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Olusola SogunroTuesday, January 1, 2013
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RE: WHY MY ADMINISTRATION IS SLOW - PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN

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n article published in the Punch newspaper of Nigeria dated Wednesday 26, 2012 is very misleading and unacceptable to economic watchers, who have been hoping for the country's elusive progress since independence. The problem with Jonathan's administration is not a case of sluggishness, rather, it is one of lack of vision. Nigerians always accept the status quo. They scramble for crumbs falling off the masters table, forgetting that the whole menu belongs to all Nigerians.

The PDP administration has done nothing favorable to Nigeria. From their forcible installation as the governing body, deriving from the various military and civilian change over, Nigeria has experienced nothing but reversal and retardation of progress reached at independence. If Nigeria were to be left in the condition she attained at time of independence, if Nigeria dutifully maintained the infrastructures that we inherited from the British, if our successive power grabbers kept faith with Nigerians and ruled with a single purpose of bettering the country's outlook; today, we would be ranked among the true developing nations of the world. I mean Nigeria should be ranked with the BRICK nations, perhaps "BRINCK". Dr. Tunji Otegbeye lamented this elusive opportunity before his death.

What does the Nigerian President mean by seeking excuse for the slowness in delivery of good governance by his administration? As shown by various stealing and losses of billions of dollars from the country's coffers, he (Goodluck) and his administration have nothing to deliver! They are nothing but a bunch (MMFI) make me feel important, whose song theme is "ME, ME, and ME". Moral suasion cannot heal the hurt this and predecessor administrations post independence have dealt on Nigerians and Nigeria Before Goodluck's ascension to power, he came to Washington DC to deceive the Western world and Nigerians in the Diaspora. He posed as an ultimate answer to the quest for deliverance Nigeria and Nigerians have been looking for; that he has knowledge about the problems bombarding Nigeria; and that he is equipped with the right solution or panacea for solving those problems. The medication he has for the ills in the governance of the country is now vividly depicted in the escalation and disgraceful incidences that ranks Nigeria as a "Failed State".

Nigeria's escalation of lack of safety, and lack of empathy for the common man, ranks high enough to be equaled with situations in Syria, and other countries in the middle east. Another important area of leakage and inept management of the country's affairs is in the handling of the country's revenue. Nigeria lies in the custody of administrators, who are continuously looting of the country's treasury. Imagine billions of Naira declared lost or stolen daily or every other week from the country's revenue. The government has developed blind eye to these licensed treasury looting that these evils perpetrated on Nigeria and Nigerians go unchallenged. Simple lack of guts to scale down the unreasonable salaries and benefits paid to Nigeria's elected officials, and other insincere excuses are unacceptable to right the wrongs perpetrated on the Nigerian proletariat. At least, all Nigerians should be fairly comfortable!

Where are the jobs? No job creation, no pay parity in the economy for the few employed, no guaranty for obtaining basic human needs. The Nigerian government does not seem to care about satisfying the basic needs of humanity as scientifically illustrated by a renown physiologist, Dr. Maslow in his hierarchy of physiological needs. It is easy for the Nigerian elected officials to put on two faces; one, an appearance of doing something good for the progress of the country, and the other, to be engaged vigorously and religiously in robbing the country blind. Robbing Nigeria blind is easily understood by most of us in the Diaspora, who have worked in the country, and know how hard earned money may not be easily used to buy luxury homes all over the world, airplanes, private jets and helicopters. A new status symbol established by our corrupt leaders.

Goodluck Jonathan and his cohorts at work are giving excuses for their depth of ineptness and lack of understanding of how to govern the country. My advice to Goodluck and his cohorts is to "Get out of the kitchen, if they cannot stand the heat", at least, room would be made available for those who can deliver the goods. Make no mistake, there is a mix of capable Nigerians from each of the states in the country, who would steer the ship of Nigeria out of troubled waters, and anchor it safely along the banks of progress. But, mind you, some people have to throw in their towels of aggression, and let "True Patriots" handle the realms of power. I mean, if we can successfully appeal to the morality of the insatiable tick and lice hidden in our political fabric, to step off and step down from Nigeria's politics. We would be almost at our destination for grace and dignity. We need to remind these power grabbers that they lured us into accepting them through deceit and cunning devices. We a re not asking for a return of their loot. All we are asking for, is "let Nigeria prosper". It is not too late to reform the country, but we need a different generation of guided and guarded politicians. Politicians who are about the services of the country, Nigeria, and not the pursuit of selfish interests.

