It would be wrong to wait too long to give these recommendations.

Let me recall Dec 2014 has this

teemy:
Rising dollar costs and lower oil prices means that the govt would have much less to spend in the coming year(s) to come. Austerity measures have been put in place like Mansion and Luxury taxes but more are yet to come.

Let's be honest the rich do not like the idea of making so much money only to be forced to pay a huge part of it as taxes. Hence. loopholes in the law would be utilized and the so many billions aimed at would not be easily achieved in reality as is on paper. The middle class earner would be the one that bears the main bulk at the end of the day.

Well. if you had not yet started running your business after all the noise of the past decade by motivational speakers nationwide you might be the one paying more for increase in commodity prices not to mention the salary which is fixed would not be more taxed by the govt. Yes I said it, Nigeria is on its way to being a fully Tax run society as opposed to an Oil run society.

Next year would see the expulsion of ghost workers as well as retrenchment of overstaffed offices with the govt showing more commitment to cutting waste. Also union requests for higher pay would arise as well as the strikes to make that happen. Possible riots if the govt is unprepared and disgruntled elements use transference of the public pains to stimulate street protests. Certainly more crime and banks should be more on their toes (start trying to avoid physical banking hall transactions - get your token). Prepare for the inevitable as 2015 is an election year but pray for the best and at least until the elections are over avoid unnecessary travelings and unnecessary spendings. Do NOT borrow people money as stories from the ancestors may arise when time to return same is due.

Above all pray and expect a turn around in the future of our great country as we will be seeing more serious govt involvement in programs that would truly better the nation. A time for the imprisoned josephs that did not stain their souls to shine.

Wishing you well - Teemy

Management of national resources

Once upon a time when we had seven years of plenty and oil price was shooting over $100 per barrel. Our store houses had little use as they were emptied almost as soon as they were stocked up. Now the seven years of famine are just starting up and would continue till the duration is up. The price of oil would not so soon rise back up as big movers like Saudi Arabia would not raise prices so they don't lose their customers and with 10% of oil reserves Iran would be on a revenge mission which would crash the oil market even further to make up for lost revenue all these years once its ban is lifted next year 2016. Quite a timely event.

All nations are hurting at this point in time and each seeks to aid its own citizens. Thanks to the UN, gone are the days when wars of conquest were waged and another nation's people and resources were plundered by the superior nation. These days the wars are done economically as China declared. You get more prosperous when you make more sales and revenue come your way. With time a consuming nation would have its resources depleted while the one supplying it gets richer. The US does more by protecting its citizens' intellectual works by enforcing the SOPA law so their copyright works do not get shared for free all over the internet. China even has gone further, by enforcing the one family one child rule. The over one billion people nation has created a system where the next generation of Chinese would be lesser in number and three times richer that their parents with inheritance. The nation with the largest black population is yet to come to terms with its growing needs.

Quite happy that this recession is happening at this time else it would have been worse if it was when oil deposits finally came to an end. As former president Olusegun Obasanjo declared "God placing a large number of people in one nation and providing oil resources for their use had plans for them." Unfortunately we have not been proven managers of these resources. The tale of Malaysian oil palm success comes to mind while Nigeria slept and a nudge that even as we are trying to get a share in the agric market globally our slack has had other nations supplying that need and unless in case of extreme demand we might have to give discounts just to have a place to sell our wares. So plan carefully before rushing into production as the quail issue is still recent.

when the government has no money

I believe in taxation - it would happen
I believe in removal of fuel subsidy - it is inevitable
I also believe in providing palliative shock preventive measures beforehand

and limited Foreign Currency Reserve

Would lead to higher rates for the available forex cash at hand. Encouraging exports and discouraging imports by raising tax to level price with local production giving local producers a chance on the short run and with better power over the years would reduce cost of production. Am glad the European Trade Treaty did not pull through else it would have been one deal not profitable for ECOWAS as a whole as the gains would have been one sided and that is to Europe. PalPal is an example of money going out but not in. With the BVN in place that should have changed, Finance Minister/CBN should take note. More avenues to encourage foreign exchange earnings by nigerian citizens should be the major focus of government employment agencies. Verified online income sources is one more way to go.

The NYSC is a good ground to effect this by training and empowering the youths and supportive communities would yield benefits from it.

It is not about political parties but people

It is no news that several of those in the previous administrations are still much around and unless something definate has changed about them then it is just back to the status quo. If elected officials do not cut on excesses and wastages, revenues not even enough would continue to dry up.
Many people oriented projects that should have been ventured into because there would be no kickbacks should be looked into. The civil service as we know is cultured by those that are pensioners today and maintained by those currently in service. That area should be changed. Most are there because of the guarantee (not so steady nowadays) that after retirement they would get pensions as well as regular salaries even if there is no financial returns from their departments. Promoting and rewarding those with purposeful ideologies and ideas would change the mindset on ground. I fear downsizing is inevitable but the a way of reducing its effect would placing people in departments where they would really be more impactful. Going for a Masters Certification for others in areas of interest, desire and better relevance has been made irrelevant when thy are being employed based on their Bachelors Degree which for most was done to please parents. Reviewing this would drastically improve the Nigerian civil and public services

and more People Oriented Policies

I liked the Works and Hosing Minister's plan of reducing tenancy tenures which would enable more people be able to afford housing in this trying period. However if monthly rent collected is advised then government at all levels should not default in paying salaries promptly every month else they could lose their housing that month of delay. Governance is a duty of every one either in making rules or obeying them. Try to get more involved in who makes the rules in your area next voting season. Watch and vote in the one you are sure and has proven has your interests at heart.

