LANRE AJIBOYE'S MEDLEY CORNER

Olanrewaju AjiboyeThursday, July 23, 2015
[email protected]
Canada

ANNOUNCE THIS ARTICLE
TO YOUR FRIENDS

LETTER TO FEMI ADESHINA

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am writing you because I am convinced you have the President's ear and that you truly understand the process of two way communication.

The letter borders on observations and suggestions that deserve immediate action as to be itemized in subsequent paragraphs.

Urgent Solution To the Plight Of Business People: The government should do something urgent to look at the crisis in the financial sector of the economy regarding Foreign exchange transactions. Though I have my reservations against the exclusion of 133 products from establishing Letters of Credit (LC), even those not excluded are currently unable to source for Foreign Exchange to meet their business needs, and to honor their commitments to their foreign suppliers by way of failure to source hard currency to remit for legitimate transactions based on Bills for Collections or other credit arrangements. Manufacturers are not left out of this agonizing situation. Yet the Nigeria economy is private sector driven. The president needs to be told of the need to address the plight of this sector with immediate effect. We also have to be mindful of our country's credibility before foreign suppliers that no matter the change in government, genuine and wholesome business engagements shall be shattered.

Police:

The police is the closest to the people among other security agencies. Several times I have pondered on reasons why the force is a fine 'horse drawn on paper' without skill to kick and run but my pondering has left me more bewildered and more confounded. But yet I am crystal clear that their working environment is such that cannot bring the least not to talk of the best from among its workforce. Definitely the offices of the top brass will present a friendly working environment but for many commands, stations and posts I doubt if such is available. Working environment have serious correlation with performance hence the police that relate with people are unable to work satisfactorily. Those who may really love the profession are discouraged from applying for the job due to its present state. The police as it is today represents oppression, incompetence, corruption,and lack of professionalism. It is also fetish. If comprehensive reform is on the way that will involve positive training and re-training of personnel; that will make every member to be information technology savvy; that will make each member own a laptop to make his/her job easier and that will make every member uphold high moral standards so be it, but let the president know that palliative measures are necessary to re-define police stations from their parlous state of untamed pork habitat and a tiger enclave for citizens who have reasons and the misfortune to visit them.

Bullies On The Roads And At Neighborhoods:

Many citizens live as if they are in jungle. The streets are not safe, the homes are like a nightmare for many. Though Boko Haram atrocities affect us all because an attack on any Nigerian is an attack on all Nigerians, somehow it is entrenched in certain parts of the country. However, other parts of the country are faced with other types of terror that if not nipped in the bud will ingrain into a big monster. How does one describe a sudden unprovoked wanton destruction of vehicles parked outside one's house overnight and in daylight by some deranged miscreants just because one group wants to settle a score with another group? The cacophony of it all is that victim car owners do not get justice. Only few who are financially okay can have something back if they have comprehensive insurance that covers special peril. Why are miscreants allowed to conduct themselves above the law? Please impress it upon the president to ensure that these political hirelings are not only incapacitated before the next elections but that they are made politically irrelevant before the time comes.Closely related to this is the issue of bullying and oppression regularly meted out to the real people like motor bike transporters, tricycle operators, laborers, artisans and even property owners by different cells of hoodlums who extort them on a regular basis. Some 'Okada' riders and tricycle operators slave for these hoodlums who force them to pay beyond what they earn. Were these illegal revenues accruable to the purse of local governments, instead of group of individuals' pockets, local councils will have more for developmental purposes. After all it is the general public that suffer the environmental impact of emissions from the transport operators yet, they are the ones that are made to pay more indirectly when tricycle and bike transport operators pass the burden of extortion on them. An individual will toil day and night, seek bank loan to acquire a property but will have to contend with extortionists who use violence and brute force to extort potential property owners who want to develop their property. The government must instruct all police formations who also benefit from such illegality to put a stop to it or face sanctions.

NAFDAC:

This is an Agency that is statutorily empowered to safeguard the health of the nation but it is doubtful if the intentions of the government that initiated it was to make it a revenue generating Agency. I would not know whether the agency still enjoys government subvention or funding but the truth is that the Agency chokes and hurts businesses by unilaterally hiking registration and product inspection fees. I make bold to say that no where else in the world is business idea made more costly and unwieldy by similar agencies as in Nigeria. I suggest that searchlight be beamed on the revenues accrued to the agency in the past sixteen years through the obnoxious hike in product registration fee and its disbursements. I am also asking for a drastic downward review of costs of registration and every time import document "stamping" by the Agency. Beyond the facade of bogus claims of effectiveness by the Agency, serious scrutiny should be conducted on who gets what?

These seemingly intangibles represent the tangibles among the people who voted for change. Advices like these were offered your immediate predecessor who served the former president but nothing was done. There is no intention to praise sing or impress, but looking at your pro-active approach and deep understanding of communication flow, one is encouraged to suggest to you issues that matter to many Nigerians who have no access to the seat of power. A change in all the aspects raised in this letter will truly reflect 'Change' as promised by the APC and the president.

Thank you and I look forward to your acknowledgment of this open letter.

Yours,

Olanrewaju Ajiboye (The Confluence).

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