The article by Mr. Ajewole Ajetunmobi with the above title was quite interesting and thought provoking. We have wasted the last five years doing nothing. We have only been going round in circles with nothing to show for it as it is normal with people who love fooling themselves.
In fact, our situation is what Shakespeare will describe as a recurring cycle of stupidity. For over five years, we have invested billions of naira in fixing our refineries and the National Electric Power Authority without success. This is a shame to a nation blessed with both human and natural resources.
Our leaders who have no ideas about what to do except to be in office to enjoy the perks associated with such offices, should bow their heads in shame. What happened to the idea of the irrepressible Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Kalu, that the big oil companies that have almost milked the country dry should be made to establish refineries in the country?
One thing that is clear to every right thinking Nigerian is that none of these companies would ever establish a refinery in Nigeria without being compelled to do so. It is obvious that it is more beneficial to the home countries of these companies to take our crude away and bring back the refined product at a greater cost to Nigerians.
What about NEPA? How did Ghana and other smaller countries around us do it that they now enjoy uninterrupted power supply? Isn’t it a shame that after five years in office and billions of naira down the drain, supply of electricity is still very epileptic? Yet, we claim to be privatising. How do you privatise without stable electricity supply? Isn’t that a shame? Perhaps, those at the helm of affairs are not acquainted with the technical know-how of how to achieve these things.
But it is curious that when they are offered genuine advice, they still turn it down. Is it for lack of political will or that their business instinct is low? But surely, Nigerians know that some people are benefitting immensely from these things not working. Some people reap from the bastardisation of the system. That is where my thoughts and those of Ajetunmobi meet. Nigeria needs a business-politician to run this country from 2007.
We do not need a man with a military mentality such as President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Indeed, the country has had its fair share of the military in power. If they could not turn around the country after those long years in power, then they should stay off and let’s try the young and fresh brains that are coming up. Kalu is one of such up and coming leaders. He is a man with a lot of ideas. He has his own weaknesses no doubt, but if we had made do with the weaknesses of others these years and it had not paid off, then we need to look elsewhere for our messiah. He is one of the few governors who have delivered democratic dividends in quantum to his people. And quite early in his days in office, he demonstrated a rare trait by investing his own personal money in the development of his state.
As a businessman, using the available sources for raising money within the economy was not strange to him. He had done that before successfully and is still doing it. May be the young man might be seen to be too confrontational. He should be. There is no one who has offered useful advice that would not feel frustrated if at the end of the day, things are going wrong owing to the failure to make use of superior advice and information. It is time, like Ajetunmobi said, to get business-politicians to run this country. And 2007 is the magic year.
Hassan wrote from 22, Oke Koto Road, Agege, Lagos.