Boko Haram can be brought to its knees if government did its work efficiently without any prejudice. Work, Schools, decent shelter at affordable cost are needed but non found in most of the areas affected. But, the country has the money to do so, but the will is absent. A proposed 7-9 billion Naira to provide a vice president's villa is nothing yet to be seen in any reasonable nation. Imaging using such huge amount to build modern affordable housing and community in the Maiduguri area. We need an instant answer to their cry, and we have the means to respond. We do not need a villa for the Vice president! Even in the USA the VP's Villa was provided by one of rich VP, Rockefeller. No government financing was involved.

This and previous administrations have a fraudulent stance. Stealing from the country to pay for unreasonable personal international investments. In fact, it brings joy and false egoistical status in comparison to unabated foolishness. In their filthy minds, it raises them to the level of a machismo investor! They proudly express, " My children are in school in the western world". What is wrong with improving the schools in Nigeria? So and So flew abroad for medical check up; what is wrong with improving the health delivery system in Nigeria? Bridges and roads are falling apart causing premature deaths by the thousands every year; rather than proper maintenance of the bridges and road, our leaders prefer to import roads as with many other things, but unfortunately, such exports have yet to become a vogue. We need to build new roads and bridges, and stop the continuous sacrifice of innocent lives on our roads. What is wrong with building new modern ones to replace or in addition to the existing old ones? Nigeria has the money. The problem is lack of prudent management, and trustworthy representatives.

The greatest ongoing robbery of the country by our elected officials is the remuneration constitutionally rewarded them for their parliamentarian duties ("robbing the country"). How can it be justified for Nigerian elected officials to pay themselves more than any other elected official in other parts of the developed world. How can a Nigerian President earn more than the U.S.A. President, an elected official president of the wealthiest nation in the world? I am lost as to how the wages and salary determinants in Nigeria came to their salary recommendations that is skewed against the actual workers in the economy, in spit of the loss in efficiency as characterized by their predecessor public servants.

This is an excerpt of an article written by Dr. Tunji Olaopa; "Civil Servants and policy makers are all in agreement that the civil service up unto the late 1970s was one of the strongest colonial legacies that Nigeria had. The Service was indeed rated as one of the strongest in the Commonwealth of Nations. Chief Obafemi Awolowo in his valedictory speech to the Western Nigerian House of Assembly in 1959 best captured this sentiment:

Our civil service is exceedingly efficient, absolutely incorruptible in its upper stratum, and utterly devoted and unstinting in the discharge of its many onerous duties. For our civil servants, government workers and labourers to bear, uncomplainingly and without breaking down, the heavy and multifarious burdens with which we have in the interest of the public saddled them, is an epic of loyalty and devotion, of physical and mental endurance, and of a sense of mission, on their part. From the bottom of my heart I salute all of them".

Can Jonathan's administration boast of current administration as being capable to compare itself to what was described in the foregoing paragraph? The current administration and perhaps its predecessors post independence, have questions to answer regarding their remuneration and work performance. Remuneration of these parading maggots, and their obvious off springs is bankrupting the nation. Something has to be done without delay to introduce equity into our payment system. I am dismayed by this "License to steal (Kill)" arrangement. Nigeria must stop the official looting of Nigeria's treasury! It is keeping Nigeria from progress and attracting hoodlums into government. Stop the injustices in the distribution of wealth and show concern for the needs of fellow Nigerians. No government official should be capable of buying jets or helicopters. No, not with legitimate salaries and benefits earned through government salary scale.

