PMB: What is not changing? By Abdulmajid Lawan

Dear Mr President, I prefer to write a personal letter to you, perhaps I don’t have a better channel to send a letter other than this medium. I pray it comes your way or someone very close to you who holds the sincerity to share its content with you. As an ardent supporter of change and your candidacy as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2007, 2011 & 2015, I have no regret whatsoever of voting you and will surely do the same come 2019 should you indicate interest to come back. Your impressive pedigree as a former Head of State and holder of many important positions in our great country gave me and millions of other Nigerians the hope that you can effectively deliver on the much anticipated change Nigerians are hungry of for decades.

Change is not always about good things, change can be stressful, costly and a times destructive. The most important thing is how we anticipate it and the way we react to it when it finally comes.

Nigerians labored for a change with high expectations mostly for a better living condition, peaceful coexistence, improved power supply, employment among others.

Sir, there is no doubt Nigerians have suffered in the hands of the previous administration, even with the oil boom during their era, our foreign reserve kept going down due to their ‘I don’t care attitude’ to track corruption and nonchalant notion that stealing is not corruption. It is generally understood that the present economic woes are not unconnected with the way and manner the previous government squandered our Treasury.

Mr President Sir, while we understand the monumental fraud and unchecked corruption in the previous government, you were elected with clear mandate – To rescue our economy, eliminate insurgency and insurgents, create employment and kill corruption before it kills us among other pressing needs.

Twenty months after your swearing in, a lot has been done and a lot is yet to be done.

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Sir, 2016 was a terrible year in terms of economic growth and development. Inflation, the biggest enemy of the year made life difficult to almost every Nigerian especially the low income earners. According to a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBC) in January 2016, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 9.6% as at January, the CPI continues to rise steadily and freely. In November 2016, the CPI hits 18.48%(almost double) the highest since 2006, a disturbing trend indeed. The CBN alone seems incapable of containing the situation Sir, until the prices of sugar, salt, electricity bills, house rent stop to inflate a lay man on the street will hardly understand were this government is heading to. For the Consumer Price Index to be rising for the 11th month is not funny at all, it’s either we’re not doing enough or we are doing the wrong thing.

Sir, the modus operandi of your anti graft war needs to be sanitized, most Nigerians appreciate the way and manner your government is fighting past corrupt practices which ordinarily supposed to serve as a warning to officials on board, unfortunately your government is not doing enough in tracking corrupt officials in your cabinet the way it is done to officials in the previous administration. I don’t want to mention names here, but I believe as a President that belongs to everybody and belongs to nobody, we expect to see tougher actions against corrupt officials close to you. Corruption is everywhere today in Nigeria, most Nigerians never dream of giving N20 to security personnel on our highways 20 month after a Buhari presidency. This is happening on daily basis Sir. Since stealing is now believed to be corruption, we want to see a more proactive approach in tracking corrupt practices.

Like the previous administration, secret recruitment continued with passion by FG MDA’s with the beneficiaries mostly children and relatives of highly placed politicians in the center. Majority of Nigerians never expected this to be happening under a Buhari Presidency. Whether qualified or not, getting a job in Nigeria has been reduced to who you know or who knows you.

Sir, as we say good bye to Boko Haram, another threat of insurgency is glooming. The attacks in Villages of Zamfara State and the recent crisis in Southern Kaduna need to be given serious attention to stop its escalation and reignite confidence in the minds of Nigerians. The life of a Nigerian is gradually losing its value in his own country. Something serious needs to be done to tackle the return of insecurity in the country otherwise we are not safe!

Thank you and may God bless you with good health and long life to actualize your dream for a better Nigeria.

Abdulmajid Lawan, Jos, Plateau State

 

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