Your Excellency sir, permit me to applaud you on all your strides as Acting President and as you have kept the government ticking in the absence of our President, PMB. Over the period, you have managed to exhibit certain leadership traits that sent shivers through the spines of your perceived foes, fearing your emergence as President in case if PMB did not return, God forbid.
Sir, I heard rumours that you have set up a committee comprising of Adeosun, Ngige, Ogbeh etc to monitor and bring down the prices of food products across the country. I can only clap my hands to appreciate you for knowing that we are suffering in Naija.
But sincerely sir, do you think that can solve the problem? Is it not going to be another jamboree committee? When last did Aunty Kemi Adeosun with her American accent visit any local market in Abeokuta? Does she even know how much a bowl of Garri cost now? Sir, kindly inquire from Uncle Audu for me if he realizes that our farmers still make use of their hoes and cutlasses to farm. Are they going to force my Uncle Oluwole in the village to bring down the price of cassava that he so much laboured for in the sun and rain?
"VP Osinbajo's Gate House To Cost N250milllion" was a statement credited to Dino Melaye early this week. I was thinking if the committee could be saddled with the responsibility of bringing the alleged price of the gate down as well since “change has to begin with me”. If ordinary gate could cost 250m, I wonder how much the construction of the edifice will gulp in our comatose economy.
I sincerely pray for the safe return of Mr.President, but may I admonish you sir that it is high time the Presidency went back to the drawing board. I have friends who supported PMB whole-heartedly even at their own detriment. They went through thick and thin to ensure his emergence as C-in-C. Sadly enough, some of them don’t really know what to wish for ‘My Oga @ the top’ now as regards his health and wellbeing. This goes to show that the Buhari-led administrations haven’t delivered the promised “change” as claimed by Alhaji Lai who proudly stated they have delivered.
Lake rice dominated the headlines between November and December 2016 with many hailing the laudable collaboration between the governments of Lagos and Kebbi states for providing food for the nation. It’s been two months now, my friends and families residing in Lagos informed me that they have not even seen the much publicized rice talk less of buying and eating it. I seriously doubt if it’s still in the market. If Lagos state (a country in its own right) in collaboration with Kebbi could not produce rice for just 1% of its population, then questions should be asked of the rationale behind the ban placed on importation of rice by the FG.
Several bailouts were given to states of the federation to ameliorates the suffering of the populace who are languishing in starvation but instead of using the bailouts for the purpose it was meant for, our Governors-in-Thief diverted the money into their own personal purse and the hunger continues to the extent that a civil servant had to steal a pot of amala and did justice to it with only palm oil in Ekiti.
Mention must be made of Egbon Ajimobi and his students in a melodrama that permeate the entire social media few weeks ago where my ‘Bros’ boldly and courageously told the aluta-infested students that it is not a new thing for schools to go on strike for months and that it is none of his business. The “what course are you doing?” saga got me thinking if our leaders actually value education as a veritable tool for eradicating hunger, unemployment, insurgency and other social vices in our society.
Despite the conspicuous wickedness and insensitivity on the part of the Governors to the plight of the people in their doing justice to the bailout, your government has been somehow indifferent in your approach to handling the erring Governors. It was believed in some quarters that he who must come to equity must come with clean hands, meaning your government might not have been upright in your dealings with the states either.
Your Excellency sir, let me at this point state without mincing words that you have so far performed below expectation. You promised us a positive change but what do we get: reverse. Soaking Garri used to bring a sense of shame before, but now I’m proud to bring my Garri out in the morning and drink with a puffed-up mind because not so many in my neighbourhood can afford it. My wife dare not give me yam without fried egg before but now I rejoice whenever she offers me cocoyam without palm oil. When I was growing up, rice was meant for festive seasons only but now we are back to the 70s and 80s since rice is no longer for the average citizens in the society talk less of the less privileged.
Mr. Acting President sir, it will not be too bad if the ban placed on importation on foods and related products into the country could be removed temporarily till when the country comes out of its coma (economic recession). If also you can checkmate government unnecessary spending most especially on allowances to political office holders and the so-called Security votes of Governors, then we will take your strife to get us out of recession serious. Who are they even securing in the first place? It will not be out of placing either, if your government could do away with some of our useless Ministers and replaced them with competent ones. (In this case, I think 90% of them will have to go). Also, let our governors explain to a reorganized-EFCC how they managed the bailouts meant for offsetting arrears of salaries and wages.
Beware your Excellency; a hungry man is an angry man. When anger combines with hunger, the endpoint is anarchy. You still have the chance now.