Nigerian government began screwing up the nation when they abandoned the Gowon administrations grand vision for the country. In the 1970s, we academically recognized those visions as cosmetic. A term appropriate then was that it was in essence "Demonstration Effect". A term used for copying developments in developed nations, without actual preparedness for their maintenance. We suspected that once the nations ruling class at that time was overthrown, the lofty plans would be jettisoned, and sure it was thrown out the window. The following excerpt from the writing of Dr. Tunjo Olaopa illustrates the contrast between Nigerian former and present administration;

"In 1972, the Nigerian State had a date with such a good history. The context was the inauguration of the Udoji Commission to study and recommend a plausible framework for reorganising the Nigerian Public Service and give it a solid foundation for transforming the Nigerian state. The Gowon Administration had meaningful change in mind that would bring good governance home to an average Nigerian. And change, in that context, could only serve as the necessary tonic for progress, especially within the national framework characterised by huge wealth accruing from petrol resources. The Udoji Commission was to spell out a "new deal" that would make the Nigerian Public Service institutionally capable to make a huge difference in the lives of Nigerians.

But alas, "Demonstration Effect" came to bite the country. All be it, Nigeria is now wallowing in the doldrums of the lethargy brought about by influx of "Petrol Dollars", and incompetent managers. This brings about the many debates on the effect of the discovery of petrol in Nigeria. Is it a Curse or a Blessing? In my view the discovery came too early just as people of substance happened in Nigeria state earlier than the time they would have made a difference in the country. We talk of "Brain Drain", what we should be lamenting today is the swarming of the nation by locusts, foraging ants, and unrestrained termites in Nigeria's society. Will enough ever be enough? Think of the ever increasing travel overseas by elected and government officials in the pretence for transacting government business abroad; No, they use the umbrella of government to defraud the government and the people of Nigeria. Gone are the days when Nigeria was hopeful for a deliverer from self imposed slavery. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was thought of as Nigeria's Moses, a supposed deliverer, who betrayed the trust of the people of Nigeria, and continues to dash their hopes and aspirations. He is a back stabber! The PDP, a cultish party, whose legacy is extinction of the Nigerian state, if reversal of events for good is not effectively instituted.

He literally strangled the hopes of the people, not once, not twice, but thrice. He was the Military Head of State when suddenly, he forgot the agreement reached before the 1979 election for two thirds of Nineteen. Unbeknown to Nigerians, he formed alliance with some elements from the north, the Kaduna mafia/The Fulani hegemony to declare NPN as the winner. Therefore, he handed over government to Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the NPN. He resurfaced to a notorious prominence after another coup that refused to accept the outcome of the election for a new government in 1983. Although, he remained in the background at this time, he later appeared to be the acceptable chosen head of state. Finally an agreement was reached again to handover government to civilians. He joined a party PDP, and that party won the general election by crook or foul means. So, this time around, he became the elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigerian. He literally installed himself as the civilian head of state.

However, in the advent of the second republic, he exposed himself as a true chameleon. He realigned himself once again with the Northern hegemony, and offered himself for acceptance in all the states of Nigeria, the south being the "Sacrificial lamb". What a cunning and carnal move by his "tortoise like wisdom". He sold out the Yoruba, Efik, Igbo, Nepu, Ga, Ibibio, Tshekiri etc. nations, the south and middle belt area in general, and kept them in clutches of the PDP. He built up a following that was deceived by his reputation as a former head of state. It is not only through deceit that he built up followers, but also by appealing to their inherent hidden agenda to milk Nigeria.

There was specific vision laid out. Building of necessary infrastructures were not in their plan. All progressive sectors were abandoned and unattended. Unemployment began to escalate, and currency value erosion began to emerge as normal occurrence. In 1983, the Naira was nearly in parity with the British pound sterling, and exchanged at almost 1 Naira:$2.8 U.S Dollar. By today's exchange rate, the Naira is at a disgraceful rate of 150:1 U.S Dollar. What is the game plan of President Goodluck. What is the vision his administration has for the country. A transformation from these unacceptable levels of retardation by the Goodluck Jonathan's administration is the only acceptable explanation to his ruling style. By these he would be judged. So far he has not delivered anything, and we are reluctantly waiting. Help us God!

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