ASO ROCK WATCH: On Buhari’s 10-year dream to empower 100m Nigerians. Two other talking points

The 10-year dream

While speaking in a virtual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on poverty eradication, on September 1, President Muhammadu Buhari reiterated his plans to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within the next 10 years.

The meeting also witnessed the launch of Alliance for Poverty Eradication (APE) by the President.

On his plans to achieve this feat, the President averred: “It is my conviction that devoting our efforts towards human capital development, efficient management of our resources, greater financial inclusion and transformation of the agricultural sector to ensure food security are crucial to poverty eradication.”

Buhari’s plans to make Nigerians live a better life is a lofty dream, no doubt.

Beyond the dream, however, is the challenge of creating the right environment to enable productivity which would in turn impact on the quality of life of citizens.

Insecurity – arguably the biggest challenge of the Buhari administration – threatens the actualisation of these plans.

At the moment, meaningful agricultural engagements in the northern part of the country are being hampered due largely to the Boko Haram insurgency and activities of bandits.

Concerns over food insecurity have already been amplified by the National Bureau of Statistics which has enlisted Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Rivers as major trouble spots.

Added to this are earlier reports that four firms have been issued emergency approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to import 262,000 tons of maize into the country.

Indeed, the alarm bells are ringing quite loud, and this is not limited to the agricultural sector.

While the President tackles the challenge of insecurity, he must also ensure that the reforms proposed in the power and energy sectors are delivered with transparency, accountability and citizen buy-in.

Finally, Buhari would also have to pray that the ten-year dream of lifting 100 million Nigerians out o poverty does not turn into a mirage as there are no guarantees that those who may succeed him will find his plans executable.

Two other talking points

On Jigawa floods

President Muhammadu Buhari, on September 4, assured the families impacted by flood in several communities in Jigawa State of prompt support.

In a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, he commiserated with the flood victims who lost loved ones, farmlands, means of livelihood and property in the ravaging floods in the state.

He also directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other relevant government agencies, to urgently evaluate the situation in the affected areas with a view to providing the needed humanitarian supplies.

Read also: ASO ROCK WATCH: That Buhari call for speedy justice delivery. Two other talking points

“The President would continue to follow very closely reports of flood situation across the country, and ensure that relevant Federal agencies are well prepared to respond to such disasters and mitigate associated risks,” the statement reads in part.

The Jigawa floods raise a few posers:
1, Did the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) predict its occurrence?
2, If it did, what efforts were put in place to avert the monumental losses that followed?

As these questions beg for explanations, it is imperative to stress there can be no better alternative to proactive measures that can keep citizens out of harm’s way or mitigate the damages that may arise in the event of natural disasters.

Perhaps, a thoughtful approach would have been to relocate the people to higher grounds soon after the predictions were made.

Tackling radicalization

On September 2, President Muhammadu Buhari, could not hide his fears over what he termed the radicalisation of citizens online by terrorist groups.

Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, after attending the AQABA virtual meeting,
Buhari said:
“It is important to state that the spread of COVID-19 has led to the movement of activities to cyberspace.
“This, however, comes with an increase in the risk of individuals being radicalised online.”

He, however, stressed that the government would continue to monitor activities of terrorists online to control any of such radicalisation of citizens by terrorist groups and other violent cells.

It’s a relief that a problem has been identified but it’s another task to find a way to resolve it. There’s no gain saying the fact that the cyber space has become home to all manner of opportunities.

Perhaps, it’s time to harmonize not just the various laws designed to manage use of Nigeria’s cyber space but also mobilize the country’s best talents to address the impending dangers.

It might also not be out of place to rejig the agencies of government whose responsibility it is to track useful intelligence and sensitize the populace on the best way to shield themselves from being indoctrinated by extreme views.

Above all, it has become even more imperative that local actors, especially political leaders, do not by their utterances and action deliberately radicalize the gullible for the purpose of acquiring power or defending their political assets.

By John Chukwu…

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