At point A subsidy for point C is being paid else there would be scarcity of fuel at point C. So if point B subsidy was paid for and someone comes on air and says very soon at point D we would have abundance of petroleum products I can't but laugh at those who would believe scarcity at point C was just a mistake. Let the government keep its people from suffering hardships.

to increase professionalism

When a doctorate degree in a vocation means one has actually provided solutions to global issues and not gotten it riding on the backs of colleagues who just added your name in their write ups. The nation needs more of problem solvers at this point in time as it would be profitable on both the long and short runs. If journalists had followed stories until they come to good conclusions in all cases and not let them die out. Ever wondered why everyone knows the names of fugitives when foreign media ram the names down at every chance they get. I recommend a PUSH (Publish Until Something Happens) awards for reporters who have made tangible additions to the society by their work and changing the status quo of many things gone wrong.

This is a time to sit up.

as Morals would drop

Similar to low resource areas vice might increase, prostitution (parents care more about your daughters) and desire for money via questionable means would go up and a lot more would lose hard earned money through gambling and lotteries that always ends wit the house making the bulk of what a lot of customers lose. Asking where friends and family get funds is required as you would not be insulated from backdrop of a unlawful sources. Make a stand not to involve in such. The true value of people would show.

Bad business ethics would abound and Customer Protection Agencies should be more effective and treat complaints seriously. The National Orientation Agency - NOA
- should be more funded to let the citizens know their entitlements and lawful ways of claiming such. If these agencies were in pristine conditions telecoms companies would not have a field day of subscribing customers on plans they never opted for and the high rate of spamming just to make extra income. Banks are not left out of such and even customer funds are not guaranteed. If the more regulated companies could do so easily how much more exists all over?

solve discontent

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown and especially in this season of limited resources it might even lead to headaches. There have been complaints of marginalization and more would come. Calling the agitators to meetings and explaining the situation on ground to them as well as plans on ground to resolve their complaints would do better than leaving them to themselves and making them feel they are being taken for granted. Who knows if Yusuf's death in custody was lawfully resolved quickly then instead of till when the UN building was blown up, maybe just maybe Boko Haram would not have been the deadly group we know of today.

Timely conflict settlements is the way to go.


using technology

With a mobile phone try reducing abnormalities within an hour policy could be done. If a citizen suspects an illegal checkpoint he/she should know the number/website of the agency that would look into it. If lecturers are being randy to students or sell handouts they should know where to report to. With more complaints comes more conviction ans a case is built. Encouraging people to speak out is better than trying to muzzle them. If just as the senator that pointed out false news had removed good people from office then he should be recommending a probe of the investigators of those cases. Muzzling would do more harm than good. The online media has given people a chance to voice their views and opinions but rather be grateful they even are. Ever considered why some would not go into a police station to make a complaint? Fear of wrongful accusation/paying for mobilization fees inhibits this. Not being encouraged by our servicemen, people resort to doing things in their own ways and sometimes outside the law. Get people to talk on what pains them. The UK house has a petitions page on its website that once a petition gets 10,000 signatures the lawmakers must sit and deliberate on the topic and get back to the citizens.

Servicom recommendations should be enforced and complaint centres/monitoring units promoted for all to make use of.

focus on security and insecurity issues

Seems every nigerian administration either civilian or military has its own civilian massacre by military personnel. I believe the Senate should have strong oversight over the Military especially its rules of engagement. In the movie Rules of Engagement by Tommy Lee Jones and Denzel Washington, the question was raised "Did you see them fire at you?" a question which the recent video released to the public over the Zaria-Kaduna incident has not yet answered. The first few seconds shows trigger-happy soldiers ready to open fire (status quo?) on the protesters before their superiors repeatedly ordered them to stand down. The scene is no different from what university students do carrying sticks and chanting songs and being unruly. I notice about two with machetes which is also not odd with cattle nomads in the country. If shooting them down is the way to go then more nigerians should loved ones if this continues. What happened between timeline 8.18 and 8.21 of the 9 mins 21 secs video which I believe was when the actual shootout took place and what sparked it. I read the shooting took place after the COAS had left the scene. Let NTA provide the complete recordings as raw footage without cutting anything out. Another look at he video reveals the representatives confronting the military men with words were complaining about an incident that happened the previous day or so. They chose the wrong person, place and time to register their grievances and they paid with their lives for it. A nation should believe in its rulers and those meant to protect them not be scared of them. No one would say that issue couldn't have been handled better. This practice of razing out citizens has to stop. A Senate intervention in this case would signal that enough is enough. A country is its people.

maintain self preservation

2017 is not a year to take a breather on not to talk of now. School fees are soaring and it is being less subsidized, power also. Save more, do not lend money out, avoid banking halls as much as possible, more of e-transactions, stop wastages/leakages. There is no one more easier to scam than one desperately looking for money. Remember the wonder banks and go only for investments you are so sure about of the source of income. If you can't find how they make money most likely your money is the target.

Avoid unnecessary trips and keep your people posted about your movements.

afterall what we need is love

Above all, the government is from its people and the people form the government what we do need more as a nation is to do more of taking care of the neighbor, stranger, homeless, widows and orphans that we have access to assist. Nigeria might not be 'great again' but it can be much better.

Wishing you well - Teemy