BURNING POT BY PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON

 

Of Bailouts, recession, repression and repetitions

 

pcdbooks@gmail.com

 

 

The crocodile and alligator may look alike but they are not friends either, so also the man who planted banana and expected plantain on the premise they look alike would be disappointed.

 

I have in the last few weeks watched the drama by our leaders in this new dispensation, listened to my President, Mr. Buhari, and I have legitimate fears that it may well be business as usual.

 

Encouragingly may be the fact, that we are just starting, but in local parlance, we argue that the weekend is determined by the look of Thursday, whether it will be good, or not.

 

And so far the drama has not showcased much to cheer about.

 

And it was with this in mind I watched governors smile in a photo-shoot with the President, after their meeting---whose sole purpose was federal bailout. As many as 18 states were owing salaries of various months, and shamelessly no ex-governor is in jail, or returning governor in detention for gross mismanagement.

 

So, what we have yet again is the continued reoccurrence and persistence of repression through economic, political, and social-cultural means, one, which has created a nation of, traumatized and dehumanized citizenry.

 

The indicators are obvious that the evil ruling class refuse to see a 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. (with emphasis at the state level).

 

Consequently despite doubts in many quarters about the desirability and continuing existence of Nigeria as an indivisible and dissoluble sovereign nation, we continue to soldier on.

 

Soldiering on, in the face of a disconnected federal system, one in which many states ate not viable on face value, or are cursed with a leadership bereft of ideas.

 

It’s the pathetic truth although many would emotionally argue that I am wrong, and insist 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 have decided to enslave themselves as a result of parochial interest.

 

I would not be party to those that believe that every Nigerian problem was a function of the "Otuekean" disaster, neither will I be party to those that are hailing, the new helmsman in his pursuit of stolen monies and all that hunt, whether witch or real.

 

However the current recession is one that has again exposed leadership's confusion over where and how it wants to get to its destination, if at all it has one.

 

The script is predictable, soon, in our confused state, a prescription called reforms would be required, my fear being that as with previous governments, we may have nothing different from the austerity measures or SAP, 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, and no people orientation.

 

Already we are being prepared for the hardship in front, when indeed the austere period is with us. Will reforms again not witness a fraudulent and crooks-infested liberalization of trade, petroleum deregulation without petroleum products, and commercialization of social welfare services.

 

Soon, we will be 'galaxyed' with an array of stars called technocrats, experts and whatever in the name of Ministers, and if care is not taken, they will still negate their social contract with the people, abdicate their responsibility to recognize, protect and enhance the welfare, security and rights of the citizens.

 

Again we would go the road of adopting and the implementing reforms that may as usual simply inflict enormous hardship, human depravation and insecurity on the populace. The nation is progressively steeped in socio-political and economic crises and repression and the the actors at helm of affairs are busy chasing the shadow of past mistakes, while the political class walk through the valley of political permutations. 

 

The Buhari government should avoid, treading, ruling or governing 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 “Self-colonialism”, it has simply escalated in the last few months, and if this particular government is to succeed, it must run from the consolidation of economic, of politico-juristic repression to defend exploitation and power inequities. 

 

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.  

 

Buhari, and the state governors, will have to run away from the tradition of expectedly finding 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. 

 

For now, we have finished TRANSFORMATION, we are in the CHANGE era, but we still suffer the same brain drain…and Devaluation of our currency such that a mere 10,000Pounds is chasing several million Naira.

 

Poverty in the midst of plenty; 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 excessively on the healing powers of tomatoes...forgetting that even the tomatoes have become a luxury food item, pour enough red Palm Oil on the food it would look red who needs the tomatoes, but even the Palm Oil is adulterated.

 

Buhari, legislators, governors and leaders need to get their act together and get it right; Nigerians cannot afford to blow the new air, and goodwill away again. As it is today we playing a repeat episode of the same old difference—empty treasury, chasing corrupt politicians, owing salaries, at the end will all these translate to CHANGE—Only time will tell