Obasanjo’s Nigeria Defined: Recession, Repression And Reforms In Nigeria (The Real Picture)

By

Prince Charles Dickson

pcdbooks@yahoo.com

Jos, Plateau Nigeria  

The continued reoccurrence and persistence of repression through economic, political, and social-cultural means in the last six years of the mistake called Obasanjo’s government has created a nation of traumatized and dehumanised citizenry. The indicators which the evil ruling class refuse to see include declining economy, political instability, pervasive and entrenched dictatorial and repressive mode of governance, mass poverty and growing worsening condition of social and personal insecurity and disharmony, widespread opposition against the government, a conglomeration of geo-ethnic and parapoitic associations both sane ones and confused ones. Consequently there are doubts in many quarters about the desirability and continuing existence of Nigeria as an indivisible and dissoluble sovereign nation. At least let us forget the American interest in the American thing when they said we have only fifteen years left as one Naija we simply made small noise, dismissed it and said “nothing dey happen”, let the confusion continue.  

It’s the pathetic truth although many would emotionally argue that I am wrong, that I do not have anything good to say of Nigeria, well that’s not true, the truth is that our Leaders and the people in concert has decided to enslave themselves as a result of parochial interest. I love Nigeria, although very often lately as much as pride being one I have regretted being one, not with your love for nation being stretched beyond elastic limits. I have long stopped blaming the military for anything and everything that went wrong because after all they are still in power one way or the other, besides for how long do you spend solving a problem that you are still creating…like bringing tension and anxiety into a matter that already has enough of both.

The current recession was one that started as a result of a democratically selected government’s confusion over where and how it wants to get to its destination, if at all it has one.   In its confused craze world prescription called reforms, the government has not done anything different from the austerity measures or SAP of past regimes and administration, which all failed, even if we anticipated success then it could not have been from reforms with no name, no definition, no direction, no duration, no people orientation.

The reform’s nickname being ‘sacrifice’ according to Baba Iyabo’s Thesau rus on Economics of Naija. The reform has witnessed a fraudulent and crooks infested liberalization of trade, petroleum deregulation without petroleum products, commercialisation of social welfare services. With the reform the Bushmen called technocrats, experts and whatever has repudiated its social contract with the people, abdicated its responsibility to recognise, protect and enhance the welfare, security and rights of the citizens. The adoption and the implementation of these reforms have simply inflicted enormous hardship, human depravation and insecurity on the populace. The nation is progressively steeped in socio-political and economic crises and repression and the fools at helm of affairs are busy chasing the shadow of Alam and Dariye, while the political class walk through the valley of Obasanjo.  

Repression may be seen as a costly option, which a government that has lost legitimacy and capacity to govern independently of external political and economic directives may adopt. And this is the path the Obj government has been treading, ruling under a climate of political, legal and economic repression, although Nigeria as a nation has been repressed right from the colonial days to the days of neo-colonialism and today “Obasancolonialism”, it has simply escalated in the last six years, this particular government has consolidated it from economic to politico-juristic repression to defend exploitation and power inequities.  

There has been a confirmed breach of human liberty and dignity. The intensification of unwarranted state violence in form of arbitrary arrests, abductions, intimidations, frivolous persecutions, no matter the lies, truth exists the government through its various media have continued to create lies but we know that one thing exists, and it is the fact that Nigeria under the present “madman” is suffering chronic crisis and measures, designed to perpetuate widespread destitution and under nourishment of mind, soul and body, mass poverty, unemployment, inflation and crime.  

The present reforms has made it possible for access to critical social welfare goods and service to be restricted to only the rich. The rich that can still afford it from their loot of the so-called national cake take scholarships meant for the poor.   The “regime” expectedly has found it difficult to do to simple things, mobilizing the vast national and human resources of the nation, effecting a proper restructuring of its institutions by reorientation and mobilization of citizens towards humanistic values, productivity, efficiency social justice, welfare and open accountability.  

Obasanjo’s legacy in his six LONG years has not changed anything, it is still the same brain drain…its shocking I am still here in Nigeria despite the mental torture of everyday life when a graduate of French Language spells Bonjour as BORN JUNE, tell me its not his language…insecurity- these days in some streets of the nation if you are not careful you would be stolen as in ‘won ma gbe e’ (they will carry you). They simply would steal you as a whole. Bribery and corruption in high and how places…from admission racketing into ordinary Unity Schools to University and then the Ministry and Legislative levels.    

Drug trafficking…the government has refused to tell us why Lafiagi was just booted out of office days after pages of newspapers were full of paid praise singing of the signs and wonders he has performed at the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, real rumpus…big drug deals? Campus Cultism, a Vice Chancellor’s son was recently caught. The boy would get six months if he were to be punished at all. Assassinations, the list is increasing every day…Bola Ige, Harry Marshal Dikkibo, et al. Devaluation of our currency such that a mere ten thousand Pounds is chasing three million Naira and we are hearing the word reforms like a broken record. Burning of public building using idle youths that would have been useful in the farm,   Hatred and monopoly of political power which is why Obasanjo would succeed himself as he is the god of Nigeria in this authoritarian arrangement foolishly refered to as Democracy when indeed this a Government by Obasanjo for Obasanjo, with Obasanjo and only Obasanjo…it is “Obainsanity”.

Incarcerations as the EFCC have turned into a Gestapo or Nazi force. We are reforming that is why we are moving towards e-rigging, the fraud that Professor Borishade performed with 2003 electoral numbers is why despite being a failure in education, he was given a plane to fly as Aviation Minister and thank God Ahmadu Ali’s son has been hit with the recent wave of air crash in the country.   Inefficient communication system…call my number now and you would think I am in the middle of Hurricane Stella as the background noise alone would make you smile as you say to yourself “that must be Nigeria”. Bad roads, that make a twenty-minute journey take six hours, we now even have potholes and ditches on our waters that “are” why two BIG ships accidentally disappeared into one of such potholes only to reappear.  Neglect of agriculture…soon we would have to import Yoruba bitter kola, Plateau Irish potatoes, Benue yam, Nas sarawa salt, already the Kano groundnut pyramid is now a thin line of small child laboured abused kids selling the nut.    Poverty in the midst of plenty; lets cry for this nation, parents now pray for their kids to fail exams because if the child passes there is no money for the next class. Because a family cannot afford good Medicare they preach now on the healing powers of tomatoes...forgetting that even the tomatoes has become a luxury food item, pour enough red Palm Oil on the food it would look red who needs the tomatoes, but at that even the Palm Oil is adulterated.  

The recession, repression is seen in the reform of NEPA to PHCN and the epilepsy of power outages has no cure in sight, today its dry season too much water in the dam, tomorrow no water and its rainy season. Power conductors are the fastest selling electrical parts as when the light does come they give one building electricity meant for a whole street. Because of his prison experi ence the President has vowed that he would lock every Nigerian in prison, which is why there is congestion.