by Donald Ekpo
I am just wondering, has there been a policy to discontinue infrastructural developments in Nigeria? I must have missed it.
It’s just that all the Federal road constructions seem to have been “completed”. Or has President Muhammadu Buhari put out any new policies on Education, Health, Power or Agriculture? I must have missed them, as am yet to see any Federal Government presence in all the states I have been to in the past two months.
All I hear are threats of probes or Department of State Security Services (SSS) is either arresting and torturing people or “monitoring” people. Though I am yet to see or hear of any court proceedings to the effect that suspects have been charged for a crime.
I have also heard of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) banning the transfer of money abroad with no plans in place for those of us with siblings and dependents abroad to be able to send the financial assistance they need to them.
I have also heard that those abroad have been advised by our new President, General Buhari, not to come back home even when almost all the African countries are deporting our compatriots. How do we reconcile these contradictions?
Schools have resumed yet most salary earners have not been paid to enable them pay their dependents school fees. I heard school portals have been closed. How do we cope?
Foreign investors are running away from Nigeria, they won’t even come even when you promise them that change is coming. Ethiopia and Uganda have taken over Nigería’s top spot as hottest investment hub in Africa for direct foreign investments.
Our agricultural production has dropped, therefore, killing the food security we almost achieved under President Goodluck Jonathan. How will our countrymen feed in a few month’s time?
Nobody knows anything about how much oil we sell per day any more. Government funds and spending is now shuddered in secrecy as Buhari consolidated all government funds into one account where he has sole disbursement authorization. Is it me, or those this sound like a military ruler style?
Boko Haram, Buhari’s misguided brothers, is not helping matters as they now stroll into people’s homes and throw bombs that kill women and children. Our Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, recently said his house is next on the line.
Our National Assembly is a child’s play house now. It has not received any report from the executive arm since its inauguration.
All I hear from Buhari’s spokesman is that we, the citizens who demand good governance from Buhari are “The Wailing Wailers” and we need to wait before we start wailing.
So, I ask, when are we permitted to start wailing? In 2018? Three years into the disaster that Buhari’s government is warming up to be? And one year to his handover?
THINGS ARE NO LONGER AT EASE!
The last time Nigerians felt this kind of confusion from its government was back in 1984/1985. Music legend, Sonny Okosun, of blessed memory, immortalised the feeling, when he sang, ”Which way Nigeria?”
And I recall that General Mohammadu Buhari, now Muhammadu Buhari, was a maximum khaki military ruler at the time, and he was dethroned by his own men.
So, I am forced to ask, WHICH WAY NIGERIA?
Donald Ekpo holds a bachelors degree in Physics and a diploma in Computer Mathematics and Programming from the University of Calabar. He has earned professional certifications in Microsoft (MSCE), CISCO (CCNP) Project Management In controlled Environments (PRINCE 2). He is an Associate Member of the Royal Society of Science, UK. He is on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
