt people.
>        Also, Infrastructure Bank,
> Development Bank, like the Peoples Bank, they are destined
> for extinction because it isn't the duty of government to
> establish banks. With the exception of the CBN all
> government banks must be privatized. What governments need
> is to establish finance schemes, the private sector will
> react appropriately to its needs. By establishing banks
> government is funding corruption. Give all moneys gained
> from foreigners, the World Bank, African Development Bank
> and the like to the CBN to manage. They will then go into
> financing such schemes as Full Employment, Agriculture and
> SMEs.
>        That is why we need a leader
> with integrity who will not abdicate his responsibility by
> turning governance over to a mafia. An awakened leader holds
> the key to our economic rebirth. Thus, good policy options
> and visionary leadership remain the way out of Nigeria's
> current economic crisis. A people that are starving not
> because of a lack of abundance, but because the rules are
> skewed against them cannot listen to the Change Begins With
> Me slogan. They will not wait for their turn either. They
> are likely to attain their wishes by force, revolt or
> insurrection.
>        Indeed, the moral corollary
> to abundance given us by God is that its spread  should
> be wider and higher. But unfortunately, the Nigerian state
> manifests intolerance to the plight of the people,
> provoking  the people to question the legitimacy of
> those put in  authority over them. Therefore,
> government has lost the steam and momentum generated during
> the election. Through government isolation from the party
> and the people, the people are frustrated, they are no
> longer impressed by buck passing; they are now angling for a
> new leader that will bring justice and succour to a country
> in tribulation. So, let us wake up to the reality of the
> search for a new leader by taking proactive action
> immediately.

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