Buhari, Please, Wage War against Hunger

with Yemi Adebowale; yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com; 07013940521

Almost 15 months after electioneering ended, President Muhammadu Buhari is still playing politics. About 90% of his attention is on the politics of decimating the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu. He is also giving excessive attention to the politics of anti-corruption and the politics of destroying opposition figures instead of concentrating on governance and the worsening economic challenges facing the country. All these politicking are happening while famine ravages our country. I still can’t fathom how the alleged forgery in the Senate will put food on my table or reduce the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities. I can’t understand how the skewed war against corruption will reduce the cost of living in Nigeria. Stifling economic crisis is aggravating the so-called war against corruption of this administration.

It seems the president is cut off from the cries of anguish and frustration of Nigerians, who are daily, tormented by unemployment, poverty, hunger, disease, malnutrition, epileptic power supply, inflation, armed robbery, kidnapping, and decaying infrastructure. For me, the energy of this administration and the resources of this country should be devoted to a war against these challenges. The war of our highly experienced General Buhari should shift to how to battle frightening famine in our land. An average Nigerian is struggling to get just one meal per day. Families are in crisis, struggling to survive. What is the business of a man who is struggling to feed his family with the alleged forgery in the Senate or war against corruption? Buhari is an experienced General. Our highly experienced General Buhari should wage war against hunger and those things hindering better living for the masses of this country. Our president must impact on the lives of the people by waging war against the real challenges facing the people.

As at press time, kerosene, the cooking fuel of the masses of this country was selling for about N300 per litre in some states. This is the same kerosene that was going for about N110 per litre about a year ago. Officially, kerosene is supposed to sell at N83 per litre. So what impact has the war against corruption made on the price of kerosene? It will make more sense if our president wages war against the rising price of kerosene. Buhari should also wage war against the rising price of food. The price of a bag of garri has quadrupled. The masses of this country can no longer afford staple food like rice, corn, yam, beans, semovita, wheat, bread. In our hospitals, the cost of treatment and drugs has multiplied.

A report on Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) confirmed the biting inflation in the country. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation, rose by 0.9 per cent to 16.5 per cent in June compared to 15.6 per cent in May. This is the highest inflation ever experienced in this country since 2005. It is also the fifth consecutive month that the headline index would increase relatively strong. The increase in the month under review was attributed to energy prices, imported items and related products which continued to be persistent drivers of the core sub-index.

Rising unemployment is also contributing to the famine in our land. Manufacturers and other businesses are struggling to survive because of the warped economic policies of this administration. Industrial capacity utilisation is hovering around a startling 10%. As a result, millions of Nigerians have been thrown out of jobs. Our youths are roaming the streets in search of jobs. Consequently, crime is on the rise, with some of the unemployed youths embracing criminalities. In Lagos, armed robbery and kidnapping have suddenly assumed an unprecedented level. The story is the same across hitherto peaceful states across the nation.

Our dear president should devote quality time reading a recent research on poverty done by Oxfam Nigeria which is a further confirmation of the famine in our land. It revealed that 46 per cent of households in the North-east borrow money to eat, while 61 per cent of residents in this region lack access to portable water. The Livelihoods and Economic Recovery Assessment 2016 report, which was unveiled in Abuja, came up with a number of key findings after an assessment that was conducted by Oxfam Nigeria on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme in the North-east.

Outlining other key findings in the North-east as contained in the report, the UNDP said, “One economically active member of a household sustains 2.3 non-active members, while a majority of them do not have sufficient food supply. The average income per household per month is $60 and they spend, on the average, 42 per cent of their income on food, 26 per cent on education and health services, eight per cent on paying debts, and six per cent on firewood. In addition, 46 per cent borrow money to buy food, 41 per cent rely on alternative health care, 21 per cent have migrated to other locations, while 20 per cent send their children out to work and beg. Income from skilled labour dropped from 21 per cent before the crisis in the region to five per cent.” I am sure that if the UNDP conducts a similar research in the entire country, it would discover that many families are also borrowing money to feed across the nation; not just in the North-east.

Our economy is in a mess. As a result, this famine may persist if proactive steps are not taken. Nigeria’s economy, the biggest in Africa, is likely to contract by 1.8 per cent this year, so says the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It had to cut its 2016 growth forecast for Nigeria from 2.3 per cent projected in April to 1.6 per cent. Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product contracted by 0.36 per cent in the first quarter of the year, and economic experts predicted that the economy will record another negative growth in the second quarter. Technically, our economy is in recession. Urgent steps must be taken to halt this slide. Buhari must address the spike in inflation, negative GDP growth and naira depreciation effectively and urgently. This is the challenge our dear President should face.

