ADDRESSING NIGERIA CRISIS
It is not enough to protest, and it is not enough to criticize the government. We must propose solutions to the crisis we have in our country, and that’s why I want to create a series of videos. The protest of hunger stems from the idea that a hungry man is an angry man, and while we are beautiful and hungry, this situation provides a weapon for the oppressor. If the oppressor gives you food and comfort, then he can enslave you, as I mentioned concerning our other brethren who were fed by their elite in those days.
The leaders of this protest should think beyond food alone and start addressing the core issues. Don’t just call for the restoration of subsidies. Try and reason why we are not able to feed ourselves. The first issue is insecurity in the food-producing belt of Nigeria, from Benue and beyond. Even in the western part of Nigeria, the southeastern part, and the South-South, insecurity is everywhere, compounded by the insincerity of our leadership and the lack of will to tackle this issue.
During Buhari’s era, there was talk of Toano aircraft. We spent millions of naira, but I don’t know if those aircraft have been delivered or if they are being used. Insecurity has not changed, and somebody must have made a windfall of criminal, dirty, sinful money from those aircraft. I don’t know what has happened to them.
Secondly, the energy that the government has used to mobilize forces against this protest should be redirected. Let’s segment the country, especially the North, focusing on the North East, North Central, and North West. We shouldn’t distribute our battle forces and resources over a large expanse of land. Let’s concentrate on Sambisa Forest and anywhere Boko Haram is hiding in the Northeast. Let’s mobilize a large army. I know the Nigerian Army and our people. Within a space of three months, with willing and determined leadership, they can wipe out every person who is a nuisance in that part of the country. Then, move to the North Central and Northeast. In nine months, peace will return to the northern part of Nigeria. Deal with their collaborators and sponsors firmly.
Look at the kidnapper Wadume. Policemen were killed, yet he was released recently and welcomed as a hero. Sometimes, we even hail our enemies and treat them with kid gloves. You put Kano W in prison, but you release someone like Alhaji, who controls cattle rustlers and bandits. Our leaders are not sincere. Once we have sincerity of purpose, will, and determination, in nine months, the insecurity in the Northeast will become a thing of the past. Then, farmers can grow their crops, leading to a bountiful harvest. It’s not just about the herdsmen alone; after all, there have been herdsmen over the years, and food has been coming to other parts of Nigeria. It’s this banditry we must deal with decisively.
My first suggestion is tackling insecurity. My next suggestion is about energy. Why are we importing premium motor spirits, diesel, and other stuff? I don’t know what’s wrong with our brains. The money the NNPC said it invested in the Dangote refinery, why don’t you take one refinery and make it functional? You have the Port Harcourt refinery, and Warri refinery, yet none of them is commissioned. All the money paid for subsidies could be used to make one refinery functional. Since Buhari, who was Minister for Petroleum years ago, if we had taken our refineries as priorities instead of building blending plants in Malta and paying subsidies through the back door, we wouldn’t be in this situation.
The money we use to buy 20 trailers of grains for one state, do you people think? How many people are in one state? Take Delta State, maybe we have four million people. 20 trailers, how many bags of rice? Divide it by four million, and you won’t have up to half a bag per person. How many days will it last? The simple question is, who produced those bags of rice? Where did you buy them from? That’s another question.
When we sort our domestic production of petrol, diesel, kerosene, and aviation fuel in this country by making our refineries functional, our dollar will appreciate because we won’t be importing. The price of transportation will come down, the cost of hotel accommodation will come down, and people will make more profit. The cost of generating electricity will come down, and the economy will pick up. In the past, when I drove from Aba to Oyo, my exhaust would be white; now they are selling us rubbish.
Point number whatever, Dangote refinery, no matter your anger against him, let it become functional. Give him crude and pay with naira. Help other refineries that are coming up. Give them crude, give them tax rebates if possible; that is optional. The price of fuel, any type of fuel, will come down.
The next thing is the energy sector. Many countries are building solar panels all over the world. We have the northern part of Nigeria, where we can put wind turbines and build solar panels to generate more electricity. There are a lot of gas pipelines crisscrossing Nigeria. Thank God for the new energy bill that allows individuals to establish independent power stations. We can encourage people to partner with companies like Kilosa and establish gas turbines. In those days, even parts of Delta State had communities powered by thermal energy. If we inject more energy into the system, the price of energy will come down, electricity will be regular, and people will be happier.
These are just simple things we can tackle, and the president could have addressed them within the first year in office instead of distributing palliatives and embarking on frivolous projects. We can’t keep making excuses. We took excuses from Buhari for eight years, and he messed up the economy. Now Tinubu has inherited it and is saying we should give excuses. No, these are not difficult things to do if we are serious about developing this country.
I will return with another video on managing the low-hanging fruits in the economy. I remain Dr. Charles Apoki. God bless you.