Ambode and Rising Insecurity in Lagos

One area Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has really messed up is security. We are now at an unprecedented level in Lagos where people in some parts of the state are packing out of their homes and relocating because of rising insecurity. The situation is most frightening in Ikorodu. Kidnapping, killings and armed robbery in places like Isawo, Oke-oko, Igbo Olomu, Agbede and Asolo are fast assuming an alarming proportion. The crimes perpetrated by militant oil pipeline vandals have been on for several weeks without any positive intervention from Ambode. It is also a big shame that the Senator representing Ikorodu (Gbenga Ashafa) has not brought up this major crisis on the floor of the Senate.

What about Sinai Ogunbiade, the man representing the area in the House of Representatives? What about the Lagos State House of Assembly? It is very sad that the people entrusted with security have mainly been grandstanding. The people are tired of stories about the equipment worth billions of Naira given to the police by Ambode. The traumatised people of Ikorodu West and Ikorodu North LCDAs want results and not media hype about what the governor is doing to stem the attacks and senseless killings in these areas. We now have refugees in Ikorodu.

Only last Sunday, the militants attacked Isawo, killing five and abducting four people. The police lack the manpower and equipment to tackle these criminals. It is only the military that can checkmate them. The soldiers guiding fuel pipeline in Ikorodu said they would require the approval of their boss in Abuja to extend patrols to the trouble areas of Isawo. So what is Ambode waiting for? Why is it taking ages to tackle the problem in Ikorodu? Ambode needs to be reminded that he has a sacred responsibility to protect lives. It is pertinent to return Lagos State to the days of “Operation Sweep”. These were the days the military played a major role in securing our dear Lagos. The then military governor, Buba Marwa was the “Commander-in-Chief” of the military guys used for the operation. He was always on the field with them. Ambode must embrace this strategy. He must lead the war against criminal gangs in Ikorodu from the front. I see no reason why Marwa can’t be engaged as security consultant to Lagos State Government.

Ahmed Kuru’s AMCON Should Not Kill MRS, Others
Ahmed Lawan Kuru, the Managing Director of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has been going about his job as if AMCON’s mandate is to liquidate companies indebted to the corporation. Rather than engage the affected firms, there is a groundswell of threats to wind down debt-defaulting companies and seizures of businesses. Of course, if defaulting firms are shut, thousands of Nigerians will be thrown into the already saturated unemployment market. I am sure that this administration would not want this to happen. Kuru should be thinking more about how to give debtor-companies a breather in line with the mandate of AMCON. He should be partnering debtor companies to ensure that their operations are not hindered by their efforts to meet up with their obligations to AMCON.

I expect Kuru to ensure that in the process of loan recovery, companies indebted to AMCON are not allowed to go under. This is the only way we can go about reflating our battered economy. Unfortunately, Kuru has refused to adhere to this core mandate of AMCON. He has deviated from working with indebted companies to revive and sustain them and also be able to pay the loans that AMCON took over from banks. Some of the companies whose existence and workers are being threatened by Kuru’s unbridled showmanship are Aero Contractors Limited, Bi-Courtney Limited, Global Fleet/NICON Group, and Capital Oil Limited.

The most awkward threat issued of recent by the AMCON boss is that to liquidate Sayyu Dantata’s MRS Holdings Limited. Kuru instituted a suit to wind down the company over alleged inability of MRS to pay the said debt without proper reconciliation of figures. I was expecting Kuru to critically look at MRS’s position that the said debt had been fully settled, but he failed.
MRS stated: “The terms of settlement was entered as Judgment of Court on 29 June 2015, in Suit No FHC/L/CS/1365/2015. MRS is shocked that in spite of having fully settled the debt, AMCON has decided to re-litigate an already concluded matter. MRS Holdings Limited understands AMCON’s statutory function to recover debts but by no stretch can this mean harassment of companies. AMCON has declared a new aggressive debt recovery drive. MRS has no problem with that but this does not give AMCON a licence to embarrass and harass companies. It is not a crime to obtain loans for viable projects. Execution of viable projects leads to job creation and growth of the economy. However, when companies which obtained loans for legitimate businesses are being harassed and embarrassed in the name of aggressive debt recovery, it signals danger for economic growth.”

This morning, I urge the federal government to call Kuru to order, so as not to compound our already very bad economic situation. The AMCON boss must return to the path of honour while aggressively pursuing debt recovery.